House Plan Options Explained

When you purchase a house plan you will be presented with several options to choose from. These options vary from plan to plan, and not all options are available on every plan. These options are designed to help customize the house plan to your specific needs. Below is a brief description of most of the options available. If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to us, we are here to help.

Foundation Options:

Each house plan comes with a foundation plan. If the “default” foundation type isn’t suited for your needs, you can get that changed. For example, say the plan you want is designed to have a full basement. However the land you are building it on can’t accommodate that, and you need a plan with a Crawl Space foundation. Some plans will offer you the option to change the type of foundation the plan will come with. If you do not see the specific type of foundation you need, please let us know. We can modify any of our plans to meet your needs.

Exterior Wall Option:

All our homes are designed to use 2x6 lumber on the exterior walls. Building residential exterior walls with 2x6 lumber instead of 2x4 offers several significant advantages: the thicker wall cavity (5.5" versus 3.5") allows for substantially more insulation, typically enabling R-19 to R-21 insulation values compared to R-13 to R-15 with 2x4s, which dramatically improves thermal performance and energy efficiency. This results in lower heating and cooling costs, better temperature regulation, and enhanced comfort throughout the home. The increased wall thickness also provides superior sound dampening, reducing external noise penetration. From a structural standpoint, 2x6 walls offer greater strength and load-bearing capacity, allowing for longer spans between supports and providing better bracing for wind and seismic forces. Additionally, 2x6 construction future-proofs the home against increasingly stringent building codes that continue to push for higher energy efficiency standards, and it provides more flexibility for running mechanical systems (HVAC, electrical, plumbing) within the wall cavity without compromising insulation. While 2x6 construction involves somewhat higher material costs upfront, the long-term energy savings, durability, and improved comfort typically offset the initial investment over the home's lifespan.

All the being said, we understand that some builders prefer to use 2x4 lumber. In order to accommodate this we do offer the options to modify the plan to be built with 2x4 construction on the exterior walls.

Garage Bays & Loads:

Some of our plans have been designed to accommodate multiple garage configurations. We found that one the most often requested modifications was to the garage area. For the plans that have been designed for that we offer different garage loads and bays.

If the plan you have selected does not offer this option just reach out to us. We would be happy to review the plan and give you an estimate on the cost of modifying the plans to meet your needs.

Ceiling Heights:

Much like the garage bays and loads we found that people often asked for different ceiling heights. On some plans we offer the option to change the ceiling heights on parts of the plans. Not all plans have this option. If the plan you have your heart set on doesn't offer ceiling hight options but you'd like to make a change. Reach out to us and we'd be happy to get you an estimate for making your modifications.

Mirror Options:

Some people refer to this as flipping the plan. As an example, if a plan had the master suite on the right side of the house, but you want it on the left side, you can simply flip, or mirror the plan. There are two ways to mirror a plan, the first is to just mirror the plan without altering the text. This is fast and cheap, but all the text and numbers on the plan will be backwards, which can be hard to read and understand.

The alternative to a simple mirror is a True Mirror. This is sometimes called a “Read Right” mirror or a Full Reverse. Meaning, the plan is mirrored and then all the text and numbers are corrected so they “rear right”. This is a better way to go, however it does take time to create and there are usually costs involved.

Material List:

A Material List, often referred to as a Bill of Materials (BOM), is a comprehensive inventory document that specifies every material, component, and supply needed to construct a residential home. This detailed list typically includes quantities and specifications for items such as lumber, concrete, roofing materials, windows, doors, electrical fixtures, plumbing supplies, insulation, drywall, fasteners, and finishes, organized by construction phase or building section. The Material List serves as a critical planning and procurement tool that allows builders and contractors to accurately estimate project costs, coordinate material deliveries, prevent shortages or wasteful over-ordering, and ensure that all necessary components are available when needed. It also facilitates communication between architects, contractors, suppliers, and homeowners, and helps track budget expenses throughout the construction process. A well-organized Material List is essential for keeping projects on schedule and within budget while ensuring nothing is overlooked during the building process.

Our Material list is based on the stock plan without modifications. Custom Material lists are available if you modify a plan. Ask for a quote.

Unlimited Use License:

When you purchase a house plan from us you are granted the license to build just once. Typically this is all you will need. The reason behind this is a copyright issue. You can get more information about the copyright by visiting our copyright explained page.

However, there are times when you would like to build the plan more than once. Typically this is used by builders but we have had people that wanted to build the same home in two locations. For that reason we offer the Unlimited Use License option. Which is a license for original purchaser of plan to build unlimited times.

If you have any questions about house plan options, please call us at (651) 765-4751, Monday through Friday, 9 to 5, CST. Or you can use our contact form anytime.