Blog Home Design

Buying House Plans Online or from a Magazine

Sat, 17 Jul 2010 14:07:00 -0400

Many people search online for house plans to build there new home. When they find something that they like it is a very exciting discover. Finding the right house plan is key in building your new home. It is important that your investment is going to fit your needs. There are, however, some pit falls to buying house plans in a magazine or online. Please consider some of these in the following article.

Does this plan fit your needs?

The first thing to consider is whether or not the plan really is exactly what you want. While it may seem to fit your needs, there are many things to consider. Remember, while you may know what you are looking for in a new home, you are likely not an expert. Many factors come into play when building a new home.

For example, if you’re building lot is sloped then the home needs to be designed and engineered to fit the slope of the land. In many cases the house plans available to you online are not going to be a good fit for such a condition. Designing a plan around your lot usually means a better house that uses the slope of the land to your benefit, such as with a day light basement, or a split level design that maximizes the use of your space. Also, the way the house is orientated to the slope of the land is very important.Typically on plans that have garages, you want the garage slab to be on or nearest to native soil. This means that your plan should be designed so that the garage is on the high side of the slope. In addition, if your site has a view that you are trying to capture from within your home, it is likely that the best option for you is to have a home made custom to your circumstance.

What about Engineering?

Suppose you order plans online or in a magazine. When you receive these plans in the mail, and anxiously take them to the building department to get permits, you may be met with disappointment. How so? These plans usually need to be engineered to fit the needs of your sites earthquake zone and wind conditions. This will add unrealized costs to your build and delay your project. Further, these plans are designed generically to meet building code standards across the country. What does that mean to you? It means that the plans will likely not meet the codes in your building area. Realize that the codes change in Washington every three years and many local jurisdictions have there own code amendments and requirements. Some of these online plans are created several code changes ago and never get updated.

Copyright Infringement

Be cautious when getting plans online and taking them to someone to change the plans to meet your needs. This is an illegal practice of copyright infringement. It is illegal to take someone else’s work and duplicate it, even if you are going to make changes to it. http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ41.pdf

Buying online, is it a better deal?

Another reason that buying house plans in this fashion may not be the best for your new home project is the cost associated with it. At first glance it looks like a screaming deal, but when you start adding the required amount of sets needed to build the house, and the additional fees and charges, it comes out to be more than expected. This get magnified especially when considering the above circumstances, it is true that in those cases you can go back to the company that sold you the plans and have them make the necessary changes, however, the cost is very often excessive and the time delay can be considerable.

A better option

Now consider a better way. A new home project is the most important financial investment that you will likely make. It requires a lot of consideration and planning. When going over your options, consider having your home designed by a professional. This means someone who is an expert on the codes, and expert on design, and who has experience to reinforce his skills. In the long run, and in the short, choosing an expert designer will save you time and money. Don’t be afraid of learning in the process. Many people feel that they have a solid knowledge of home building and they no doubt do have some knowledge, however, this is a changing industry that is leaning more towards the technical side of things. Most people in the industry would agree that engineering has become a regular requirement in even the simplest builds. Many consider the Prescriptive path to be more complicated that it is worth. This is the alternative method in the code for designing your building to resist wind and seismic forces. Yes, choosing an expert to assist you in designing and developing your house plans will bring joy to the building process and leave you with a product that will fit your exact needs and your budget.

If you are interested in building a new custom home, garage, shop, or barn, please contact Kevin Arnold of Custom Your Way Home Design. www.customyourway.com

What is Green Building?

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 15:16:00 -0500

What is Green Building?

Have you ever been to a party where you were introduced to the term 'Green Building' or 'Built Green'? Many people have heard these terms and have some ideas about what they means, but some may not really know. Allow me to give a brief description of what this concept, or movement, or new way of thinking means in simple terms. The Green Building movement is a collective effort by builders, homeowners, and suppliers to build homes that are less impactive to the environment. Less impactive, how so? Well, There are many levels to report, however, I will limit this to four areas of concern as follows: Site Development, Material and Resource Usage, Energy Usage and emissions, and Deconstruction. There are many other aspects of green building, but these are, in my opinion, the most important considerations. Why, because they have the greatest impact on planet earth. The hope is that by being user friendly to the planet in h0w we live we will be able to live in harmony with it.

Site Development: This is extremely important to the Green Builder because the way you place your home and how you develop the site is a large portion of the project and can have a huge impact on the environment if not considered properly. Green Builders say that by building the home in a way that uses less heavy equipment and limits the amount of excavation and removal of native plants then you have emitted fewer emissions and made less of an impact on nature. This is the first step along with planning for accomplishing your goal of being more user friendly with the earth.

