Easy to navigate floor plan website? (house, construction, costs, draftsman)

[apex4us]

Looking for a floor plan to include a separate living area/bedroom/bath/kitchenette or wet bar for guests on the main level (like Lennar's Next Gen plans, but want a better layout for the rest of the house for a custom build). Having trouble searching for that kind of thing on some of the floor plan websites. Any recommendations?

[slo1318]

Hire someone to design it for you. You might search for six months and never find it....

[apex4us]

I always just assume that to hire an architect would be an outrageous amount of money. What is the ballpark for hiring someone?

[blazerj]

Originally Posted by apex4us

I always just assume that to hire an architect would be an outrageous amount of money. What is the ballpark for hiring someone?

Anywhere from $4 to $10K+.

I would suggest that you find a builder first and then work with the builder to design the house. That way, you have a good idea of what the construction costs will be. Many times, architects don't know/ care about the actual construction costs, because they are focused on design/ giving you what you want.

If you are using a builder with a lot of experience, you may even be able to modify a plan they made in the past, which greatly reduces the costs of the draftsman/ architect.

[slo1318]

Originally Posted by blazerj

Anywhere from $4 to $10K+.

I would suggest that you find a builder first and then work with the builder to design the house. That way, you have a good idea of what the construction costs will be. Many times, architects don't know/ care about the actual construction costs, because they are focused on design/ giving you what you want.

If you are using a builder with a lot of experience, you may even be able to modify a plan they made in the past, which greatly reduces the costs of the draftsman/ architect.

Most builders do not do plans, but they will have design contacts. Unlicensed home designers will be reasonable.

[slo1318]

Originally Posted by apex4us

I always just assume that to hire an architect would be an outrageous amount of money. What is the ballpark for hiring someone?

I dont know where you are, but here it would be $2-3k for a 2500 to 3000 sq ft house.