Anyone know a website that offers house plans to look at? I've seen a few but haven't been impressed with their use of space. Surely there is a builder out there that has good design. Also, if you've been there, done that, and have any "pearls of wisdom" I'd really appreciate that too. Thanks so much for your time!
I look at the plans from Southern Living. They have house plans that are really neat to me.
Also I had a friend who went through the whole process and kept a binder on everything. Paint colors etc and she put it in her binder. Seemed to be an efficent way to keep up with it all.
We've built 2. It is a HUGE job and you have to be on your toes supervising to make sure things are happening that you are told will happen.
We did not use a specific website.
Bottom line is making sure your contract is solid and has EVERYTHING in it.
Best wishes.
Sorry I can't help with a website BUT I've been thru the process. My main advice is to get EVERYTHING, and I mean EVERYTHING in writing!!!! I can't tell you how many times the builder would try and change something - usually because he wanted to do it cheaper - but because we had everything in writing all we had to do was show the paperwork indicating how it should be done. Also, check on having insurance - we had a bathtub stolen (I still think it was an inside job!) and they tried to make us pay for it but because, there again, we had it in writing that we had insurance, we didn't get ripped off.
Also, if there is something you don't know or understand, ask questions until you do!!! I was so upset afterward with the kitchen cabinets we ended up with. I thot I was only picking out a "finish" when in reality it turned out I was picking out the "type" of cabinet which ended up being the pressed-wood type!! I hated them!!!!
As for designs, try the library or a home improvement store (Lowes, Home Depot) - they always have lots of books with floor plans, etc. I'm sure whatever you choose, your builder could incorporate just about anything.
Good luck!!!!
I think the key is to find a great builder, one that is not only excellent with workmanship but one you can trust and communicate easily with. We loved our builder and it made the process go very smoothly! I had the builders cell number to so I could get a hold of him whenever needed. Actually he is here today doing a couple odd jobs eight years later. I don't let anyone else do work in our house if I don't absolutely have to.
TF is right you need to commit a ton of time to supervising the project! I came to the house EVERYDAY while it was being built to make sure everything was going as we wanted and if there were any issues they could be taken care of immediately.
As far as house plans go......we did a lot of research. We toured many homes that were being built and that were just built to see how different plans and spaces worked. We also looked through many house plan books. In the end we hired an architect to mesh a plan we found in a book with ideas we saw in a few homes we toured.
Good luck! I actually loved having our house built and I would do it again in an instant if we didn't love our house so much.
www.COOLhouseplans.com
houseplansandmore.com
www.eplans.com
www.homeplans.com
www.thehousedesigners.com
www.nelsondesigngroup.com
These are some I looked at to get ideas before we built our house. I enjoyed getting the different plans and added things in some houses, etc. It gives you ideas of what you really need. Builders can help you but you should know what you want and be sure they do it step by step as you want it.
make certain that an "external" inspector comes out at various stages; before slab is poured, plumbing and electrical are complete/'before insulation goes in, etc.
We interviewed about 10 builders in our area and found one we could mesh with; the one both my husband and I felt comfortable talking to and dealing with. We broke ground on Thursday!!!
My husband bought a program called home edition architec (I'm not positive about that name) and has been playing with it since March - he's into that though and I NEVER would.
Make sure you''ve got elbow room where you need it and that doors are going to open the RIGHT way - I've been in homes where it's like who design this??? Well, someone who just didn't think about how it would effect the flow. Go visit as many model homes as you can to get ideas on floor plans, gadgets, closets, kitchens, pantries. I was in a model at Design Tech and saw a corner kitchen cabinet that had a lazy susan built in - it's what's going in my kitchen - I've always thought corner cabinets were such a horrible waste of space - now it won't be!!!!
I went and picked out all the colors last week. I found that what I kept going back to and what my eye went to first when I walked into the room was what I REALLY liked the best. And just remember, YOU have to live in the house - not anybody else. You can get their opinion, but you're the one that has to live with it!!! Have what YOU like.
Best to you!!!! ENJOY the experience
I probably will never build a house but if I did I would include some ideas from "The Not So Big House". Good uses of space!
Our library has many books full of house plans to look at.
Check out the websites of local architects. They often have plans or photos of their work. If you see something you like, you may be able to buy the plans or have them adapt the plans for your family and building site.
If you can afford a custom design, it may be worth the added $ to get exactly what you want. The architect will supervise the work and make sure your house is built to code and consistent with the plans and specs.
You can also check out the websites for local builders or tour model homes for ideas and plans.
that is where I found our plans for our house we had built 4 years ago. We bought the blue prints then tweeked a few things with our builder. I literally looked at 100's of plans on line and found one that was really, really close to what we wanted then, like I said, just made some adjustments with our builder and went from there. I was pregnant/having a baby during our construction ~ I don't recommend that :) You will have a lot of decisions to make, errands to run, things to look at and purchase. It's a lot, but it was so much fun!!
I got my plan from coolhouseplans.com. Whatever plan you decide on, google the name or check around on other sites. I had planned on buying my same plan on another site and the cost was almost double!!!
Speaking of costs, building is expensive. Really expensive and getting financing from the bank was a long process. Expect expenditures to pop up all the time. You may need a lot of surveys (the bank or your city may require them) and they cost several hundred dollars each time. Nothing can be done until these surveys are completed so start with a reputable surveyor. Our surveyor is a lazy idiot. We can't get our slab poured until he completes a "form survey". He hasn't come out, yet, which is holding up our project. If we had endless money, we could get rid of him and start over with another surveyor but that would cost us even more money and time.
Btw, my builder already had plans and most do. Anything you find online, they can revise and they can build around their own plans, too. We originally had a contract with Schumacher Homes but the financing fell through. We also visited Tilson Homes, and DesignTech Homes..They all have websites with plans on there. If I recall, DesignTech was the most affordable but my husband didn't like any of their plans...
