A few tips to help get you started
Finding the Right Plan
Finding a floor plan that fits your lifestyle can be a daunting task. Every builder has their own variety of plans and then there are countless house plans on the internet. And if you don't like any of those, you can draw your own plans. We have some suggestions which might help.
There are several main factors to consider; The first of which is the budget and what portion will go towards the lot and what portion towards the home. (If you don't have a lot picked out, we can point you in the right direction and we might even have one that fits perfectly.)
If you already own or have identified a lot, the next step is locating the set backs which determine the buildable area of the lot. Once you know the buildable area, the number of bedrooms & bathrooms needed and the size of garage, you can select the best plan that meets your criteria.
Caveat: Sometimes people select the plan first and then locate a lot which the plan can fit on. This is a good strategy too. It's just a little easier to figure the budget numbers for the house if you identify the lot first.
Gage your budget with this sliding scale axiom : It takes more resources to build a house from scratch than to build a replica.
To elaborate, if you ask a builder to build an exact replica of a home he or she has built many times, the builder and all his sub-contractors are familiar with every corner of that house. The builder already has all the plans, finishes and colors documented and only needs to transfer the information to the new lot. This eliminates over 90% of planning which saves you money.
The other end of the spectrum is drawing your ideas out and taking them to an architect for drawing. Then the plans are sent to an engineer for a stamped approval. This process alone will add several thousand dollars, plus 2 to 3 months to your timeline.
Then more of your resources will go towards several hours of planning out finishes, colors and potential errors in the field. That's right, even with all the drawings, engineering and planning, this is a new plan which makes it uncharted territory. The builder must account for the unexpected and this costs you more.
We encourage a happy medium of selecting a plan that your Builder has built many times and customizing it to meet your likes and needs. This will give you a better product with a lesser build time. The finished product is a beautiful Semi-Custom home, but your friends will think it's a Full Blown Custom.