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At Home depot the other day, the wife happened to pick up a copy of Designer Dream Homes magazine. She fell in love with one the designs, which unfortunately was over $3000 to get your own copy of it.
My question to those out there who know about this type of approach to building is: Is this a good and safe approach to building your home?
For this amount of money (some of the other floor plans were over $5000), I would assume that you get ALL the specs including structural, electical, plumbing, material lists, etc... I didn't see a place on their website that specifies this....Have any of you used one of these designs? I am also assuming this would be an alternative to having an architect and an engineer design your house. Is this the case?
What about the actual building process? Does this sort of company lock you in to their own builders if you purchase their design, or can you do it your self and hire your own subcontractors?
If all of the above is true, is there any reason to NOT build this way? My property is on some acreage with no building codes, so I don't have to worry about that. I just want a well built home that looks nice and works well for my family's needs, and many of these designs seem to fit....
What I can say about these plans is that they are drawn by licensed architects, and are good plans...but, you'll need to take the plans to an architect that knows the updated building codes where you live. These plans might only conform to the 2003 IRC code, while an updated book was released in 2006, and home plans must now conform to the 2006 IRC code.
I can't understand you saying that there are no building codes where you live...please investigate further on that. Even if there are none, you would want a home built to the standards the Internation Residential Code demands, for your own safetey and energy conservation...a whole host of reasons for which these codes were created...
It states explicitly in one of the books I have ..."We authorize the use of the blueprints on the express condition that you consult a local licensed architect or engineer of your choice prior to beginning construction and strictly comply with all local building codes, zoning requirements, and other applicable laws, regulations, ordinances, and requirements."
We designed our own house, doing the basic layout, and then found a builder and a structural engineering firm to work with. Both of them were helpful in rethinking bits of the layout, as well as handling all the technical aspects.
Because of things like county/city codes (assuming you are building in an area with modern codes), it's very unlikely that you would get a set of plans that wouldn't have to be run by a structural engineering firm and modified to code. Every county and every building site has issues that need to be worked out (earthquakes codes, wind loads, snow loads, lot slope, soil issues).
We did talk to several architects early in the process. We wanted an extremely energy-efficient passive solar home, and we had quite a bit of trouble finding someone who was willing to design on our terms. ("I only design SIP homes." "I only design ICF homes." "I only design concrete air channel." "Passive solar - that's lots of south-facing glass, right?")
Estimates for designing a 2,000 square foot house were in the $10,000-$20,000 range, including structural engineering. As it was, we did the floor plans and a structural engineering firm charged about $5,000 to finish all the mechanical and structural plans.
Get your own design. Customize it. Make certain that YOU (not the architect) gets ownership of the design. That way you do not build a house and then see dozens more exactly like it. If you like the design in the magazine, take it to an architect and have them make something simlar. You can then customize the design to your personal taste. It will cost a lot more though.
At Home depot the other day, the wife happened to pick up a copy of Designer Dream Homes magazine. She fell in love with one the designs, which unfortunately was over $3000 to get your own copy of it.
My question to those out there who know about this type of approach to building is: Is this a good and safe approach to building your home?
For this amount of money (some of the other floor plans were over $5000), I would assume that you get ALL the specs including structural, electical, plumbing, material lists, etc... I didn't see a place on their website that specifies this....Have any of you used one of these designs? I am also assuming this would be an alternative to having an architect and an engineer design your house. Is this the case?
What about the actual building process? Does this sort of company lock you in to their own builders if you purchase their design, or can you do it your self and hire your own subcontractors?
If all of the above is true, is there any reason to NOT build this way? My property is on some acreage with no building codes, so I don't have to worry about that. I just want a well built home that looks nice and works well for my family's needs, and many of these designs seem to fit....
Pocono said it pretty much in a nutshell. He is a bit stunned about some areas not having any building codes. I too am in a town with no building codes. The only govt intervention into our lives is they want to approve the septic system. Thats it. Just get a building permit and do what you want to. No one will come by to inspect it. They will be by to reappraise your improvements to your land so they can tax you on it.
Those plans you find in those books are indeed done by licensed architects. Normally you can buy those plans for a few hundred dollars. Since you said $3000 then it likely includes the entire take off lists and multiple plan sets. $3000 ain't too bad. A local architects will charge that and then some to draw something from scratch. But a local architect will also act as a superintendent for about 10% of the total price of the job. It is money very very well spent too.
I believe you should investigate some local builders and what they build. Nearly all Builders have about 10 plans they build from over and over and over. And almost never will builld from your plans. It will be very hard to find a builder to build from your plans unless you do a "cost plus" contract with them. You see when they build the same home over and over, they have established a take off list and total cost just about accurate to the nail. Who wants to take a strange set of plans and build from it for a fixed price? No builder will I can promise you that. Way too risky.
