Before the internet came along, magazine aisles carried
books of house plans. The consumer
bought a book with 200 plans, and then set about squinting at small sketches,
page after page. Folks would be overwhelmed by the small pictures and all the pages they had dog-eared . They would realize none
of the plans were exactly right, and then go buy another book!
In the past 10 years or so it has become popular to shop for
house plans on the internet. While the consumer saves a few dollars initially,
the outcome is generally the same. After
squinting for hours at plans on the computer, none are perfect. Rather than dog-eared pages they have stacks
of print-outs with circles around the features they like best.
What’s a potential homeowner to do?
Many just go ahead and buy the plan which is closest to
meeting their needs, then build a house with a lot of things ‘wrong’ with
it. They spend years saying, “If I had
it to do over again…” For instance,
stock plans on the internet often just estimate the room sizes (usually
rounding up generously). A bedroom might
be marked ‘11x14,’ but when the blueprints show up the actual size is more like
10’-2” x 13’8”. This type of
misrepresentation can cause a lot of frustration!
The second way a lot of people deal with the problem causes
building designers and architects a lot of headaches. Clients will bring in a plan printed from a
house plan website and say something like, “I want this house, but add 3 feet
across the back.” Actually, they are
asking the designer to plagiarize a plan!
Some people think that if the plan is changed, it’s no longer the
original. But the laws in most states
allow for the ‘spirit’ of an artistic idea.
The courts will side with the original designer! And I'm sure you agree, we don’t want to be sued!
Now, if you have bought a plan and want some modifications,
you do have a legal option. Your
building designer can draw an ‘addendum page’ which describes modifications to
the original plan. It will be easy for
the builder to understand, and it keeps the designer out of trouble!
What about the guy who just shows up with a stack of several
print-outs? A truly good and creative designer will only glance at the
print-outs, then proceed to ask enough questions to design an original plan for
the client. I have a 2-page list of
questions I ask clients, and it is amazing how we are then able to create a
design just for them! And often for
about the same price as an internet plan!
Take a look at my website
and contact me for a custom plan! Don’t settle for a ‘cookie-cutter’ design!
and contact me for a custom plan! Don’t settle for a ‘cookie-cutter’ design!
