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Articles Related to 'Modifications'

  • Modifications, Part 3

    Modifications, Part 3 Welcome to our third and final installment of Modification-related Articles. Over the past few weeks, we've discussed important questions like "Are My Modifications Feasible?" and "How much will my Modifications Cost?" If you are still wondering about how to proceed, you should ask yourself: What are my Modification Options? When modifying a set of house plans, there are generally three main options with which to proceed. Your options greatly depend on the changes you have in mind. The first (and often the cheapest) option is: Red-Lining Historically, when people wished to make changes to their home, they would discuss the changes with their builder. Their builder would then draw the changes directly on the blueprints, typically with a red pen hence the term

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    Published On: 10/31/2008
    1442 Views

  • Modifications, Part 2

    Modifications, Part 2 Last week, we asked the question "Are My Modifications Feasible?" We learned that if you are considering modifications, you should: Always have a plan Get in the habit of Visualizing your changes Keep it simple After carefully considering these principles, the next question you should ask is: How much will my Modifications Cost? Have you found a house plan that has the potential to become your dream home? Have you planned and visualized each of your changes? Now all you need to do is find out how much your changes will cost. We at The Plan Collection have done everything we can to make this process as simple and as painless as possible. When looking at your future dream home, you will notice at the top of the screen a "Customize" tab. By clicking this tab, you

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    Published On: 10/24/2008
    1061 Views

  • Modifications, Part 1

    Modifications, Part 1 One of the first questions you should ask yourself if you are thinking about modifying a set of house plans is: Are my Modifications Feasible? As a general rule when it comes to modifying house plans, anything is possible. An experienced draftsman can usually make any change you can imagine, but there are a few issues to keep in mind. The first and most common issue we run into with modifications is when people don't have a clear idea of what they want. If you are thinking about modifications, you should always have a plan. Where does a draftsman even begin when his only instructions are "reduce the home by 3,500 square feet" or "we need 5 bedrooms instead of 3". We at The Plan Collection are more than happy to discuss your modification options with you, but we need you to

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    Published On: 10/17/2008
    1156 Views

  • Everything You Need to Know About Modifications

    Everything You Need to Know About Modifications Modifications Have you ever found a house plan that has a breath-taking exterior, but the floor plan just isn't exactly what you want for your dream home? Or have you found a floor plan that caters to your every need, but the outside of the home could use some work? If you've ever found yourself in one of these predicaments, modifications could be the answer you've been looking for. Every day, we get a number of emails and phone calls from people who want to know about modifications. Some people know exactly what they want, others aren't too sure. Some modification requests are very feasible, but a few are quite absurd. For the next few weeks, we will be focusing on a few questions that everyone should ask themselves about Modifications. Keep in mind the following: Are

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    Published On: 10/13/2008
    1165 Views

  • House Plan Sets - Which one should you get?

    We have a lot of customers ask us which house plan package they should buy. There are several plan packages offered and what is offered depends on the home designer or architect. There are a couple of things to consider when deciding on which set to get. First, do you plan on making minor changes? If you think you'll make some minor changes like moving a door or changing a window. You might consider purchasing a vellum reproducible set of housplans. This allows you to redline any changes you may have on the plan, and then make as many copies as needed for a single construction. Don't have any changes? I would recommend a 4,5, 8 or 12 plan set. The more plans you get the easier it will be to collect bids from various contractors or subcontractors. When you buy a one of these house plan

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    Published On: 4/18/2005
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    1437 Views

  • Right Reading Reverse Option, At No Additional Cost!

    Right Reading Reverse Option, At No Additional Cost! Right Reading Reverse Option This is an option that is sometimes misunderstood in the house plan world. Let me explain what it is. The "Mirror Option" just mirrors the plan so that it is an exact mirror of the original floor plan. This puts the right side of the home on the left side and the left on the right. But when they do the mirror option the designer does not take the time to make all of the letters and numbers readable. This is why the option is usually free or at a very low cost. Now to use these mirrored plans you have to purchase at least one set that is not mirrored, just so you can refer to the readable version to understand the plans. This gets a little old and tedious fast. If you ask anyone who has built a home using the mirrored fashion, they most likely would never do it

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    Published On: 12/14/2004
    1742 Views

  • What should you know before customizing a home plan?

    We have great design professionals that would be happy to customize your home plan. However, there are a few things you ought to know before doing so. Often times municipalities will require plans to be reviewed by a local structural engineer or architect before they issue a building permit. Why? Designers and architects create their drawings according to the building practices in the location in which they reside. Construction practices will not vary tremendously but homes built in the Rocky Mountains will be able to support significant snowfall while homes in Florida will not. An engineer will analyze the structure and size the beams, rafters etc. to assure that the structural integrity of the home is not compromised by the location in which it is built. In the same manner, he may be

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    Published On: 11/22/2004
    956 Views

  • What if you need to personalize a house plan?

    What if you need to personalize a house plan?We have many people contact us for quotes for changes to our plans. Most often these changes can be easily redlined by you or your builder. Redlining is very common as changes or modifications can be made in the field with experienced professionals. What does redlining mean? Basically, redlining is just drawing the changes directly on the houseplan(usually a vellum set of homeplans). I believe it's called redlining because it is most often done with a red pen so the changes are easily read. If your changes are minor, (which they often are) redlining will save you a lot of money in re-design fees. Check with your builder about the changes you will have and see what he recommends or is comfortable with. If your changes are more extensive than

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    Published On: 11/22/2004
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    875 Views

  • Need a Bigger Garage?

    Need a Bigger Garage?   In most instances the home plans found on www.theplancollection.com,  or any other home plan site, have garages that could, or should be made deeper.  With the size of vehicles these days, we know how valuable garage space is.  If you are looking at a house plan that has a garage designed at 21 feet and you want it more like 25 feet; don’t be afraid of ordering the plan.  It is easy to ‘Redline’ an additional four feet or more. Your builder will know how to do it, because he probably gets asked to redline plans on a regular basis.  Even if you don’t have a big truck or car, I would add the extra length just to get more out of your home when you sell it.  However, it is very important to note

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    Published On: 7/22/2004
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    1077 Views

  • The time is near

    I dropped by Jake's house this evening to finalize some changes to our House Plan. We aren't changing a lot, but like everyone else there are a few little things here and there that need to be customized for our needs. One of the things we did was to adjust the master bathroom. We also changed a few of the closests since we have a lot of stuff. It's funny how a home that has been built for so many other people doesn't quite fit when you have the option to make a few changes. Of course those changes will add up to extra cash, but you have to pay more (sometimes a lot more) for custom work. Before you know it, the house is a lot bigger than the original plan and the price has gone way up. That is always the danger when you build a custom home. The compromises are fine for everyone

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    Published On: 7/21/2004
    1395 Views
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