How do you select a house plan? With the wide choice available through books, magazines and newspapers, it may be difficult to know which one is best for you. Considering the amount of money at stake, it’s quite important to build a house you can live with for a long period of time.

Buying an existing house is much easier. You can walk around the outside, experience each room firsthand, even have an architect inspect the soundness of construction. With only drawings to base your decision on, how do you confirm that a house plan will be satisfactory before construction?

Deciding on a house plan, by looking at drawings alone, is something of a gamble. The plan may not fit on the building lot you have yet to purchase, the total floor area may exceed your budget, or the rooms, once built, may not be as spacious as they appear on the drawings.

In plan books, all the designs look good. Floor plans are often accompanied by perspective drawings showing ideal surroundings – mature trees, beautiful landscaping, generous land areas. However, the graphics can be deceiving. Trees and landscaping take years to develop, and your budget may restrict you to an average size building lot. When looking at drawings of house plans, disregard the frills and look at the basics of house design.

First, have a specific building lot in mind. Know the dimensions of the lot, and the legal constraints imposed by setbacks, sideyards and easements. It’s much easier to select a plan to suit a particular lot, rather than search high and low for a large enough lot after the plan has been selected.

Next, have your wish list prepared. Know exactly what you want before looking at any plan. How many rooms do you need? What floor area is required in each room? What are the desired relationships between the various rooms, such as living room to dining room, dining room to kitchen, or bedrooms to the bathroom? What architectural style do you prefer, traditional or modern? Once your wish list is established, you can narrow down the floor plan options by cross checking each one with your requirements.

Know the total floor area you can afford. If your budget for the house is $300,000 and current house construction costs in your area are $150 per square foot, you can comfortably afford a house of 2,000 square feet. Factor in the cost of land, building permits, legal fees and moving expenses. Pre-arrange your mortgage, and check with at least three housing contractors to confirm construction costs in your area. When studying the possible plans, eliminate the ones that exceed your budget.

Look at each room on a plan in detail. Compare the dimensions shown on the drawings with room sizes you are familiar with. For example, if the living room where you presently live is 14 feet by 16 feet, or 224 square feet in area, and that’s too small, ensure the living room on the new plan is larger. Similarly, check all the other rooms, especially the kitchen, dining room and bathroom, where space dimensions are most critical.

All too often, standard plans must be modified to suit individual preferences. Minor changes are easy, but major changes can affect the overall layout, and even the exterior appearance. Almost every change affects another part of the plan. If a wall is moved to enlarge one room, the adjacent room becomes smaller. If a door is relocated, the furniture layout must be rearranged.

Should substantial changes be required to make a standard floor plan workable, it’s probably better to have the house custom designed. With a custom design, it’s possible to incorporate the features you like from a number of other plans into one plan.

It’s easy to fall in love with a beautiful picture of a house. It’s much more difficult to live with cramped spaces or poor layouts for years to come. Take care before choosing and building from a standard house plan. The fact that a plan is a standard one, is no guarantee of a high standard of design.

BUILDING PERMIT
A building permit is required by the local municipality prior to construction, whether erecting a new house, adding an extension, or renovating. An application form must be completed by the owner or the contractor. Details of the proposed house or alterations are required regarding lot size, house location, construction type and floor area.

Usually, two sets of plans, including a site plan and a detailed exterior wall section drawing, must be submitted with the permit application. Prior to approval, the municipality will ensure that the plans conform to local by-laws, zoning regulations and the governing building code.

At various stages of construction, the municipality will inspect the work to confirm that the house is being constructed according to the approved plans. A location certificate from a registered surveyor is required after the footings have been installed to verify the position of the house on the lot.

If hiring a contractor, ensure the permit application and fee are the contractor’s responsibility. The fee is based on the estimated cost of construction. A landscaping deposit may also be required to reinstate damaged sidewalks, curbs and pavement.