Original Home Plans offer a carefully selected group Interactive Plans from proven designs and allow you to create the custom variation you want.

You can design a home that meets your needs and satisfies your creativity. Millions of unique designs are available to you at the click of a mouse, and you are in control.

Original Home Plans’ patented Plan Tool technology lets you design a house, live over the web, with no software to download. It’s fun, fast and free.

Choose from the many custom features to update your Original Home Plans.

Make changes to your dream house plans, save your designs to your FREE account, send an email with a link to your house and show others your design.

“Great site…Beautiful Homes!
Carl”
PS. Read my “How to Read House Plans“.

Detailed, powerful, and easy to use, Resi-Cost’s patented construction cost estimating software provides a full breakdown of home building costs and the ability to instantly allow you to give your contractor’s bid a “reality check”

Never before have you had the ability to accurately, easily and quickly determine the construction cost of building your dream home and if needed, know what to revise to bring it back in budget.

Resi-Cost™ Full Function: Home Cost Estimating Software:

Resi-Cost™ provides detailed cost reports.

This is the same construction cost estimating software used by professional builders and architects.

Construction cost estimating software features:

• Explore the cost impact of different design and material choices.
• Over 4,000 home design options
• Room by room special finishes, cabinets and tops
• Detailed cost reporting for every building system
• Proprietary 40,000 zip code costing database
• No software to buy and install
• No blueprints needed
• Estimate at any design stage
• Stop and come back anytime

Gain cost control. Build or buy that dream home today.

Carl

• Do they have a permanent business address?
• Can they provide references?
• Ask to see their state license. (Or check online at your state Licensing Division)

You can also click on a state below to see License Requirements or to find out if a contractor is licensed in that state.

•Do they have current liability insurance and workers compensation coverage?

Note: If you hire someone who is unlicensed and/or uninsured you may be held liable for any injuries that occur while working on your property.

• How long have they been in business?

• Check with your city building department for any local complaints.

• Check with your county clerk to make sure there are no civil suits against the contractor.

• Check with your local home builders association to see if they are a member.

• Make sure you receive a complete, clearly written contract for the work to be done.

• Do not pay cash up front unless you have a signed valid contract. (Carl says never pay cash up front!)

And, be sure the estimates specify the total price and the method of payment, the kind and quality of materials to be used and the estimated length of time it will take to complete the work.

Carl

Sonia

Hi Sonia,

A walkout basement needs to have concrete walls for structural strength when the walls are less than 18” above finished grade (dirt), then conventional wood framing can take over.

Concrete walls, no matter what anyone else tells you, are always damp and cold…always…in any climate and in any season. So, it makes sense (and cents) to switch to wood as soon as the finished grade allows.

As for the wood framed walls strength, there is no dirt pushing on the wood framed walls, no hydrostatic pressure either as the wood framing is above grade, so the wood framing is fine.

As for the flooding part of your question, I hope you mean minor flooding such as flooding caused by a leaky basement.

One of the main advantages of a walkout basement is the fact that with proper waterproofing and drainage, the chance of a flooded basement is greatly reduced.

The chance of flooding is reduced because rain and runoff water have gravity helping them go around the structure and drain away from the house on the side where the wood walls are “at grade”.

A sump pump is still required with a walkout basement by most building codes, so that tells you that a walkout basement is not immune to flooding.

But flooding is irrelevant as to whether the walls are concrete or wood.

Carl

If you want a basement and you live in an area of the country where the soil doesn’t drain well, such as clay soil, AVOID flat lots.

A sloping lot will provide drainage for your footing drains.

Another advantage of a sloping lot is that it allows you to design your house with a walkout basement with doorways or windows on one side to provide natural light and ventilation.

Also, in some areas the open side can be frame construction, which is a little less expensive than poured concrete or concrete block.

If you have no alternative to building a basement on a flat lot with poor drainage, be sure to hire a professional waterproofing subcontractor.

They will take extra care in waterproofing the exterior basement walls, providing footing drains that drain either to a sump pump and/or to a lower elevation on your property.

Be sure that local codes are considered as to where the drainage can be discharged.

