House Plans

Why just choosing a house plan "off the shelf" might not be the right thing for you.

When you start thinking about building a new home, most people come across, or go looking for house plans. Builders use floor plans in their advertising as a great marketing ploy to get you to contact them. Often you will see a pretty plan, and some overall dimensions - enough information to get you interested, but not too much detail so you have a reason to contact them for more.

There are some very appealing house plans, that have lots of features, nice room sizes, clever planning ideas and a stylish facade - but it may not be the right plan for you.

When clients come to visit me, it is often with the plan they have cut out of the newspaper or printed off the internet. It's very nice, it might be the size they want, but they have given very little thought to how it best fits their site, budget, living needs and lifestyle.

It is also very tempting to see a house plan where you love the facade, and thats what grabs you, but assume you have to have the floor plan that goes with it. Its a little bit like putting the cart before the horse. I treat the facades as if they are the icing on the cake - the plan itself is the generator of the forms and one plan can be "dressed up" in any number of ways. Focus on the floor plan first - worry about the looks later.

The next issue is whether you go to a designer or archictect to draft you a plan or search for the right one in the plan magazines or online plan companies. Either way you can acheive an acceptable result - it just depends on your budget and your degree of individuality that you want expressed in your home. There are some very good "off the shelf plans" it really is a matter of weeding your way through the myriad of options to be able to identify the one best fitting your needs.

Having said that, my bias is obviously towards a paln that is customed designed for each individual client. I can really tailor a design to a families specific needs and desires and create a functional and unique home that is suited to a particular site, climate, neighbourhood streetscape and budget. I have seen many attractive homes with stunning floor plans that a well intentioned home owner has chosen with great care - but it is totally wrong for their site and may completey ignore the benefits of passive solar design, and good orientation.

Consulting a professional - whether that is an architect, building designer or draftsperson will definitely give you the advantage of receiving advice about your specific situation. You probably have more faith in a doctor diagnosing your illness when you feel a bit sick, than relying on your own limited expertise - the same goes for building a new home. You will have greater peace of mind that you are making the right choices if you have sought professional advice.

I'll expand on these issues later and discuss the essential homework you must do before you start looking for a plan.

Till then....

P.S. If you are thinking of building a new home, I recommend doing some more background research on the home building process. A great resource can be found at www.house-n-home-building.com.

House Plans