1. House
Plans
On
A
Budget
-­‐
“Insider”
Tips
&
Tricks
A
major
cost-­‐saving
strategy
when
deciding
to
build
a
new
home
is
to
purchase
a
“stock”
home
design
instead
of
a
“fully-­‐custom”
home
design.
However,
it
can
be
confusing
to
determine
exactly
what
plan
package
and/or
options
that
a
particular
person
needs.
“Part
of
the
issue
in
picking
a
home
design
is
the
sheer
variety
of
plan
packages
out
there,”
said
Mark
Mathis,
owner
of
HousePlanGallery.com,
a
leading
national
home
designer.
“Since
every
designer
offers
a
variety
of
different
ways
to
buy
their
house
plans,
it
can
become
confusing
to
a
new
person
shopping
for
designs.”
To
choose
the
right
package,
you
should
know
the
basic
features
most
include
as
well
as
some
of
the
add-­‐on
considerations.
The
“right”
package
will
ultimately
depend
on
your
needs
and
budget.
The
Basics
Most
designers
will
packages
that
include
a
single
set
of
blueprints
stamped
with
the
words
“Not
for
Construction.”
These
packages
usually
will
not
include
a
license
to
build
the
home
or
allow
for
copies
of
the
blueprints,
and
the
main
purpose
of
these
type
packages
are
simply
to
obtain
accurate
bids
and
materials
quotes
to
build
that
specific
home,
in
that
specific
local
area.
In
addition,
most
designers
will
also
offer
more
typical
“construction
ready”
packages
which
allow
you
to
have
a
valid
license
to
build,
obtain
a
building
permit,
secure
your
financing,
and
actually
build
your
home.
In
all
cases,
“construction-­‐ready”
plan
packages
will
have
multiple
copies
(usually
3-­‐
10)
of
the
complete
sets
of
house
plans,
which
will
include
all
four
exterior
views
(also
called
elevations);
complete
floor
plans;
a
foundation
plan;
a
roof
plan;
building
sections;
and
other
details
necessary
to
build
your
house.
These
“construction-­‐ready”
plan
packages
will
also
typically
come
with
a
single
license
to
build
the
home,
although
many
designers
also
offer
a
“multi-­‐build”
license
for
an
additional
fee.
Changes
to
Stock
House
Plans
If
you
plan
to
make
minor
changes
to
you
house
plans,
you’ll
want
to
upgrade
to
a
package
that
allows
for
modifications
to
be
easily
made
by
a
local
design
professional.
By
upgrading
to
an
electronic
CAD
file
package,
PDF
file
package,
or
even
a
Reproducible
plan
package
which
is
printed
on
erasable
Mylar,
sepia,
or
vellum
paper,
you’ll
have
the
flexibility
that
you
need
to
have
those
changes
made,
locally.

2. Included
in
these
“modifiable”
type
plan
packages
is
a
legal
release,
allowing
your
local
design
professional
to
make
the
relevant
changes
necessary
to
the
stock
plan.
In
addition,
when
shopping
for
these
type
plan
packages,
you’ll
want
to
look
for
those
designers
who
also
include
a
second
copy
of
the
plan
to
be
used
as
a
reference,
and
a
release
to
make
additional
copies
of
the
modified
documents
to
aid
in
the
bidding
and
building
process.
According
to
Mr.
Mathis,
a
popular
package
on
his
website
is
the
“PDF
File
Set.”
which
is
a
modifiable
plan
package
delivered
in
the
digital
Adobe
PDF
file
format.
In
addition,
Mr.
Mathis
said
clients
like
it
because
of
its
flexibility.
“You
can
make
your
own
copies
from
the
PDF
version,
which
makes
it
an
excellent
option
when
you
need
plans
very
quickly,
and
will
need
to
make
substantial
modifications.
For
example,
if
you
wanted
to
update
the
style
of
a
set
of
craftsman
house
plans
to
look
more
like
country
house
plans
,
etc.”
Serious
Freedom
A
final
type
of
popular
plan
package
is
the
CAD
file.
CAD
stands
for
“Computer
Aided
Design.”
These
electronic
files
allow
the
home
plan
to
be
modified,
substantially,
and
is
typically
the
best
option
for
modifying
a
stock
plan
as
the
actual
design
files
can
be
easily
manipulated
in
the
computer,
with
no
need
for
conversion
or
re-­‐drawing
of
any
type.
Finally,
many
people
look
to
have
a
fully-­‐custom
home
design
developed,
however
Mr.
Mathis
notes
that
the
design
process
can
take
up
to
6
months
for
a
design
professional
or
licensed
architect
to
complete
the
detailed
working
drawings
and
can
easily
cost
several
thousand
dollars.
“While
we
offer
fully-­‐custom
home
designs
at
HousePlanGallery.com,
we
always
recommend
that
our
customers
first
find
a
stock
design
that
fits
their
needs,
fairly
closely,
and
then
discuss
changes
with
us,”
he
said.
“We
can
usually
modify
that
stock
plan
to
fit
their
exact
needs
in
a
much
more
timely
and
inexpensive
manner,
but
whatever
the
customer
wants,
we
always
strive
to
make
them
happy
with
the
final
product.”
***
For
more
information
on
House
Plan
Gallery
and
its
Award-­‐winning
collection
of
4
bedroom
house
plans,
visit
http://www.HousePlanGallery.com
To
view
this
press
release
online,
go
to
this
press
release
about
4
Bedroom
House
Plans
by
House
Plan
Gallery