If you don’t want a basement, try to find a relatively flat lot so that you won’t have an excessive amount of crawl space (or fill, if you decide on a slab foundation).

Building a crawl space is cheaper than digging a basement.

If the lot slopes on only one end or corner, though, it will not cost too much more to accommodate the foundation to the lot.

Notice that you are accommodating the foundation to the lot, not the other way around.

We have plans for a home that has 3124 s/f on one level. The home will be constructed with 20% stone and 80% Portland stucco. Two builders’ recommended two HVAC systems be used while one builder said that I only needed one. The home will be built in central Georgia.

Please advise,
Ron H.

Hi Ron,

3124 sq ft is a large house…too big for one HVAC system, especially in a one level house.
With only one system some of the air duct “runs” would be too long.

The HVAC system would have to move so much air to those “far corners” of the house that air noise would be very loud inside the house, and the system would be grossly inefficient.

The same would be true for the same size 2 story home…read my “Home Cooling and Saving Energy“.

And, due to this inefficiency, the one HVAC system will cycle” more frequently. This frequent “on/off” cycling, will make your house go through erratic temperature swings that will drive you nuts trying to adjust the thermostat to compensate for these erratic temperature swings.

Two smaller HVAC systems will not only be more energy efficient (money saving:)), they will be quieter, and keep your house more comfortable.

Also, with two systems, you could divide the house into comfort zones based on your needs.
You could actually shut one zone down from time to time to save energy if no one is using that area of the house at the time.

Net cost difference between one large HVAC system vs. two small HVAC systems? Not much considering the “trade off” of comfort and energy efficiency and of course, operating costs.

Here’s what ENERGY STAR has to say:

“Installing the right size equipment for the home is essential to getting the best performance and comfort. Many homeowners believe that bigger is better when buying new heating and cooling equipment.

But in reality, a system that’s too large will not keep your home comfortable because of frequent ‘on/off’ cycling. Incorrect sizing can also put stress on system components and shorten the equipment’s life.

To ensure proper sizing your contractor should provide a copy of the home’s heat gain/loss calculations for your records.” Source: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=heat_cool.pr_hvac

Ron, a good heating and air conditioning contractor knows all this. Sound like you are talking to at least two home builders that use savvy HVAC contractors

Good luck,
Carl

Buying land is a very subjective process, and the cost of land varies greatly in different regions of the country.

One very important tip on buying land is to always keep the resale value in mind. I know that may not seem important to you, especially since selling is the farthest thing from your mind right now, but some day it may not be. Remember, resale value is always on the mind of your mortgage lender.

I recommend spending no more than 25 percent of your budget on the land. While this is not always possible, and gets harder to do every year, it is an excellent guideline.

If you have to spend more than that, something else has to give, and that will be the size and/or style of your dream house. Size and style determine building cost. (Size more than style.)

You’ll have to juggle hypothetical scenarios in the planning process until it all fits into your budget. In order to do this, you will have to know upfront approximately how much it costs to build a house.

The actual “cost to build” anywhere in the US is the most closely guarded secret in the industry, but here is how you can find out what housing costs in your area by going to my web site byoh.com and using the “Cost to Build Calculator” found on the “Getting Started” page.

Another method can be found on my  Cost to Build a House.

Carl Heldmann

My wife and I are considering building our own house and we realize that one of the things we need to do is get a house plan. One of the problems we are finding is that that all the home plan web sites have houses that are close to what we want but not exactly what we want. (Also most of the web sites seem to have a lot of the same designs)

Respectfully,
Kevin

Kevin,

Creating an entirely new set of custom home plans requires a considerable amount of time and expertise. Design fees vary considerably based on these factors:

1. The size, complexity and level of fit and finish of the project: These are the same factors that affect the construction cost which explains why some fees are quoted as a percentage of the construction cost.

2. The extent of design services you need: Do you already have a plan in mind, or do you need a unique plan created to suit a special program or a difficult property? Are you a builder looking for a simple set of plans to meet code, or do you need carefully detailed plans which can be competitively bid? Are you going to manage the bidding and process yourself, or do you need assistance finding a builder and making sure he builds your project in accordance with the plans.

