We recently wrote a blog post about how easy it is to modify your home plan’s foundation if, for example, you want to change a slab foundation to a full basement (or anything else for that matter).  Someone commented on that post and asked what the foundation options were.  I guess they want to know what they have to choose from!  So, we thought we’d share the list of foundation options with all of you here:

Full Basement
Usually the same square footage as the main floor, a standard (or “full”) basement offers the advantage of adding living and storage space at a fraction of the per-square-foot price of upper floors. This is because a basement involves adding only minimal depth to the footings that were necessary for building a home with a crawlspace (instead of digging down four to five feet for the footings, dig down eight feet below the frost line and pour a concrete slab). One disadvantage to a standard basement, however, is that when putting a bedroom in, a window well must be added in order to install a window that is deep enough to exit in case of an emergency. A basement may not be used where the water table is too high, since water may seep into the basement.

Partial Basement
This is a basement where the lot dictates that the square footage of the basement be substantially less than the square footage of the main floor. Areas with rocky or unstable soil conditions, or sloping lots, often require a partial basement. If you want a full basement but can’t dig on certain parts of your lot, put in as much basement as you can.

Daylight Basement
For a sloping lot, whether front-to-back or front-corner-to-back-corner, this is the basement of choice. Simply put, a daylight basement sits at ground level and opens to a side yard and/or the backyard. The big advantage is that this allows the basement to be an indoor-outdoor space, with the outdoors accessible through French or sliding glass doors.

Partial Daylight Basement
Just like a partial basement, the square footage of a partial daylight basement is substantially less than that of the main floor. A partial daylight basement is often used when the slope of a lot would only allow building a basement under part of the main floor, but the owner would like to have full-height windows and perhaps a door to the backyard.

Crawlspace
This type of foundation is an option when soil conditions or a high water table do not allow the construction of a full basement. Footings for a crawlspace are extended down to the frost line, but not below it, as with a full basement. In cold conditions, a well-insulated crawlspace will result in a warmer main floor than would a concrete slab.

Slab
A slab can be poured right over the ground with little or no soil preparation, making it the least-expensive foundation option in home construction. First, forms with steel reinforcing are placed on the ground. Concrete is then poured over and allowed to set before placing the house on top. Cost-effectiveness is the biggest advantage to slab foundations, but they are also beneficial in areas that have insect problems, e.g., termites or ants. The downside is that with a slab foundation you give up the low-cost living and storage space that a basement would provide.

Pole
This foundation type may be necessary in coastal areas where homes are built either partially over water or in flood plains where water periodically rises. The poles allow the main floor to be built high above the ground and keep the home out of harm’s way.

Pier
Like the pole foundation, the pier foundation may also be necessary in coastal locations with periodic flooding; however, the more likely use for a pier foundation would be in mountainous or coastal areas that require you to drill into rock to place steel rods and pour concrete. As with a slab foundation, cement posts offer the advantage of durability and insect resistance.

As I mentioned in the earlier post, our modifications team can change any foundation in any way you want.  And they’d be happy to provide you with a free, no obligation cost estimate to give you a price. If you have any further questions about foundations (or any other house plans-related questions), please feel free to call us at: 1-888-447-1946!

Want to save money with a slab foundation? Or are you dreaming of a daylight basement that will take the best advantage of the lake views on your sloping lot? Or maybe you want to warm up your main floor by adding a crawlspace underneath?

If you are interested in a home plan that doesn’t offer the foundation that you want or need, we want you to know that this is a VERY EASY modification to make to the design! We have a modification team that can, quickly and inexpensively, create the right foundation for you.

Foundation modifications typically cost about $550 but the actual price will vary depending upon your house plan and the type of foundation you want to add.

Call our modifications team for a free, no obligation estimate: 1-888-266-3439.

Or go to the free modification estimate page on our website, fill out the form and submit it. Someone from our modifications team will get back to you shortly with a price. CLICK HERE to get to that page.

Homeplans.com offers several shipping options for its construction packages. Regular U.S. shipping gets you your package in 5 to 7 business days and costs from $20 to $25, depending on the package you choose. Packages of 8 sets or more are $25. Express U.S. shipping allows your package to arrive in 2 to 3 days and costs $35. For overnight orders delivered to U.S. destinations, your cost is $50. Homeplans.com can ship orders to Canada and other countries as well, with delivery in 2 to 10 days on average. These prices depend on the timeframe and on the destination, but usually range from $40 to $80.

