The Pros And Cons Of Purchasing Stock Plans For Your New Home
“Stock Plans” are building plans that have been predesigned and can be purchased from the internet, from magazines, or from catalogs. You can also obtain these plans from builders. Though these are predesigned, and not customized for you, you can find many excellent home plans from these sources.
However, given the time and expense of building a home (which is a custom process by its nature) many would never consider anything but custom plans designed uniquely for them or by them. Never the less, stock plans can certainly be enticing and have definite value.
Stock plans have their pros and cons. Let’s take a look at each:
Pros:
- Stock plans can be inexpensive, at least for the initial plans. Prices will run about a thousand bucks – and even less. The plans are shown in the catalog, or on the website and you can see the look, the layout and the prices for the plans. Choosing is as easy as clicking and buying. You simply choose the form of the drawing (like an original, or blueprints, or sepia) and the quantity of copies that you want.
- Purchasing a stock plan can save time. You simply review the existing designs and choose. The plans are displayed as floor plans and exterior elevations. Sometimes you will see multiple views to better understand the design. Purchasing these plans is, basically, a mail-order solution – a time tested and successful way to purchase products. It has been part of our culture for ages: from mail-order brides, to mail order kit-houses from Sears.
- You get to review a variety of design viewpoints when looking at stock plans. Besides being stimulating it can cause you to consider “new” ideas that you likely have not considered before.
- Stock plans catalogs can get you thinking. They can start the imagination as you review the wide variety of plans. This can really be a great beginning, if nothing else, for the exploration of new ideas.
Cons:
- Stock plans are generally not adequate to use to obtain permits. These plans, if submitted, will usually be rejected because more information is needed.
- It is quite common today that building departments will require that the plans be sealed by an Engineer or Architect. It is a good idea that you check with your local building department to see what the requirements are. The process of getting plans stamped is not an easy one. Professional Engineers and Registered Architects go through years of college, internships and testing to acquire their licenses and are expected to take responsibility for the plans being up to Code and sufficient. Many, if not most, will require a re-draw or, at a minimum, several revisions and additions to bring the plans up to standards. Their fees will depend upon what they do for you, but it can run quite a bit more than the original plans. This will also add time to the process thus reducing the time advantage of stock plans.
- Some revisions are inevitable. Because the plans are not customized for you it is rare that you will not see things you want to change. This can be expensive because most of the stock plan companies are not set up for individualized attention.
- Stock-Plans are considered by some to be reused plans. This might or might not be important – but if you are looking for a home that is as unique as you and as customized as the building process is itself, stock plans might not be the best way.
- Stock plans are designed for mass-appeal, like cars and other consumer goods. This is beneficial for factory created goods because its the only way there can be duplication of efforts which save us money. But home building is quite different from manufacturing in a factory. Home building is done stick by stick in the field. It is always custom. Some would consider using a mass market home plan for a custom building job would be like custom building car and ending up with a Ford Taurus. What’s the point?
- Stock plans have to appeal to many tastes and to many locations. Most areas of the country have different emphasis. You’ll find basements, snow related characteristic, hurricanes requirements, cold weather, hot temperatures, and many other factors which are unique to each area. Also certain areas will use certain types of building systems. Generic plans simply can’t cover all the possibilities. You will also find that local tradesmen will spot the stock plans quickly not always react positively.
Stock plans by a local builder, however, can side step many of these problems. They will generally be ready for permits, will be recognized locally and, if the builder can made provisions for changes, these can be a very good value.
In summary, stock plans are valuable for study and education and are fertile source of ideas. They, however, will likely turn out not as inexpensive as you first think, or as quick, and certainly will not be something designed exclusively for you.
Having a professional working for and with you to develop a custom design based upon your ideas, your notions, and various ideas you have collected from many sources, as well as his or her experienced creativity will allow you to take full advantage the truly custom nature of building a home.
Remember, home Building is the only industry which remains truly custom in nature – the designs should be as well.
Find out, today, about the exciting world of Custom Luxury Home Design. For more information visit Ken Risley at the Engineer Designer website.