8 Items to Consider when drawing house plans free

House plans are fun! Anybody can do it, really. And if you do it yourself, it can be free.

Though just like other professions the people in the industry who have the education, training and experience tend to be a little better at it.

There are some limitations however.

Depending on your states statutes, its not only illegal to call yourself an architect; but its also punishable in a court of law. So its ok to design and make decisions for your own home, just not for others. :)

Nevertheless, designing your own home, having fun with visions, colors, themes, and layouts is completely free and legal. But at some point, when you are looking to move forward with the process of actually building your design is when costs begin to incur.

For one, you will usually need to get the building engineered.

This is usually one of the first problems you run into when buying plans online. Architects, and structural engineers are capable of doing this. See the posts about cost of architects for more information on that.

The architect or engineer will examine your design and determine if it is compliant with building code. If not, revisions may be required.

Also a structural system will need to be designed in compliance with the local codes. An air condition, and electrical system must also be designed.

Two, coordination of the design, structural components, a/c, electrical and site conditions should be an important part of the review at this point. Including whether the exterior envelope and finishes are appropriate for the climatic conditions of the place where the home is to be built.

Then, submittal to the building department is required, and they will also perform a code review. Some revisions may also be required. Their review will also require a plans review fee.

Once the building department is happy with the content of the plans, they will issue a building permit, and the design phase is then complete.

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