Design Connection, LLC - Frequently Asked Questions

1. Do our plans come with architect/engineer seals on the plans?
2. How much will this plan cost to build?
3. What forms of payment do you accept for plan orders?
4. What will the shipping cost on my order be?
5. Can we ship to PO boxes?
6. Can the plan I choose be modified if I need revisions to them?
7. Do your plans meet the most up to date codes?
8. When will my plans be shipped?
9. Can I order a material list without ordering the plan?
10. What do our plans include?
11. What package should we go with for our plans?

Q. Do our plans come with architect/engineer seals on the plans?

A. No, unfortunately our plans do not come with seals on them. The reason that this is the case is because it is virtually impossible to provide these seals for all states considering the designers are not located in all states. In other words, the designers we represent are scattered across the country, they may provide seals for the state they reside in specifically. However, for other states they may not be certified to do so. If you are required to have a seal on your plans, we would recommend purchasing a vellum of the plans and have them reviewed and sealed by a local architect/engineer in your state. They will charge you for this service, but you will end up paying for this either way because you are required for your state to have this seal.

Q. How much will this home or garage plan cost to build?

A. In one form or another, this question is one of the most frequent requests we receive from our visitors. Unfortunately, it is also one of the few questions that we simply cannot answer very specifically. Labor and material costs can vary substantially based upon the time of the year, complexity or uniqueness of the project, good or bad economic times, jobsite conditions, regional markets, the unemployment rate, local building codes, construction moratoriums, zoning laws, covenants and restrictions, availability of supplies and workers, weather conditions, natural disasters, public or private water and sewer, and several hundred other factors. And, to make matters worse, there really isn't any uniform method of measuring square footage. Is your builder or realtor using exterior dimensions or interior dimensions? Have they included the garage or basement in their calculations? What about decks or covered porches? All of these play a major role in the final pricing. Unfortunately, the only way to be sure that your home building budget is reasonable is to identify and price every item that will be used to build your individual home and bid all of the associated subcontracts and labor costs. Of course, in order to do that, you will need to have plans and specifications and you will need to develop a complete and thorough estimate for your individual project. The obvious problem here is that not many people want to buy a dozen different house plans and then spend weeks or months pricing them in order to determine which one(s) they can afford to build. So, a more realistic approach to determining how much your new home will cost might be to simply work backwards. Start by determining how much you can afford to spend, then be realistic about the size of the house you need, and finally, decide what and where you can afford to build. After you have a good idea of your financial situation you can look in the real estate section of your local newspaper for homes that are in your price-range. Often, the advertisements will provide you with prices and square foot descriptions from which you can develop a square foot price. Then, visit several model home communities and tour model homes in order to see room sizes, the type of finishes, and the quality of workmanship that you should expect in that price-range. Be sure to take - and use - pencil, paper and a camera to record what you like, as well as, what you don't like about the homes you will be touring. Also remember that many of the things seen in model homes often are not included in the price of the "standard model". If you visit on a weekend, you might even be able to walk around the community and talk to homeowners that are working outside. Introduce yourself, tell them what you are doing, be polite and respectful, and you might be pleasantly surprised by how much information they will happily give you. You may also want to check with local mortgage bankers, real estate agents, or friends who have recently built a new home or addition to see what type of "ballpark" numbers they can provide. Local contractors might be able to quote "average" homebuilding costs and figures. However, before you put too much faith in "average" numbers, keep in mind that the only house that you really care about, is the one that you are about to build. Home prices of $84, $116, and $164 per square foot combine to produce an average of $121 per square foot, which is probably a reasonable figure for many areas of the country, yet the difference between the lowest figure and the highest is very substantial. While professional builders may be able to average their profits and loses over several projects, the typical homeowner or owner-builder probably cannot. So, regardless of how you finally come up with the numbers, be sure to take the time to review your finances, prepare a reasonable budget, and produce an accurate construction estimate for the specific home that you are about to build.

Q. What forms of payment do you accept for plan orders?

A. We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover cards.

Q. What will the shipping cost on my order be?

(Continental U.S.) Ground (7-10 days) - $30
(Continental U.S.) Express (2 days) - $45
(Continental U.S.) Express (Overnight) - $60
Alaska/Hawaii Ground (7-10 days) - $50
Alaska/Hawaii Express (2-3 days) - $90
Alaska/Hawaii Overnight (1-2 days) - $125
Canada (3-4 days) - $99
Canada (7-10 days) - $65
International (overseas 7-10 days) - $125
All prices are in US dollars

Q. Can we ship to PO boxes?

A. Sorry, we only use delivery services such as UPS, FedEx, & DHL which will not ship to PO boxes.

Q. Can the plans I choose be modified if I need revisions to them?

A. For the most part, yes they can. You will need to call us at 800-794-7780 to check on this, because some of our designers are not willing to modify their plans. If this is the case, don’t be discouraged, because we do revisions to plans as well. In most cases though it is still most effective to have the plans revised locally, because that design firm can make any local adjustments to the plans as necessary for local code conditions as well.

Q. Do your plans meet the most up to date codes?

A. At the time they are drawn, they are drawn to the national codes that would apply. Our plans comply with at least one of the three codes; they are CABO, UBC or IRC. It is virtually impossible to design for and meet all codes, therefore some plans may need small revisions to pass your local codes, but this can be done by you or your builder, based on your building department recommendations.

Q. When will my plans be shipped?

A. All plan orders received by 4:30 PM Eastern Time will ship next business day. Orders received after 4:30 PM will be processed with the next business day's orders and shipped the following business day. Plans do not ship on weekends. Some plans may take longer to ship if extra work has to be done to the plans in order to meet your request i.e. reversing a plan, optional basement versions, etc.

Q. Can I order a materials list without ordering the plan?

A. You need to order the plan in order to receive a materials list, we do not sell materials list by themselves. *Please note, this applies to plans that have a material list, to check if a plan has a material list go to the bottom of the plan page and look under options, if a material list is available, it will be located there. If a plan does not have a material list, you can take your plan to a local lumber yard and they will make you one for free.

Q.What do our plans include?

-Cross Section and Details - elements of the actual construction. -Electrical Floor Plan - a standard layout for outlets and lighting fixtures.

-Exterior Elevation(s) - the way each side of the house will look like when it is built.

-Floor Plan(s) - each level of the design in detail. Dimensions for rooms, doors, windows, stairways and structural info are some of the details shown.

-Foundation Plan - a full basement, walk-out, crawlspace, or a slab foundation. This varies depending upon the design.

Q.What package should we go with for our plans?

A. The package you choose will vary depending on you, and who is constructing this project for you. Besides a set for yourself, you will need to give copies to your general contractor, who in turn distributes to his subcontractors, mortgage lender, and local building department. Many of our customers purchase the standard package of 5 sets or the 8 set package. These two packages are good for those that are going to build the home as is with little or no modification. (We highly recommend going with the 8 set package if you are bidding out your project, you will need them, as most contractors don't return them if they don't get the job.) The package we recommend the most is the Reproducible Media or the CAD file (if available). Reproducible media is a single set of either erasable vellum or Mylar that is used when you want to make changes to a plan, as well as making the proper amount of copies to construct your project. The CAD file is an electronic computer aided design of the design. It is assumed upon ordering either of these, that you will be using a design professional for the modifications. As for the CAD file, you will need CAD format software that supports DWG, or DXF formats, as this is the most widely used formats that our designs are created in. A Release of Copyright letter allowing you to make copies of the original or changed home plans, which are then used to construct the home, accompanies each Reproducible Media.