Building a home is a major project, and that starts with the right floor plan. Hiring an architect to create a custom floor plan for your property can often be a prohibitively expensive option. That’s why many options go to online home floor plan providers. These can be noticeably more affordable while still letting you customize existing floor plans.
But some options mightn’t be nearly as high-quality as you’d like, especially with the impact it has on your house. With the right home floor plan providers, however, this doesn’t need to be nearly as much of an issue as you’d think.
Five of these boast positive reviews, quality floor plans, and a large range of plans to pick from. They could be more than worth focusing on.
Image Credit: Sven Mieke from Unsplash.
Top Home Floor Plan Providers: 5 Best Picks
1. The House Designers
The House Designers is a top choice because it balances a strong catalog with an emphasis on detailed, construction-ready floor plans. The company was founded in 2001 by residential architects and designers who wanted to create a higher-quality source for stock house plans, giving it a lot of experience in the niche.
It features plans ranging in styles ranging from farmhouse and ranch to transitional and contemporary homes. There are also extensive plan modifications and assistance from home-plan advisors.
Pros:
- Detailed plans with extensive construction information.
- Plan modifications and customization options on offer.
- Helpful customer support and home-building resources.
Cons:
- Detailed, professionally made plans can come at higher prices than basic alternatives.
2. ePlans
ePlans is a long-established name in the house-plan market. It has more than 60 years of industry experience and a knowledge base containing more than 60,000 plans. It’s also a part of Zonda Media, a major publisher covering the residential construction industry, giving it quite a few resources at its disposal.
Its selection covers a massive range of architectural styles and sizes. You can find everything from small cottages and cabins to large luxury homes, alongside garages and deck plans. It’s one of the more versatile options to go for.
Pros:
- More than 60,000 plans and extensive industry experience.
- Almost any plan can be customized.
- Strong selection of educational resources.
Cons:
- The sheer size of the catalog can feel overwhelming.
3. Dream Home Source
Dream Home Source is another established name with a large selection of pre-drawn home plans. It boasts more than 30,000 designs and has sold millions of house plans during its 65 years of operation. This could make it one of the more trusted and reliable options for new home builders to go for.
For newcomers to the building process, its resources could be particularly useful. The company offers guides covering subjects like finding contractors, picking a builder, selecting a foundation, and acting as owner-builder.
Pros:
- More than 30,000 home designs.
- Free modification estimates available for most floor plans.
- Useful resources for people new to homebuilding.
Cons:
- Some users could find the database difficult to narrow down with.
4. Drummond House Plans
Drummond House Plans brings decades of residential design experience to the table. The company has completed over 200,000 construction and homebuilding projects over the past 50 years. This could make it a relatively trusted option compared to options with significantly less experience in the industry.
One useful feature is the company’s focus on helping customers prepare for the actual project. Its resources cover subjects like construction standards, foundation types, what comes with blueprint packages, and similar areas.
Pros:
- More than 50 years of residential design experience.
- Existing plans can be modified.
- Extensive resources to get ready for construction.
Cons:
- The catalog is smaller than many of its competitors.
5. Truoba
Truoba takes a different approach from many of the larger floor plan marketplaces. Instead of trying to offer every architectural type and style, it focuses heavily on contemporary and modern residential designs. This includes compact homes under 1,000 square feet to family homes over 2,500 square feet.
Customization is a particularly important part of Truoba’s service. Its modern plans are fully customizable, letting customers change layouts, add or remove rooms, alter room types, add basements or stories, and more.
Pros:
- Strong focus on modern and contemporary designs.
- Extensive customization options.
- Clear pricing across individual floor plans.
Cons:
- The narrower design focus mightn’t suit buyers looking for traditional architectural styles.
What to Expect with Home Floor Plan Providers
If it’s your first time using home plan providers, you could be a little confused about the process. At least, you mightn’t entirely know what to expect. Thankfully, this is usually a straightforward and easy process to get through.
While the exact steps vary from option to option, they tend to follow the same general process. This usually means:
- Browsing Existing Floor Plans – Most options offer a searchable catalog, which you can go through to find a floor plan that best suits your needs.
- Review the Plan’s Details – Once you’ve found a design you like, you’ll get to review the details, like specifications and similar areas.
- Requesting Possible Changes – While this mightn’t happen with every floor plan, most options let you request changes, though these can come at a cost.
- Work With Professionals – Once you have the exact floor plan you want, it’ll be time to work with your contractors on turning the floor plan into a home.
Usually, you’ll have to pay for the floor plan before you can start making changes, though this depends on the provider. And, the cost of additional changes could be relatively high.
The process should be relatively quick and easy to get through. While the process varies a little from provider to provider, they tend to make sure they’re as easy to work with as possible.
Wrapping it Up
With the right online floor plan provider, creating a custom plan for your property doesn’t need to be nearly as expensive as you would’ve thought. And it could be noticeably faster and less of a headache than going for a high-priced architecture or similar option.
