Selecting a house plan

I absolutely love to look at house plans. Growing up I always said that I was going to be an architect. Me and My mom, who also loved to designs house plans, spent hours and hours drawing and re-drawing designs together. I obviously never pursued architecture as my career, but it has remained one of my favorite hobbies.

When it came time to select our own house plans I honestly had the hardest time deciding. Jordan’s only request was that he needed an office and a large walk-in shower. Other than that he would say, “I’m leaving it up to you babe.” We are actually building our third ordered set of house plans. Our first set we ordered for Washington were too big. We presented them to a few builder friends and we discovered that it wasn’t something we were going to be able to afford to build. The second set for our WA home we didn’t love, but it was going to be what we could afford at the time. We finally settled for our third and final set for our dream home in Idaho. And although it is very large, we are building it strategically to where we could comfortably live on the main level and save up to finish the basement to grow as our kids do. Doing this we don’t build more house than we can afford.

Essentially we made a lot of mistakes and would hope you can learn from them and I hope this can help guide you on your way.

This is how we started and what we always brought it back to. Make a list of all your wants and needs. And take these things into consideration.
1. Where do you plan to spend most of your time?
2. Is this a space where your family can grow?
3. Will this be your forever home?

You already know what Jordan’s list was, but here was mine. We have three kids and so far 11 nieces and nephews so a large playroom was an absolute must. I also wanted a large cooking kitchen and a dining room big enough to fit at least a 10’ foot table. We also love to be outside. I worship the sun and Jordan prefers the shade so having a covered back patio was important. There were other things too, but those were my top few.
When you are looking into house plans here are some things to keep in mind that can help keep building costs to a minimum.
1. Corners and roof lines cost money. More corners means more labor and that means more costs. To save thousands on your build, select a house that has a minimal amount of corners as well as roof lines.
2. A rambler (one-story) is your most affordable. If you need to add more space by going up or down and can’t decide which direction is best, I have researched and discovered both are quite equal in costs, so it comes to preference and aesthetics. Just remember if adding a second story though, roof lines and angles equal extra dollars.
3. Think also of what you put off until later. For example, we know eventually we will be building a shop on our property, so for the time being, in order to save a few thousand dollars, we built our home with a two car garage. Also, we built our home with an unfinished basement that we will save up to finish within a year or two. Try to think of some other things you can go without temporarily to help keep the construction costs within budget. Going with what I asked above, “Is this your forever home?” If not, keep those great ideas in mind until the next build.
Where to find house plans. This section pertains to those who are building their own home or are using a custom home builder.
There are millions of house plans out there, and it can be quite overwhelming on where to start. I have looked everywhere for the best plans. Here are my favorite places to look.
1. www.pinterest.com — One thing I like about searching here is that they can be easily saved into categories for easy reference. Also, once you find a plan you like, they list many similar plans for you to compare and contrast.
2. www.concepthome.com — What I liked about them is they design very efficient designs with great use of space. Another great thing is they a guesstimated cost to build, including labor. This is so convenient because so often I would be considering between a few homes and would see that one was not as affordable. I did reach out to them when we were considering ordering our plans from them, and although they could not guarantee the actual cost of the build, but reassured me they were usually pretty accurate in their prediction when I gave them the area we were building and such.
3. www.advancedhouseplans.com — This is where we ordered our house plans from. We loved their selection as well as, like concept home, they give you a quick quote of what it should cost to build that home in your area. We ended up selecting “Union Park” because it had everything we’ve ever wanted in a home and was something we could love now and in all the years to come.
One thing I would like to recommend to you is to seek advice from others on a few of your favorite house plans. Especially if they have built a home before. Yes, it is your home and you get the last say in what you want, but sometimes having another set of eyes will help you. You can even send them to me. Like I’ve said, I love looking at house plans and would love to lend a hand.
Two final thoughts. 1 Depending on your area, your plans may need to be stamped by a structural engineer. Your builder may know this or you can search on your county website or ask them directly. 2 Your build will require 5–8 sets of plans. Keep this in mind when you are ordering, it may be more cost effective to order the PDF and bring to your local UPS store. They will print copies for less than $20.