Should You Hire an Architect or Purchase Plans Online for Your Custom Home?
Purchasing house plans online instead of using an architect is one of the many decisions a client might make in an attempt to save money. However, this decision can just as easily become a money trap.
We are currently building a house for a client who purchased their plans online. As a result, there are three major hurdles we have had to overcome. This was NOT the client’s fault. At the time, JD Rock had never dealt with online plans and encouraged the client to pursue this route to save time and money. It has turned out to be a great learning experience for us that we hope can bless/save others.
HURDLE #1- Revisions
Shortly after purchasing the plans, the client requested a few tweaks to the design. They wanted to raise the gables on the front elevation and raise the first floor ceiling height from 9 to 10 feet. No big deal… right? I contacted the online vendor for the plans to figure out how to implement these revisions. I was then directed to the architect responsible for this specific set of plans. After numerous phone calls, voice mails and emails, I was redirected to the company subcontracted for plan revisions. Again, many voicemails and emails were required to reach this firm. Finally, they reviewed the revision request and sent a quote. For these “simple” revisions, their price was EXACTLY the same as the original set of plans purchased. I declined their proposal and hired an architect to simply redline (or markup) the set of plans already purchased. So hiring an architect in some capacity was still required and the resulting plans were no longer neat and pretty.
Also – the house plans purchased came with an engineered set of structural plans. But due to the adjusted ceiling heights and elevations, the whole house had to be re-engineered.
HURDLE #2- Site Plan
Because we used online plans, we did not have an official site plan for the house. When you hire an architect, they should first measure your property to determine what size and shape of home will fit. We never checked to see if the house would fit on the lot before purchasing the online plans. HUGE mistake! Luckily, the house (barely) fit, but it required pushing the house farther back into the lot than the HOA restrictions allowed. My legs are still sore from all of the hoop jumping I did to get this approved.
HURDLE #3- Clear Communication
Throughout the project, the client requested slight plan revisions here and there. Shift the windows two feet. Move the kitchen sink to the back wall. Scratch out the entire master bathroom and make it look like this instead. You get the idea. Customization is expected and encouraged in custom home building! If involved at the beginning, a professional architect would have likely uncovered many of these custom desires from the client in the initial design phase and then neatly laid out any subsequent adjustments. However, all of these changes can lead to major jobsite confusion for subcontractors if not communicated clearly through easy to read plans.
In the end, you have to make the decision that’s best for you and your family. Here’s my opinion: don’t waste time buying plans online. I’ll make one exception. If you have a large piece of property (let’s say 5+ acres), can honestly say that you won’t make a single change to the online plans, and have no HOA or building restrictions - then yes, you can and should buy the plans online. You will save some time and money. For everyone else, do your future self a favor and hire an architect.
