About Our Plans

We are dedicated to providing homes of exceptional quality. Each home plan is the result of many hours of thought, ingenuity and labor by some of the nation's leading architects. A distinguishing feature of our plans is that they enable you to build a healthy home, at no additional cost. Each plan incorporates healthy design elements, and comes with a free copy of our Healthy Construction Guidelines, so you have the option of building a safe, non-toxic home for your family.

If you have any questions, please contact us at 1-888-388-5735 (Monday – Friday, 10:00AM to 6:00PM Pacific Time), or email us at info@architecturalhouseplans.com. You might also wish to visit the portion of our site titled FAQ’s (you’ll find the link on the left side of this page), where many other important questions are answered.

WHAT'S IN OUR PLAN PACKAGE?

Unlike our competitors, who offer just 5-7 page "stock" plans for generic homes, we provide full construction drawings (up to 26 pages in length!) for client-inspired, architect-designed, one-of-kind homes. They have the character, detail, space and energy efficiency, proportion, and comfort that just aren’t found in stock plans. Our home plans are intended for those who want a creatively designed, custom home that reflects their own unique style. For a detailed explanation of the many differences between architectural and stock plans, click here.

Each set of blueprints or vellums is an interrelated collection of 24" x 36" (or 18" x 24") sheets that show exactly how your house is to be built. Each architect provides various degrees of detail. Among the sheets included may be:

• Artist's sketch. This drawing of the exterior of the house gives you an idea of how the house will look when built and landscaped. Large ink-line floor plans show all levels of the house and provide an overview of your new home’s livability.
• Foundation plan. This shows the foundation layout, including drawings for a basement, slab or crawlspace.
• Fully dimensioned and detailed floor plans. Each floor of the house is shown in 1/4 inch scale, indicating the placement of interior walls, doors, stairways and windows, and dimensions for rooms, for each level of the house.
• Cross sections. Shows the house as though it were sliced from the roof to the foundation. These drawings show ceiling heights, and provide additional information about the home’s insulation, flooring and roofing details. Extremely valuable for construction, as these sections show exactly how the various parts of the house fit together.
• Electrical schematic. Includes the placement of switches, outlets and installed fixtures.
• Interior elevations. Shows the design and placement of kitchen and bathroom cabinetry, fireplaces, bookcases and other built-ins. Other items, such as mantelpiece drawings and moulding sections, provide details that give your home a custom touch.
• Exterior elevations. Complete front, side and rear elevations, as well as information about exterior materials and finishes.
• Roof layout. The pitch and layout of the roof, along with framing details.
• General specifications. From the architect, they contain instructions and information about any of the following: structural specifications; excavation and grading; masonry and concrete work; carpentry and wood specifications; windows; thermal and moisture protection; and specifications about drywall, tile, flooring, glazing, caulking, sealants and other finish materials.
• Healthy building specifications. Our published Guidelines specify the best non-toxic products available, and the healthy building techniques needed to install them properly, along with contact information for all the manufacturers and distributors. It will enable you to understand the reasons for building a healthy home, and make it easy to select non-toxic alternatives. An invaluable tool if you wish to build a healthy home, and a free copy comes with every plan we ship.

WHAT MAKES OUR HOMES HEALTHY?

A healthy home is one that incorporates healthy design elements, non-toxic building materials, and proper construction techniques. It "breathes", emits no toxic gasses, and is resistant to mold.

All of the homes offered in our collection feature the basic elements of healthy home construction. Some meet all of our criteria for health, while others meet several, providing you with a wide range of choices. And all of our home plans are shipped with a free copy of our Healthy Construction Guidelines, enabling you to build as healthy a home as you wish.

Our criteria for a healthy home include the following attributes:

• Reduction of exposure to chemicals (such as formaldehyde in insulation and particleboard; volatile organic compounds in adhesives, sealants and paints; and pesticides, fungicides and heavy metals used to treat wood) through use of non-toxic building materials and products.
• Mitigation of mold and rot by employing proper building techniques and materials from foundation to roof.
• Utilization of passive airflow, daylighting, and fresh air exchange through proper placement of windows and doors.
• Location of areas of high toxicity and combustible materials (such as the garage and utility room) away from bedrooms and primary living spaces.

