When you’re looking at building your dream house, your first step should be to take a look through stock plans. Yes, no kidding. Stock house plans give you a perfect starting point from which to plan your dream house, and a smart builder can find ways to use a stock house plan to create beautiful custom plans that wok perfectly for the dreams you have of your future.
Start with the great books you can find on magazine shelves with pocket versions of house plans. These sample plans don’t have enough information to use them as a basis for building an entire house, but what they will do is get you started. Using stock plans as a guide, you can determine:
* What you want your dream house to contain
* What special features of your landscape you can incorporate into your home’s structure
* Which floor plans appeal to you, and why
* What house plans are perfect for your future plans in the place you want to live.
Once you’ve narrowed down some of your favorite features for a dream house, you can order a couple of stock plans from which to develop your custom plans.
Why do this, since even stock plans cost you at least a couple of hundred dollars each? Because the right stock plans can save you tons of time and money if you have a talented architect. Most plans are at least partly modular these days, and often you can even order prefabricated sections pegged to a specific house plan.
In addition, good stock plans come with a detailed inventory, which you can use while you’re developing out your dream house. This is important for two reasons: you can look at the materials used to build your house and determine whether your budget will stretch to accommodate them, and you can get a very good idea of where to upgrade and downgrade materials.
You may also find out after looking at several sets of stock house plans that one is your dream house. Depending on your house building plans, this could save you thousands of dollars in architect fees. If you do order a set of stock house plans, check with the company first to see if you can exchange them later if you want a different plan. Some blueprint suppliers will give you up to 90% credit toward a different set if you return the original plans.
Finally, it’s also inexpensive and fun to browse through stock house plan books. These compilations stimulate your imagination, giving you dozens of unique ideas you can use for your own home, even if you don’t purchase stock plans.