If the architect who produced and distributed that plan book is from Texas then you may be able to contact him for local builders who might work with him and that specific plan. If he is not from Texas then chances are almost zero that he has any conections to Texas builders or contractors.
**That architect produced and distributed that book as his primary interest and source of revenue. Whether some one wants to buy plans is secondary and if some on needs a builder to put paper to reality is dead last.
I saw you are in San Padre Island. You know there are many homes that are architectural masterpieces there. You have some of the most expensive homes in the United States down there. Start with the builders responsible for building those. Meet with them and show them the plan from the book. There is a great place to start.
If I were going to build a home on South Padre Island, I doubt that I could find a plan from a magazine sold at Home Depot. It's simple really. You are in a major league hurricane zone, and depending on how far from water and what your elevation is, you might have storm surge levels and floor elevation above street to think about as well as wind issues. I doubt many home plans take that stuff into account, they are all about pretty home designs that fit into the average American suburb or city. If you build a home that does not take hurricanes and storm surge into account, I doubt if an insurance company will want to write a policy even if there are few or no building codes. I am surprised S Padre Island doesn't have a minimum floor height above flood level requirements, which is what I see in most other states that along the Gulf of Mexico or southeast Atlantic coast.
Most homes that I see built along the Gulf Coast area that have survived in a hurricane zone are a very simple design, typically a uniform rectangle shape with a hip roof, with metal roof panels and built high enough above ground to be above the storm surge. Most homes that I see in magazine designs are the complete opposite. Rather complex designs (not simple rectangles) with fancy roof lines and gable end trusses instead of hip roofs. Lots of stuff that can get blown away in a storm. Gable end trusses are only tied to the house on 2 walls, hip roofs are tied to the house on 4 walls.
Thanks for everyone's input. Sounds like IF one goes the route of buying a pre-designed plan, checking it with an engineer and architect may be a good idea. Don't worry, despite the lack of building regulations, we will ensure that it's done right, and just to clarify, though I currently live in South Padre Island, that it NOT where I'm building. We will be building on some acreage in the hill country.
So, I'm interested in hearing from anyone who HAS purchased a design like this. What is included? How was your experience building?
What I can say about these plans is that they are drawn by licensed architects, and are good plans...but, you'll need to take the plans to an architect that knows the updated building codes where you live. These plans might only conform to the 2003 IRC code, while an updated book was released in 2006, and home plans must now conform to the 2006 IRC code.
I can't understand you saying that there are no building codes where you live...please investigate further on that. Even if there are none, you would want a home built to the standards the Internation Residential Code demands, for your own safetey and energy conservation...a whole host of reasons for which these codes were created...
It states explicitly in one of the books I have ..."We authorize the use of the blueprints on the express condition that you consult a local licensed architect or engineer of your choice prior to beginning construction and strictly comply with all local building codes, zoning requirements, and other applicable laws, regulations, ordinances, and requirements."
not true (bold above) You do NOT need to be a licensed architect to design single family home. I am a Designer by trade. I personally HATE these book plans, the flows can be absolutely horrid, and since they are not designed for a particular area, they have the great advantage of sticking out like a sore thumb. I do not like getting these plans from clients to finish off for construction, they are designed poorly and we end up redoing much of the plan to make the structures work. My best opinion is to get yourself a reputable designer in your area to work with. Most will have homes they have done previously that will have a "reuse" fee with it instead of having to go full custom. Plans are not cheap, they can have hundreds of hours involved with the design, large engineering fees, soils tests and the always loved permit fees and checks. But in the end you get a home that you know is good to go.
not true (bold above) You do NOT need to be a licensed architect to design single family home. I am a Designer by trade. I personally HATE these book plans, the flows can be absolutely horrid, and since they are not designed for a particular area, they have the great advantage of sticking out like a sore thumb. I do not like getting these plans from clients to finish off for construction, they are designed poorly and we end up redoing much of the plan to make the structures work. My best opinion is to get yourself a reputable designer in your area to work with. Most will have homes they have done previously that will have a "reuse" fee with it instead of having to go full custom. Plans are not cheap, they can have hundreds of hours involved with the design, large engineering fees, soils tests and the always loved permit fees and checks. But in the end you get a home that you know is good to go.
All I said was that the plans in a majority of those plan books are drawn by a licensed professional. In Pa...an architect or engineer must be licensed to prepare plans for a single family home. Drafters are not required to get a license here yet. Of the unlicensed drafters/designers we've used compared to the licensed architects/engineers...I prefer the architects.
We design homes, too...however, we are builders, not architects..so our customized ideas and designs are drawn by a licensed architect...it's just the way we do it.
The two times someone has brought us such plans from these books, both were drawn by architect Donald Gardner..and did not need much input to make it compiant with our applicable building codes...permitting went fine, the builds went fine.
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