The benefits are homes that are safer, quieter, more comfortable, and require less maintenance. A healthy home is also more energy efficient, and therefore incurs lower monthly operating costs!

CAN OUR HEALTHY SPECIFICATIONS BE USED FOR ANY HOUSE DESIGN?

We encourage any movement toward healthy building practices, so the answer is a qualified "yes". But when you consider all the design aspects that also affect the health of a home, just substituting non-toxic materials and finishes won’t make a home truly healthy. Creation of a healthy home begins long before construction starts. Our home plans incorporate specific design elements that help promote health from foundation to finish!

BLUEPRINTS OR REPRODUCIBLE PLANS?

Reproducible plans (also referred to as vellums) are essentially the master copy of the home plan. They will save you both time and money, as you or your builder can make as many copies as you need, when you need them, without additional shipping and higher reproduction costs. They are also erasable, so modifications can be made right on the plan before more copies are printed. Vellums are definitely a wise investment.

HOW MANY SETS OF BLUEPRINTS DO I NEED?

A single Study Set (stamped "Not For Construction", and providing no license to build) is all you need if you just want to study the full plan in detail, or want to get a bid from your builder. You can order one or more bond copies later that will not be stamped “Not For Construction”, and that do include a license to build. Or you can order a vellum copy later – a good idea if you plan to modify the design in any way – and only pay the difference between the price of the Study Set and the price of a vellum copy.

However, if you wish to get quotes from several builders at one time, or live in an area that requires very few copies to obtain a building permit, you might want to purchase 4 bond copies (including one for yourself) of the plan. These plans are not stamped “Not For Construction”, and come with a license to build. Again, if you decide to order a vellum copy later on, you will only have to pay the difference between the price of the Study Set and price of the vellum copy (the price difference between a single set and 4 sets just covers our costs of printing and handling).

And lastly, if you’re ready to build, and don’t intend to modify the plans, 8 sets of plans are often sufficient to obtain permits and begin construction, with copies going to your builder and his or her sub-contractors, your lender, local permitting officials, and of course yourself. If you find that you need more copies later on, you may purchase them whenever you wish by calling our toll-free number (888-388-5735). Be sure to have your original order number handy when you call.

REVERSE PLANS

Sometimes site characteristics or views make it advantageous or necessary to build a house in the reverse of the way the plans are drawn. This requires a reverse set of plans (often called a mirror-reverse image). The lettering and dimensions will appear backwards on the reverse set, so we recommend that of your total order, only one or two be reversed plans.

BUILDING CODES AND REGULATIONS

Our home plans and specifications met or exceeded local, regional and national code requirements in force when and where the house was originally built. Each municipality, county and state in the United States and Canada has its own building codes and regulations, and its own zoning laws and other ordinances. Your plan may need to be modified to comply with local requirements regarding energy codes, soil and seismic conditions, wind loads, snow loads, and a wide range of other matters, and you may need to obtain permits from, and allow inspections by, local government agencies before and during construction. Some cities and states also require you to have a licensed architect or engineer review and affix a "seal" to your plans prior to construction.

Before applying for any permits or beginning construction, we strongly advise that you speak to your local building official(s), consult a licensed architect or engineer in the jurisdiction where you are building to review the plans for the foundation of your home, and modify them if they advise you to do so.

We authorize the use of our plans on the express condition that you comply with all local building codes, zoning requirements, and other applicable laws, regulations, and ordinances.

COPY RESTRICTIONS & COPYRIGHT LAW

All the homes in our portfolio are protected under the United States Copyright Law. Plans may not be copied, resold, or used for the construction of more than one residence by any means. When purchasing a home plan from Architectural House Plans, you have been licensed the right to build only one residence. The designers and architects represented by Architectural House Plans retain all rights, title, and ownership of the original design and all documentation.

DISCLAIMER

Architectural House Plans is careful to select home plans drawn by qualified architects and designers. Due to the many variables beyond our control (such as the builder, materials, and site), neither Architectural House Plans nor the Architects or Designers is or can be responsible for any use that is made of the plans.

Architectural House Plans has also made a carefully researched effort to ensure that the designs of, and materials in all of are homes are healthy. However, given the constantly changing research and information on healthy home issues, Architectural House Plans is not responsible for any injuries, illnesses suffered, or losses incurred, as a result of using our home plans.