The first thing to consider when choosing a house plan is how long a person intends to live in the structure. One level homes are the easiest to build, maintain, use and sell. One of the most common mistakes made is when people decide to move from a one level home to a two level home at or near retirement. These people don’t consider climbing stairs in their golden years. A one level home is typically easier to sell than a two level home because it is more user friendly than one with stairs. Anyone can live in a one level home. Not everybody can use stairs in a two level home.
The correct way to incorporate a two level home into ones life is to choose this type of house plan early in life while age allows physically walking on stairs. Two level homes are generally more appealing because those homes have more exterior to enhance curb appeal, but two level homes are harder to maintain because floor number two is usually accessible only by ladder or some other method like scaffolds.
In most cases, purchasing a plan on the internet will be cheaper than hiring an architect to draw plans. Drawing plans without an architect is another option, but is only recommended to people with the knowledge and experience of drawing house plans. The average cost of plans for a moderately sized home purchased online is seven hundred fifty dollars. An architect can range between seven hundred fifty dollars to two thousand five hundred dollars.
Also, check the restrictive covenants or rules of your neighborhood for minimum square foot requirements, set back lines, exterior requirements and type of garage entry requirements. Building a home that does not meet the rules of the neighborhood is not a mistake anyone wants to make.
When choosing a plan, consider options that are offered with some of the newer or more modern home plans like split bedroom floor plan. This type of plan offers a master bedroom and bath apart from the smaller bedrooms and baths, usually located on the opposite ends of the house from each other. Some of the best plans are one level split bedroom plans with the master bedroom and bathroom on the same side as the garage and kitchen as opposed to a plan with the master bedroom and bathroom opposite the garage and kitchen.
A two level split bedroom plan with the master located on the first level and the other bedrooms located on level two is a more desirable two level house plan. Again, in a two level plan, if the master bedroom and master bath are located near the garage and kitchen then the floor plan is more user friendly.
Try not to buy a house plan before purchasing a building lot or home site. If this happens, then the number of lots available that meet the criteria of the house plan intended for construction is greatly reduced because one will need to find a lot to fit the house plan. It is much easier to buy a lot with a certain type of house plan in mind than shop for a lot for a particular house plan.