It is almost a life-long dream for most to own their own house and adorn it with their personal touch to call it home. While the rosy picture is nice to visualize, it doesn’t come easy. Some people dream of designing their homes by themselves and personalizing them to a T, and to do the same, they prefer to buy house plans from online stock home plan companies. However, the process starts with a structural concept design and moves on to the finer details, such as floor plans.
A house plan is a detailed drawing that carries all the information to ensure proper structural and building methods. Choosing the right house plan without any prior experience or without consulting an industry expert can be daunting. It can often lead to future legal or zonal issues. Here’s your quick cheat sheet to avoid common mistakes while buying a house plan:
Structural sizing and code conformity
A vital component of your house plan, your basic structural design, must include preliminary structural framing components, such as beams, headers, columns, and girders, with proper dimensions as specified in the International Residential Code (IRC).
Additional State Approvals
Construction norms differ from state to state and region to region, based on multivariate geographic and climatic factors. Natural occurrences, including earthquakes, tsunamis, and landslides, must be accounted for while deciding upon a house plan. In this situation, the house floor plans must be as per local codes. Such disaster-prone regions are often strictly monitored by the state. They have additional engineering requirements. Hence, it is always advisable to hire a state-licensed structural engineer to study and analyze your layout, provide appropriate calculations, and suggest required modifications. It is vital to know if the house plan on which your entire dream will stand is safe enough.
Foundation site plan
A foundation soil test is easy to conduct. The entire process involves the collection of the concerned soil and testing the specimen at a competent soil testing facility. Once the results are in, a qualified structural engineer can comply with the findings and recommendations of the soil testing laboratory to modify the house plans accordingly.
Site and septic plan
Unless your area is being serviced by a sanitary sewer system, you may require a site and septic plan. Apart from what is going on within the walls, the layout of the outer area is equally important. The location of the house, the landscapes around it, its entry pathways, and parking are necessary to execute important elements in the areas around the house. A sanitary sewer carries different types of sewage away from domestic as well as industrial locations. While designing the same, the slope, site grading, and drainage for stormwater are taken care of to ensure that your surroundings are clean and sanitary.
Check your legal approvals & clearances
Investing in your dream comes with its own set of tasks, such as the possession of practically anything, even a house, comes with its own set of paperwork to make sure everything is in order and the property meets all the statutory guidelines. You may want to review several documents thoroughly, such as title deeds, land-use certificates, no objection certificates, and more. While the plan is only one part of it, knowing what you’re signing up for and being an informed customer is the right way to approach your dream house.
Customer support
Buying a house plan or curating house designs is the first step of the entire process of building a home. The long and strenuous process may require constant support and assistance as it proceeds and continues to consume more of your time than actually building it. We reckon you need construction support or a structural observation during the ongoing process of the construction of your project or want to discuss possible modifications with a structural engineer or research about a new project opportunity.
Whatever the case may be, you can always go ahead and submit the form on the Construction Administration Support page on the DesignEverest website to get quick assistance from our trained industry experts.
How Can We Help?
Design Everest’s team of skilled and qualified engineers, architects, and designers are eager to assist you with any type of structural, civil, and MEP design if you are engaged in any construction activity. A known name in the business, we offer more than just a service; we start a journey with our customers and make it a fulfilling one! Trust us with anything from architectural drafting to 3D modeling, rendering to Cal Green calculations, and more. Feel free to contact us and get a free quote and a consultation. We also provide virtual on-sites and virtual consultations.
