Architectural House Plans

architectural house plans

A set of architectural house plans can vary greatly. The number of sheets and details are directly connected to the amount of control that a building designer exerts on a design project. The more control that a designer wants, the more detailed a set of house plan drawings will be. There are typically three distinguishable sets of architectural house plans and three ways in which they are developed. The first type is the home builder plan set. It is followed second by predesigned house plans, commonly known as stock house plans. The third and last type is the custom home plan set. All three have their purpose and serve a particular audience.

Architectural House Plans by the type of set

Home Builder Plan Set

A home builder plan is used by home builders who only need a bare minimum set of house plans. This generally includes the elevations, floor plans, foundation plans, a roof plan, and standard details. It may include an interior detail or two as well. It is very basic and the residential building designer has no control over the final outcome of the architectural detailing. Most builders have their professional network to fill in the missing pieces of the plan set. They bring the plans up to par for submitting to the building department. Some building departments will except this type of plan package and grant a residential building permit; however, it is rare and also depends on the department requirements. Sheets in this blueprint set can total as little as three.

Stock House Plan Set

Stock house plans are the most common blueprint package on the plan selling market. Also referred to as designer house plans, they generally carry enough information to be considered a permit ready set. In addition to the normal things included in the home builder plan set, more construction details are added. These include full or partial wall sections, building sections, and other misc details that may be needed to help explain an unusual construction method of the home. Some plans may also include kitchen and bath interior elevations or other interior elevation details. Sheets in the home plan package can also be as little as three depending on the size of the house, the method in which the plans are drawn, and the amount of detail included. However, the average tends to be anywhere from four to eight sheets.

In general, most stock house plans will include a combination of some of the above, but not all of the above. Details are kept to a minimum. If a person wants to modify house plans, the services could remain feasible and affordable. In some cases, these plan types are conversions of custom home designs. The more likely case is that these designs are conceived using standards by which a building designer will develop their designer house plans collection. This allows for the designer to have a small degree of control over the final outcome of the home when it is built. Furthermore, it may be noticeable in certain house design ideas, styles, or techniques used by the specific designer.

Custom Home Plan Set

A custom set is a much more detailed set and a complete variable in terms of how much detail is added. It extends upon, and many times, far beyond that of stock house plans. Custom home plans will likely include one to two building sections, multiple details of special building construction, detail window and door schedules, and multiple interior elevations. The details themselves may even have details. In addition to that, you can also have a finish schedule which details and specify the finish of the floors, walls, trim, ceiling, and more.

A custom plan set really has near infinite measure when it comes to developing a complete set of architectural house plans. A typical small plan set will contain as little as eight sheets while a larger set may include 20 sheets plus. The amount of sheets depend on the size and complexity of the home. The building designer has a broad range of control with only the guidelines of the homeowner to navigate the amount of detail provided in the house blueprints.

Keep in mind that the sheets included in each of the aforementioned plan packages only include the architectural house plans. Other sheets that will be added to those plans include the site plan, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing plans. All of those will be provided by each of their respective professionals.