For those in the business of turning their custom home dreams into reality, prepare to be pelted with a clip of rapid-fire questions.
Which home features are most important to your family?
What are the criteria you’ll reference when evaluating your custom home builder?
Do you want to design your house plan with an architect or streamline the process with stock home plans available online?
And the list goes on and on.
If these tough questions have been a tough pill to swallow, it’s time to tackle this series of questions one bite at a time.
If you’re unsure whether buying a house plan is right for you, start exploring the benefits that await you.
For one, buying a house plan online allows you to handpick a tried-and-true design that fits your family size and your needs.
Although convenient, when venturing down this real estate route, remember that finalizing your must-have list before you buy house plans online is an essential step.
If you’re still not sold on the concept of a stock house plan, dive deeper into the benefits below.
Lower costs
The top benefit of buying a house plan online is the low price.
When opting for stock house plans, you don’t have to pay for an architect who could charge hundreds per hour.
Because architects also have to travel to the on-site location, prepare for added travel costs which can intensify the financial burden.
Despite critics who write-off stock house plans as cook-cutter, reputable architects often draft plans for online stores.
In this transaction, the online company pays the architect for the house plans, then reaps the benefits of selling them to aspiring homeowners.
Because a handful of custom build hopefuls purchase these plans, companies can sell them for lower prices than customers would pay for individual plans from an architect.
Choose plans on your own time
When you work with an architect, you have to schedule appointments to meet to discuss plans.
Usually, architects and homebuyers need to meet several times to discuss layout ideas and iron out the details.
By contrast, buying home plans online eliminates the schedule coordination involved in an architect-homeowner relationship.
You can browse through plans anytime you want, making the process easier and less time-consuming.
You can browse with your partner, your children, and anyone else who has a stake in the home you want to build.
As you scroll through the plans, you can also chat with your contractor about plans that other homeowners enjoy.
Lots of styles
Shopping for online plans grants you the opportunity to explore a variety of architectural styles.
If you work with an architect, you’re restricted to that specific architect’s style.
However, when scrolling through online house plans, you can dabble in mid-century modern, cottage style, colonial, farmhouse, and more.
Read reviews
Another benefit of shopping for house plans online is reading reviews.
With the help of fellow custom home builders, you can investigate the pros and cons of any house plan, narrowing your search and giving you peace of mind.
After sifting through the reviews, you can also talk to your contractor about potential changes.
You might even decide to hire an architect to make subtle tweaks to meet your needs.
Unfortunately, when partnering with an architect, you don’t have access to reviews about the individual plans.
While you might be able to dig up testimonials about the architect, you’ll need to rely on the power of word-of-mouth in most cases.
A great starting point to find your ideal plan
If you don’t have a solid vision of what you want your house plan to look like, you and your architect may find it challenging to achieve your desired result.
Online house plans give you a variety of established examples for you to use as a jumping-off point.
Starting with a fixed structure can make the planning process more straightforward.
Most of the time, you’ll only need to make minor modifications before attaining your dream house plan.
Wrap up
As we reach the peak of the digital age, shopping at brick-and-mortar storefronts will be a practice of the past.
Whether you rely on digital marketplaces for bi-monthly groceries, wardrobe updates, or your house plans needs, online shopping can save you oodles of time and money.
Ready to start browsing the web for your dream custom house plan?
Before commencing your search, ensure that your house plans complement your lot and lifestyle.
For best results, work closely with your contractor before finalizing any decisions.