We've long had a project type called the "Internet Rescue". The plans we've "rescued" have been purchased on-line by people expecting to be able to build from them, only to find significant problems, forcing them to have them fixed at considerable expense. That's made Wendy think "hmmm - I can do better, much much better". These issues include:

• Plans drawn many years ago met code at the time, but not now. Updating a plan to meet current code can mean the stairs are suddenly 2 or 3 feet longer and no longer fit in the plan. Height requirements at bathroom fixtures, accessibility requirements in certain states, larger windows required for fire safety... All can require significant changes - including the need for the house to be bigger.
• Plans originally prepared for a southern state, with no snow loads, can require major changes to the framing. This can mean you have to choose between expensive steel or adding posts in places you thought would be open.
• Plans originally drawn by hand for a custom client often have revisions made by hand when changes were made after construction started. These revisions can be incomplete, relying on verbal field instructions to clarify. We've quite literally seen plans with two different sets of dimensions providing conflicting information, and no way to tell which is correct.
• Plans originally drawn by hand sometimes have the architectural, structural and electrical information all on the same sheet. That saved paper and work when they were drawn, but when photocopied a decade later can be almost impossible to read.
• Plans originally drawn by hand often have mistakes and inconsistencies between the plans and elevations.
• Having someone local do these updates often costs as much or more than if the homeowner simply had a design done for them custom.
• Those cost calculators are often way way off. They may use only the heated square feet, and they may rely on census data that's as much as ten years old, and they may not adjust for the complexity of a design. We're not entirely sure why, but we know that the clients coming to us are bitterly disappointed.
• We're starting to see an even more disturbing trend. The various 3D software programs are fun, and make design seem easy. So people who bought it to design their own house are doing other designs and listing them for sale on some of the plan sales web sites. Coming up with a sample plan that gets past a plan site's minimum standards does not make one a proficient professional.

We are not alone

There are other predesigned home plan sites that offer quality plans. If you are looking at multiple home plan sites, we advise that you skip the ones that offer 100 or more designers. Search the site for the disclaimers, and when you see something resembling "met code at the time they were drawn", that's your clue that they are selling plans "as is", not that you can necessarily build from today. If you don't see that, but don't find any "terms and conditions" at all, call them up. There are a few others selling predesigned plans who meet code, don't explicitly say so (probably because the mere thought gave their insurance people the chills), but also don't try to disclaim their way out of all responsibility.

Our designs

Our plans are all current, designed or updated within the last few years, and reviewed to make sure they meet the most current model code (IRC 2006) in the most critical ways. See Our Promise & The Fine Print. Most were designed for moderate snow. Changing from a 40 pound ground snow load to 60 or 75 is a whole lot easier than going from zero to 60! Sizing down is even easier still.

Why your builder matters

Estimating the cost of construction is an art. Regional differences, site conditions and your taste are all factors. Our estimate is tailored to your region and to you. We also feel that if you're buying "internet plans" it's critical that you have a good builder - so best to start the conversation with them right in the beginning. We've provided the square footage breakdown here on the web site and affordable Review Sets so that your builder can refine and build on that Estimate.

All our designs are prepared using Chief Architect, professional 3D home modelling software. It lets us show you the design in a way you can understand. Because the plans and elevations are all different views of the same model, they are always consistent. Even the dimensions have a computer-assist. We're starting with the premise that a builder we never meet or talk to might be building these plans. They are updated and prepared for this market, not just pulled out of a drawer and mailed.

Please note that we strongly advise that you have someone local who is skilled and knowledgable about residential construction on your project team. Selecting a builder based primarily on their reputation, references and quality can be a way of achieving that. We strongly advise against hiring your builder based solely or primarly on price without an independent local architect or highly qualified home designer on your team.

Back to those plans you already bought...

And yes, if you've purchased plans elsewhere (provided your purchase includes a license to build and rights to have the design modified) we can help.