3. The level of experience and accreditation of the designer: Some states require all house plans to be drawn by a licensed architect or an engineer, but most don’t. Are you requesting fee proposals from an architect, a professional building designer, a builder, or even just a student who can use a CAD program?

Given these factors, I’ve seen fees by reputable designers quoted anywhere between 2% and 15% of the construction cost, so I’d say the 5% number you got is pretty reasonable. However, you are correct that this is “an awful lot of money for plans”.

A good alternative to buying a brand new set of plans for a house that’s never been built is to look around at houses that have been built. Look for a design you like that’s appropriate for your project and locate the designer. He or she may be willing to sell you a custom modified set of plans for a fraction of the cost for a new design.

It’s important to remember that most home designs are copyrighted even if it doesn’t say so on the plans. You must purchase copies of copyrighted designs from the original designer. Hiring someone else to copy a design, even if it’s not an exact copy, is a violation of copyright laws.

Stock house plans are the least expensive way to purchase professionally prepared plans, but it can be frustrating to find exactly the plans you need. Many but not all stock plan designers will customize their plans although the cost of modifications can drive up the cost of the plans significantly.

That’s why I started www.originalhome.com, an interactive home plan website where you can customize the designs on-line. Right now, our site has a great selection of Colonial and Cape designs, but we’re working to add new series of plans. Even if we don’t have the design you’re looking for, our site may give you some useful ideas.

Good luck with your project,
David Moore, AIA
Original Home Plans

“Dear Readers,
Do you have a question for David?
Click here to “Ask the Architect“.
Carl”
PS. Read my “Architect Fees” for additional information

You only need to select the land at this point.

If you find a particular building site and don’t want to risk losing it you can make an offer with the understanding that your binder or deposit will be refunded if certain conditions or criteria are not in your favor or if you can’t obtain construction financing.

This is called a contingency offer. Don’t put more than 10 percent down as a binder or deposit, and if you are using a real estate broker be sure that the money is held in escrow.

If you don’t know any Realtors, you can find a Realtor or a Realtor website through Realtor.com

If you already own land, jump ahead to the next topic. If not, read on. If you don’t already own land, you must decide where and what to buy.

The cost of the land should be your guide for it will be the first item subtracted from your budget. Whatever is left in your budget after subtracting the cost of land is all you have left to build the house.

Choosing the Right Land or Building Site

First choose the area where you want to live, for real estate location is the main determining factor in land cost.

Next, look for a lot or a site with the acreage you want to accommodate your personal tastes.

If you have lived in a city or town for a while, you probably know where you want to build. If you haven’t been looking around, or if you are new to an area, again I suggest working with a local Realtor.

These brokers know what each neighborhood offers and what lots cost in different locations.

If acreage is what you are after, here too, a Realtor is most helpful. He or she can help you locate the property you want and can help with all the details necessary to assure you that it is a suitable building site.

The Realtor should be able to show you a survey (map) of the lot and point out the boundaries to you during a walk around the lot.

The concrete floor in the garage of a house my son is wanting to buy is scored I suppose for expansion, creating four equal sections.

There are poured curbs that sit on the slab along the length of the outside walls that hold the bolts that the wall sills are bolted to.

In line with the score on the floor, cracks are present in these curbs that support the exterior wall on each side of the garage.

Are these concrete cracks normal? The cracks are visible on the outside of the house also in the foundation, in line with the scores in the concrete.

The perpendicular score that runs parallel with the outside walls, down the center of the garage is in line with another crack in concrete poured between the garage slab and the first slab of the driveway.

This looks like a monolithic slab pour, with no outside foundation wall serving as a perimeter.

What do you think about the cracks?

Thanks,
Mark

Hi Mark,

I think all cracks in concrete should always be investigated. Some could be merely cosmetic while some could be structural failure or signs of a potential structure failure.

I hate it when I hear people (even builders) say, “Oh, concrete is supposed to crack”, or some such other BS.

There is an old saying in home building (as well as in other fields)

“If it doesn’t look right, it’s probably not.”

Call the local building inspection department (Free) and/or a licensed home inspector (Not too expensive), or better yet, a structural engineer (more $ but more knowledge).

Here’s another old expression. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”.

I wouldn’t buy without an inspection.

Carl