In this episode of the HousePlanGallery.com podcast, we’ll be answering another one of our most popular customer questions and thats “Do Stock House Plans Include Everything that I need to build in the state of “INSERT HERE”?

We understand that when you begin looking for traditional house floor plans on the Internet and in plan books, the process can seem a little confusing and unclear… Especially when you’re looking to build the home in a part of the United States with very localized building codes and requirements.

We want to help you understand, exactly, whats included in a stock plan, and what items you’ll need to check with your local building offices to confirm what other details, if any, are needed to actually get a permit to build in your local area…

As always, you can just give us a call at 601-264-5028 or send us an email via our contact page if you ever have a question about anything you see on the site, and we’ll be glad to help….

One question that we receive, almost every day, is whether the new house floor plans package for plan 12345 contains everything that a person would need to build the home in the state of “INSERT STATE/LOCATION HERE”… As such, we wanted to provide some additional information to clarify the subject.

In most areas of the country, House Plan Gallery top house floorplan will be everything you need to build, but not necessarily everything you need to obtain a building permit.

In addition to the house plans you order, you may also need a site plan that shows where the house is going to be located on the property. You might also need beams sized to accommodate roof loads specific to your region. Your home builder can usually help you with this. You may also need a septic design unless your lot is served by a sanitary sewer system. Many areas now have area-specific energy codes that also have to be followed. This normally involves filling out a simple form providing documentation that your house plans are in compliance.

Additionally, in some regions of the US, there is a second step you will need to take to insure your house plans are in compliance with local codes. For example, some areas of North America have very strict engineering requirements. Examples of this would be earthquake-prone areas of California and the Pacific Coast, hurricane risk areas of the Florida, Gulf & Carolina Coasts. New York, New Jersey, Nevada, and even parts of Illinois require review by a local architect and/or engineer.

If you are building in these areas, it is most likely you will 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 have a handout they will give you listing all of the items they require to submit for and obtain a building permit.

Additionally, stock plans do not have a professional stamp attached. If your building department requires one, they will only accept a stamp from a professional licensed in the state where you plan to build. In this case, you will need to take your house plans to a local engineer or architect for review and stamping. In addition, plans which are used to construct homes in Nevada are required to be drawn by a licensed Nevada architect.

It is always a good idea to check with your local city, municipality, and state building authorities to ensure that your home construction will meet all applicable building codes.

Keep in mind that, even though you may need to obtain a few additional small items to obtain your building permit, you’re still going to save thousands of dollars by purchasing a high-quality stock house plan from a reputable designer like House Plan Gallery, when compared to the cost of having a fully custom set of plans developed.

Stock house plans offer a tremendous value over custom home plans, and if you ever have questions about the house plna buying process, we’re always just a phone call away…

Finally, if you’re looking for a recommendation on an Award-winning house plan with a very popular design, you can check out one of our most popular home designs – The Wilson Creek – at http://www.houseplangallery.com/HPG-1509B-1

This attractive craftsman style home design has become very popular with our customers and has some great floorplan and design features in 1,509 square feet of living space.

Again, you can view this plan online at http://www.houseplangallery.com/HPG-1509B-1

Thanks for listening to this week’s podcast. Join us for next week’s episode, where we’ll be talking about some tips for being “green” and eco-friendly when buying your new house plans.

Finally, we’re always here to help you find a house plan for your family, and you can always feel free to visit us online at http://www.HousePlanGallery.com or give us a call at 601-264-5028 if we can help you with your new house plans.

Thanks again, and let us know if we can help!

In this episode of the HousePlanGallery.com podcast, we’ll be continuing our talk about what are the most popular home design features that people are looking for in their new craftsman house floor plans.

In part 3 of this 3 part series, we’ll wrap this topic up by talking about a very important, though not often talked about, consideration of families when looking for a new house plan, and that is “ease of maintainance”…

Again, before we get started, we’d love to hear your feedback on what features you’d like to see in your new house plans, so be sure to give us a call at 601-264-5028 or send us an email via our contact page…

#4: Ease-of-Maintenance – The relative time constraints of today’s family unit is at an all-time high. Many families now include two full-time working parents, additional outside work commitments, professional commitments, family commitments, and 2.5 children of varying ages. Time is a extremely precious commodity for which home maintenance is ranked right below doing your taxes and going to the dentist for a root canal.

Today’s homeowners want a new home design that is, not only, aesthetically pleasing and functional, but also includes modern building materials and design features that utilize the most current research developments and minimize the amount of maintenance (i.e. cleaning, painting, replacing, etc) needed over time.

One example of these type low-maintenance building materials is hardi board, which is a type of exterior covering similar, in look, to wood siding but made from an extremely durable concrete base. Hardy board/plank is the trade name for one brand of concrete fiber siding, however there are numerous other similar brands.

