How much will modifications cost?
Minor to moderate changes
usually range from $150 to ~ $700. If you should want to make extensive
changes to a larger house, you may spend a few thousand dollars. If that seems
like a significant amount, remember that fully-custom house plans can cost as much as $5 per square
foot, and the average stock house plan price is about $700. You're still saving
thousands of dollars by choosing a stock house plan. Also, keep in mind that requested changes may affect the total
square footage—or width and depth—of the design.
In general, most people who modify a house plan spend between $300 to $1200 for
the changes. The cost is directly affected by the complexity of the changes and
the amount of labor involved. Your cost may be more or less depending upon the
time needed to make your changes. If an exterior wall is moved, then
additional
changes would be involved because the updates affect additional aspects of the drawings
(such as the roof, foundation, exterior views, etc.). If exterior walls are not
involved, the cost is normally less.
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Do I have to pay for a modification estimate?
No, if the designer of the stock house plan offers modification services,
they will provide you will a complimentary estimate. If the designer
does NOT offer these services then you may or may not be charged a modification
estimate fee from the architect, building designer, or draftsman that you
contact to complete the requested modifications.
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What are the most commonly requested
modifications to plans?
These include:
Eliminating windows, fireplaces, false dormers
Changing garages from a 2 to 3-car
Reconfiguring kitchen cabinets for appliances
Rearranging certain interior walls
Changing ceiling heights
Changing exterior surfaces (brick, siding, stucco)
Changing exterior wall framing (2 x 4 to 2 x 6)
Changing a foundation type
Relocating garage door openings / adding or eliminating bays
Changing garages from/to rear, front, or side-load
Kitchen or bath layout change
Changing an exterior elevation style. (Using the floor plan of one home and the
exterior of another)
Adding or eliminating a room. (This would involve changes to all aspects of a
plan - elevations, floor plans, roof, and foundation details)
Stretching house plans in either width or depth
Adding a bonus room over the garage
Reducing or increasing the square footage of the home
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What type of Modifications are the most expensive?
One of the most requested modifications is to reduce the size of the house. Because many
stock house plans have been designed with CAD programs, you might think that
it would be simple to just instruct the program to reduce the size of the house
by 10%, 15%, etc. Actually, that can be done, but what happens is that
everything gets reduced by that percentage – door & window openings,
refrigerator openings, tub and shower spaces, etc. What happens is that the
house doesn’t ‘work’ anymore. The designer would most likely have to start from
scratch at a flat rate of $1-$5 per square foot of finished floor space to get
the size of the home reduced for you. Therefore, reducing or enlarging the size of a house is
one of the most expensive modifications you can make.
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Will the plans have all the information I need to get a building permit?
In most cases, depending on the location where you are building your house.
Many local building departments will also require a site plan to show where the house will
sit on your property. You might also need beams sized to accommodate roof loads
specific to your region. Your home builder can usually help you with these
type items. If
you are not connecting to a city sewer system, you also need a septic design attached
to your application. Also, certain areas of the country now require compliance with local energy
codes, which is normally only a simple form that you fill out and attach to your
application.
In some regions, you also need to ensure that
your house plans are in compliance with local codes, including certain areas of North America
which have more strict
engineering requirements. For example, earthquake-prone areas of California and
the Pacific Coast, hurricane risk areas of the Florida, Gulf, and Carolina
coasts, as well as New York, New Jersey, Nevada, and parts of Illinois require
review by a local professional. If you are building in these areas, you will
most likely need to hire a state-licensed structural engineer to analyze the
design and provide additional drawings and calculations required by your
building department. If you aren’t sure, building departments typically can
provide you with a handout, listing all of the items they require to obtain a building
permit. Additionally, stock plans do not have a professional stamp affixed. If
your building department requires one, they will accept only a stamp from a
state-licensed professional where you plan to build. In this case, you
will need to have your house plans reviewed and stamped by a local building
designer, architect, or engineer in your particular state and/or region.
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Is it necessary to have plans modified? Can’t I just do the changes myself
during construction?
