Common Custom House Plan Questions

Do you do Custom House Plans?

Yes! In fact, we got our start doing custom house plans back in 1991 and decided that if we could meet people's needs in our local market with our plans, why not come up with designs that can be built in any community. Our stock plan portfolio has over 1,200 house plans in it, but our number of custom home designs far exceeds that. Everyone has unique needs when it comes to how they want to live within their home, and our team of designers has worked on some beautiful custom home designs that are built around the Midwest. When combined with our stock plan portfolio, our custom house plans increase our total number of plans to well over 10,000 so we have plenty of experience as designers. We often customize farmhouse plans with walkout basements and angled garages.

How much does it cost to have a home custom designed?

The cost of a custom house plan varies widely and is based on many different options. Let's take a look at some of the things that can affect the cost of a custom home plan:

• Size - The larger the home is in terms of square footage, the more the plan will cost. We have had custom home designs well over 10,000 square feet, and those sets of plans require a generous amount of time to complete.
• Details – Our larger custom homes typically have extra details that normally aren't found in a smaller home. Some of these details include ceiling beams and trays, built-in cabinets around a fireplace, art niches and vaults. To ensure that details are built correctly, we will often provide a 2D detailed drawing to show the carpenters exactly how to build them.
• Lot considerations – If your lot is anything other than flat, we often ask for a site plan so that we can place the home on the lot correctly and include an additional drawing such as a lower level design with the plan set.
• You – The number of changes you make to the design will also be reflected in the total cost of your custom house plans. If you change your mind, are indecisive, or have to cut square footage to make your budget, you will most likely spend a bit more than you would have.

The bottom line of custom house plan costs is that before meeting with your designer, try to have an idea of what you want, what size you can afford, and how much you're willing to pay. While we cannot give an exact cost here, we can say that we try to do everything we can to work within your budget – even if that includes breaking the news to you that you can't afford what you think you can.

Can I customize a stock plan?

Yes! All our stock plans can be modified in many ways. In fact, stock plan modifications are a major part of our business and we take great pride in being able to meet our customers' needs. Our client service representatives are trained within the architectural field and to be able to answer any questions that you might have about any of our plans.

Many of the large publishing houses outsource change requests, but when you purchase directly from us, you can be assured that the designers who originally designed the house plan are the same people who are modifying your plans.

Can I buy a custom plan that you've already designed for someone else? Yes and no. We like to protect our custom house plan clients, so we might not be able to sell those within their market to protect them, but if you are located three states away? That we could do. Just as we would protect the market where you would build your custom house plan, we protect them. We have also customized custom house plans for our clients as well.

So, whether you start with a stock house plan, or a custom house plan, we can modify either to meet your needs, your lot or development requirements or your local building requirements. Just give us a call at 1-800-725-6852 and one of our client services representatives will be more than happy to work with you.

Do you have photos of some of your custom house plans?

We are currently working on updating our custom homes portfolio, and you will find those photos in our custom gallery under the collections tab of our website. You'll find some of our biggest custom home designs here, as well as some smaller homes. If something catches your eye, there's also a good chance that we might have a stock plan that is similar in style and design that we can modify instead of trying to license the custom house plan.

We try to get as many photos of our custom plans as possible, but there are many more plans than what you'll find in our custom gallery that we may not have photographed.

What's the bottom line on custom home plans?

The bottom line on ANY plan that you consider purchasing is making sure it meets your practical needs as a family, that it fits within your budget, and that it will work on your lot. We want you to love your home, and a custom home designed just for you will reflect your family's lifestyle and personality. It's important that you do your homework before meeting with a house plan designer to ultimately save yourself time and money in the long run. Knowing what you want and being open-minded will allow you to give your input to our team so that you get what you want in your home in a plan that makes sense and works from a builder's standpoint.