Pros, Cons of Ready-to-go Home Building Plans

Custom-home buyers frequently find attractive floor plans and home designs in magazines or books. These plans, which often are available by mail order, can be an excellent starting point for the design of your new home. However, while ordering a pre-packaged design along with the working drawings may seem cost-effective, there is plenty to consider before forging ahead.

Building codes vary dramatically from area to area, which means a prepackaged design and plan probably will need to be redrawn to comply with local requirements.

Building materials and construction techniques vary from region to region. That means a plan for a home in Texas or Georgia might call for building methods or materials that aren't practical, customary or even possible in Colorado or Illinois.

Home design necessities vary from area to area. For example, a screened-in porch may be sensible in the muggy and buggy Midwest, but an unnecessary expense in the dry and bug-free Southwest.

No matter how perfect a plan may seem, it almost always will require some changes. Even seemingly simple alterations can necessitate redrawing the plan, and that can turn out to be as costly as drawing a plan from scratch.

A difficult site can preclude using a packaged home plan. For example, a steep slope would make a one-level home on a slab foundation unbuildable without major changes to the design.

Whether a pre-drawn plan would be a wise purchase depends in part on your needs and individual situation.