03 Aug

Why Home Plans Are More Important Than You Think

One of the most important elements you need during home construction is a home plan. This consists of a pile of working drawings of the layout of your home; in other words: blueprints. They include materials, dimensions, methods, and even techniques of how to get everything completed.

Unfortunately, many homeowners think they don’t need house plans and can solely rely on builders to perfectly construct the home of their dreams. In reality, not having a firm plan first means a happy and successful ending is unlikely. You also can’t design your own home plan unless you’re an expert. There’s too much at stake to take it all on your own. Too many details that, if not addressed, could ruin your entire project.

What is in a home plan anyway?

A home plan consists of the following documents:

• Site plan: This is an overhead drawing of your construction site that shows boundaries, utility services, driveways, walkways, terrain, and anything else that shows site context.
• Floor plan: This is a drawing of what your completed project will look like. You’ll be able to see dimensions, measurements, cabinets, specific furnishings, windows, and more.
• Foundation plan: This is a detailed drawing of the shape of your foundation, including walls and columns.
• Elevations: This is a drawing of what the outside of your house will look like at all angles.

It’s understandable why homeowners wouldn’t want to invest time—and money—into a home plan. After all, couldn’t you just tell builders what you’re looking for and have them start laying bricks? Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. There are many reasons why house plans remain vital to your construction dreams.

Reasons to have a home plan

• You get exactly what you want. Hiring a professional architect or designer will give you a greater opportunity of getting your dream home. They specialize in building homes and know popular layouts or can envision what you’re telling them for full customization. Plus, architects and designers probably have model homes ready to view first hand. Then you can see for yourself what to expect.

• Everything is in one place. Home plans are solid pieces of references and resources for you and the people you’re working with. They show everything right down to the smallest measurements of a room. This way, construction workers know exactly what they have to accomplish as well as the overall picture expected of them.

• Safety. A house plan will have detailed information about the structure of your home. These details will ensure the sturdiness of the roof, foundation, electrical wires, piping, and more to avoid accidents. Having these details ready will make getting approval by your local building authority that much easier and hassle-free before you even begin. Otherwise, you may be in for disappointments down the road.

• Budget. Since construction projects can be exciting, it’s very easy to get ahead of yourself and forget that you have a budget. Home plans allow contractors and architects to understand your spending limits. Therefore, you can be confident the finished bill will be very budget-friendly and not too far off from the initial price agreement.

All in all, homeowners need to focus on preparing a detailed home plan right from the beginning. This process should take weeks as conversations get more involved and intuitive. Though time consuming, creating a rock-solid house plan will give you the most bang for your buck. Furthermore, these plans will help you adhere to strict building codes, get the design you want, and stick to a feasible budget.You’ll feel great living in a sturdy and safe home that also lives up to your expectations.