The product does not rot or deteriorate, and with proper installation and maintenance, appears to last for very long periods of time without deterioration. Additionally, the hardy board siding does need to be painted or re-finished, as any dirt, etc. can simply be washed away with minimal effort.

These type products can help to improve the quality of life of the home owners by minimizing the time and related costs associated with maintaining a home.

The simple house floor plan trends and “most-requested features” listed in this podcast convey the general interests of today’s current stock house plan purchasers. It should be noted that certain parts of the country will include construction practices / demographic profiles / disparate geographical characteristics which is in stark contrast to those same characteristics evident in a different part of the United States.

In these instances, you can be assured that a designer, like House Plan Gallery, has already developed a stock home plan design to fit your needs. A design that provides an excellent value, with all the features, and at a more affordable price than that of a fully-custom set of houseplans.

If you’re looking for a specific example of an Award-winning house plan with a very low ongoing maintainance needs design, you can check out one of our most popular home designs – The Morgan Landing – at http://www.houseplangallery.com/HPG-2067-1

This particular craftsman style home design has become very popular with our customers and has a tremendous amount of usable space, not to mention including many of the most requested floorplan features in 2,067 square feet of living space.

Again, you can view this plan online at http://www.houseplangallery.com/HPG-2067-1

Thanks for listening to this week’s podcast. Join us for next week’s episode, where we’ll be de-mystifying the house plan buying process and will be talking about the different plan packages that are available, and how to decide which plan package is best for your particular needs…

Finally, we’re always here to help you find a house plan for your family, and you can always feel free to visit us online at http://www.HousePlanGallery.com or give us a call at 601-264-5028 if we can help you with your new house plans.

Thanks again, and let us know if we can help!

HPG-30002-1 - The Stonewood Lane

In this episode of the HousePlanGallery.com podcast, we’ll be talking about what are the most popular home design features that people are looking for in their new house plans.

In part 1 of this 3 part series, we’ll talk about two very important aspects of popular home designs – Livability and Floorplan Flexibility…

We’d love to hear your feedback on what features you’d like to see in your new house plans, so be sure to give us a call at 601-264-5028 or send us an email….

One of the most popular questions that people ask when searching for that “perfect” house plan is “What are (currently) the most requested floorplan / home features that people are looking for”"

This particular question is one that is quite difficult to answer, in absolute terms, since each person/family can be in a completely different stage of life (senior vs. younger, families vs. individuals, etc), can have different livability needs, and can have incredibly diverse tastes in home style, building materials, etc.

As such, I”ll try to provide you with several general trends, as they are, for today’s current crop of stock home plans.

#1: Livability – The first key feature is that of Livability. Today’s home buyer/builder wants a home plans that fits the way that they conduct their daily lives. For many younger families, that can mean a re-purposing of a formal dining room into a children’s play area or much-needed home office.

Another livability enhancement might be that of incorporating an open floorplan layout that better facilitates the interaction and close relative proximity of the family unit. Large amounts of storage space and large walk-in closets are also a feature that most home buyers are looking for in their next home design.

#2: Floorplan Flexibility – Many of the more progressive stock house plan design firms, like House Plan Gallery, have realized the inherent need of house floor plans flexibility, and have met those needs by including a number of multi-use type spaces in their floorplans, including flex-spaces and bonus rooms.

Generally speaking, a “flex-space” is exactly as its name implies. A flexible-space which can be used for a purpose most needed by the individual / family living in the house at the current time. The room’s function might change over time, due to the family’s current needs, but typical uses include an children’s playroom, home study, extra storage, and/or an extra bathroom.

Conversely, a “bonus room” is usually created (by designer’s intent) due to an inherent feature of the particular house design style. For example, a house with a traditional style might utilize a relatively high-pitched gable over the garage area of the home. The “unused” space created by the gable and the relative location of the “bonus space” in the overall floorplan, can create a usable space that, if appropriately accessible via stairs in the house floor plan layout, can create a extremely useful livable space, which would ordinarily have been included as part of the attic.

This type of space represents a extremely good value in a price per square foot regard, as its relatively inexpensive to additionally build since the core structure of the space has already been built (the floor via the roof of the garage, and the ceiling via the vaulted interior roof of the house).

If you’re looking for a specific example of an Award-winning flexible floorplan design, you can check out one of our most popular home designs – HPG-20002-1 – The Forrest Wood.

This traditional country style home has become very popular with our customers and has a tremendous amount of usable space, not to mention including many of the most requested floorplan features.

Again, you can view this plan online at http://www.houseplangallery.com/HPG-20002-1

Thanks for listening to this week’s podcast.  Join us for next week’s episode, where we’ll continue into part 2 of our series on the most popular home design features in stock house plans.

Finally, we’re always here to help you find a house plan for your family, and you can always feel free to visit us online at http://www.HousePlanGallery.com or give us a call at 601-264-5028 if we can help you with your new house plans.

Thanks again, and let us know if we can help!