If the home plan you choose offers a PDF option, you can get your plans delivered to you via email, usually the same day, with no shipping costs. Look for the specific shipping options available for the home plan of your choice in your shopping cart or call 1-888-447-1946 for more information.

When you’re buying new shoes, you try on several pairs. When you’re in the market for a new car, you test drive several different models. And if you’re planning to build a new home, you can help simplify your decision process by purchasing a Planning Set—or even two!

For as little as $99, you can buy a Planning Set for selected designs to help you get a better idea of how a home will fit your family, your site and your budget. The best part is that when you’ve decided on a home and are ready to purchase the blueprints, your $99 will be applied to that purchase, so you’ll get your planning set investment back.

What is a Planning Set?

A Planning Set provides you with all four exterior elevations of a given home, plus the floor plans, shown to scale. Use your Planning Set to:

• Help you decide among several home plan options
• Gather bids from contractors
• Arrange your furniture (will your antique steamer trunk overcome the den?)
• Analyze traffic patterns
• Gauge sight lines on your lot

Which plans have Planning Sets available?
To determine if a given home has a Planning Set available, look for the words “Planning Set Available” on any home plan page (that’s the page you see after clicking on any home’s thumbnail image following a plan search). If you don’t see “Planning Set Available,” call (888) 447-1946 to see if one has recently been made available.

How do you get your planning set investment applied to a blueprint purchase? Simply buy a construction package for the same home within 60 days of your Planning Set purchase and we’ll deduct the cost of your planning set from your construction package invoice! It’s that simple.

Find out more about planning sets.

One question that we receive almost daily is whether or not the plan package for a specific home design contains everything that a person would need to build in their state.

In most areas of the country, stock house plans will provide everything you need to build, but not necessarily everything you need to obtain a building permit.

In addition to the house plans you order, you may also need the following:

• A site plan that shows where the house is going to be located on your property. 
• Beams sized to accommodate room loads specific to your region. 
• A septic design, unless your lot is served by a sanitary sewer system. 
• Many areas now have area-specific energy codes that have to be followed. This normally involves filling out a simple form providing documentation that your house plans are in compliance. In some regions, there is a second step you will need to take to insure your house plans are in compliance with local codes. Some areas of North America have very strict engineering requirements. Examples of this would be earthquake-prone areas of CA and the Pacific coast, hurricane-risk areas of the Gulf and Eastern seacoast. Even parts of NY, NJ, NV, and IL require review by a local professional. If you are building in these areas, it is most likely you will need to hire a state licensed structural engineer to analyze the design and provide additional drawings and calculations required by your building department. If you aren’t sure, building departments typically have a handout they will give you listing all of the items they require to submit for and obtain a building permit. 

Additionally, stock plans do not have a professional stamp attached. If your building department requires one, they will only accept a stamp from a professional licensed in the state where you plan to build. In this case, you will need to take your house plans to a local engineer or architect for review and stamping. It is always a good idea to check with your local city, municipality, and state building authorities to ensure that your home construction will meet all applicable building codes.

Note that your home builder, if you have one, will be able to help you with all of the above.

Read more about what Homeplans.com’s blueprints include.  Then check out common FAQ’s about home plans.

View House Plan HPG-2000-B for an example. Scroll to the bottom of the plan’s “Details” page to see the packages available for that design.

See all of Mark’s house plans at Homeplans.com.

We get so many questions from customers about materials lists for our home plans. I thought a quick blog post about them would be helpful!

For customers looking to estimate the price of the building materials for their new home, a “Materials List” is the best place to start. This list breaks down the building supplies and lumber you’ll need, carefully detailing the quantity, type and size of each item. It also organizes your materials, putting them into groups such as foundation, interior and exterior walls, and roofing materials. Use this list of materials as a shopping list to take to your lumberyard or building supply store, whether you’re contracting your home yourself or just saving time for your builder.

Customers frequently call to find out if a materials list is available for a specific home plan. While most of our plans already have materials lists available as a product option, you should know that, even for plans that do not have an existing materials list, our modifications team can create one for you. When you find the house plan you want, view the “Details” page for the plan, scroll down to the Plan Package & Option Pricing section: if that plan has a ready-made materials list you will see it under “Accessories” as an “Itemized List of Materials”. You can order it right there. (And you do NOT need to order the house plan in order to purchase the material list for that plan.) If you do not see an “Itemized List of Materials” under the accessory options for the plan, just give us a call at 1-888-447-1946. We’ll connect you with our modifications team and they will provide you with an accurate cost estimate for creating a materials list for the plan of your interest. Material list creation typically starts at about $200.

-Heidi, Customer Service Team