Also, by carefully selecting the placement of your home you can take advantage of natural passive solar heat from the sun. For example, if you place your home in a way that allows sunshine to enter the home in the morning and throughout the day through windows naturally you will use less heating resources and this will be better for the environment. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west so if you place your home so that the longest stretch of the house is facing North / South you will have more sunlight entering windows. This will provide natural heat. Yes, a simple and effective approach that will make a big difference on your heating bill.

Since water conservation is important this is something that needs to be considered in your site development. Figure a way that conserves water usage and limits water erosion and runoff. Slope the soil from your home a minimum of 6 inches in 10 feet of distance in most building situations. Build your landscaping, driveways, and walkways in a way that limit the amount of water that collects. The best-case scenario is that the water falls on native soil and plants, the worst-case scenario is that the water falls on concrete everywhere and does not drain into the soil. This is a big concern in areas that have less rainfall, yet important for all Built Green homes.

Material and Resource usage: This may be the area that the builder has the most control; therefore, this is where a lot of attention is given. The short of it is this: Build with less material (Google: Optimal Value Engineering), build with recyclable materials, and build with recycled materials. Also, it is important to select materials that are naturally sustainable. Bamboo flooring is a good example because it is naturally grown and it grows fast so that it is reasonably sustainable. Engineered wood products are another popular product. These are wood products that are made from smaller bits of wood that may have been otherwise discarded. OSB sheathing boards are one example of this. Another thing that is important in this regard is quality. It is like this, if you do it right the first time then it won’t need to be replaced for a long time, which brings better environmental results. I could spend a lot of time on this, but you get the idea.

Energy Usage and emissions: This is probably the most considered in Green Building because it makes since, build a house that uses less energy. This can be accomplished in numerous ways; here are some simple and effective ways. Use insulation with a high U-value (The way that they rate insulation) and don’t allow air leakage other than the proper ventilation systems that must be in place to prevent mold. It is recommended to seal all penetrations to your wall assemblies such as at wall plates, electrical boxes, and mechanical intrusions. Installing a good heating system is very important. Many people favor natural gas or propane. Another popular choice is a high efficiency electrical furnace system. When a heating system is installed instead of electrical wall heaters it is critical that the ducts are sealed very well. You don’t want to have air leakage here. Finally, the choice of appliances and fixtures is of high importance. One sure way to choose good appliances is to use ones that have been rated Energy Star compliant. The most popular light fixture is the CFL (Compact Florescent Light bulb). This bulb uses far less energy than the more popular incandescent bulb. By using certain products it is understood that fewer emissions will be produced by your homes operations, especially over the lifespan of your home.

Deconstruction: This may be sad to think about, but even homes that are built new today will wear out and need to be torn down. The concern here is that when its time to tear the home down, it should have less of an impact on the environment. How is this accomplished? Like the other points above, there are several ways; only a few will be talked about here. One is to use products that can be recycled when deconstruction takes place. Okay maybe that is an obvious one. Another thing to be concerned about is emissions and energy usage during deconstruction. By using less materials and products that are easy to take apart you can help in both these areas. The idea is that you want to have very little energy usage, waist, or garbage at the end of deconstruction.

As you can see there is nothing but good intensions behind the Green Building Movement, at least on the part of the Builder, and homeowner. This is a simple and incomplete summary of Green Building, If you are interested then please explore this subject to the full.

I am a Residential Designer in the Northwest and have been certified by the NAHB as a ‘Green Building Professional’ I am also certified by the International Code Council and a Residential Inspector. If you have any questions about Residential Design, Consulting, Green Building, Building feel free to contact me at customyourway@hotmail.com Please visit my website for more information at www.customyourway.com

Is it better to wait for the market to change?

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:12:00 -0400

Have you been on the fence about a new custom home project? Perhaps the uncertainty of the economy has been holding you back. Many people are in the same frame of mind as you are, but consider this: The Market will turn around at some point. Lending will become more available and employement will be less of a concern. Why? Because historically we have come out of recessions strong and with optimism. The stock market has seen a large increase over just a few months and banks need to make money. The way they do that is by yeilding profits from interest. Interest that they get from lending.

WIth an optimistic view for the future and your foot hovering over the break your still want to be cautious no doubt. It is a good time to hold back on any major spending. However, If you have been considering a custom home, don't hold back on the design phase. The reason is that now is when you have the time to plan your project right. Pay attention to the details and get Your Home designed the way You want it. Sure times are tighter than they were a few years ago, but we all need a home to live in. Make your home something that will cater to your social and economic needs by getting a custom home designed. If this is something that you want to discuss then contact Kevin Arnold of Custom Your Way Home Design. customyourway@hotmail.com

Have an Awesome day!

Kevin Arnold