Often times, yes. It is perfectly normal to do what is called "red-lining"
changes you intend to make to the plans. Certain changes can be made during
construction without modifying the house plan. However, this is dependent on your local building codes and the
flexibility of your local building department. Always consult with your
local building department and home builder to
determine whether the changes you want to make are feasible without having the
design modified.
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Why do I need to purchase a "Reproducible" or "CAD File" set in order to have modifications
made?
For three reasons: First, a "Reproducible" and/or "CAD File" plan package will
include a Copyright Release so that whomever completes the house plan
modifications will have legal permission from the original designer to alter
the drawings, which are copyrighted and protected by Federal law. Secondly, you
will be sent the modified Reproducible after completion of the modifications and
you will be able to make legal copies of the plans for your builder, lender,
building department, and subcontractors. (It is illegal to make copies of a
house plan without a Copyright Release from the original designer). Finally, Reproducibles are on a special type of semi-transparent paper that allows
professionals to both erase and copy. Regular blueprints are not erasable, nor
are they able to be copied.
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How long does it take to have modifications
made?
It varies; depending upon the designer's workload at the time
and the complexity of the design. In most cases, the modifications can be
completed in 1 - 6 weeks.
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Can your plans be adapted for handicapped accessibility?
Yes, some plans will be easier than others to adapt, but there are always ways
to modify plans to adapt to special needs.
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Will my home plans come with a seal or stamp?
Stock plans do not have a professional stamp affixed. If your building
department requires one, they will only accept a stamp from a state-licensed
professional where you plan to build. In this case, you will need to have your
house plans reviewed and stamped by a local engineer, architect, and/or building
designer.
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Do the plans include engineering?
No. Even custom home designs don’t include engineering. Engineering is an
entirely different profession. If your plans need engineering, you will need to
hire a local professional familiar with engineering requirements in the location
you intend to build.
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Will my modified design include a Material List?
Normally, no. However, many designers do offer an optional materials list for
their plans at a minimal charge. Please see the plan's detail page for
additional information.
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Will my plans conform to my local building code?
All of our house plans are designed to conform to the local codes where the
original house was built. Most building codes in the United States are similar
because they meet industry-standard minimums that are based on three nationally
recognized standards. Building codes are standards created to ensure the
structural safety of buildings. They are established and enforced by your local
government, usually through your city or county's building department. Every
state, county, and local municipality has adopted their codes from one of the
three nationally recognized building codes: UBC (Uniform Building Code), BOCA
(Building Officials and Code Administrators), and CABO (Council of American
Building Officials). The new IRC (International Residential Code) is a
combination of the other three and is fast becoming the National Standard. All
are very similar in content.
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What if I don’t like the way the plans turn out
after I receive the modified drawings?
This is highly unlikely since you will have discussed the changes, in detail,
with the designer, but in the event you don’t like the modified plans, the modification
work will still need to be paid for. Unfortunately, there are no refunds on modification services. You will need to pay for the cost of the blueprint master and the cost of labor
that has been performed for you. For example, if you decide not to finish the
final design phase then you are still responsible for paying for the cost of the
blueprint masters and the preliminary design work that was done for you. The
estimate that you receive will show you the total cost to complete the changes you
requested and the estimate will usually be broken down in to two phases of
design work. If your changes are fairly simple then there may only be one phase
of design work needed.
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Will the plans include electrical, plumbing & mechanical details?
Location of heating, air-condititioning, duct work & water heaters will not
usually be shown on plans since local codes and climate, as well as your
preference of heating and cooling systems, varies dramatically. Your builder and
subcontractors will help you determine the optimal selection and logical placement of
equipment. The only plumbing related information that will be on the plans is
the location of fixtures such as sinks, tubs, showers, etc. Electrical
schematics, (location of lights, plugs & switches) is typically included unless
otherwise noted.
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If you should have any questions about the
house plan modification process, please don't hesitate to email us at
questions@houseplancentral.com,
and we'll be glad to walk you through the process.
