Your custom plan from $1,495.

$1,495 for a complete set up to 1,800 living sq ft. Over 1,800 sq ft, each extra sq ft adds $0.75 (Standard), $1.00 (Detailed) or $1.25 (Complex):

• Up to 1,800 sq ft: $1,495
• 2,000 sq ft, Standard: $1,645
• 2,500 sq ft, Standard: $2,020
• 2,500 sq ft, Complex: $2,370

Three rounds of revisions are included. Architect-drawn custom plans commonly run $10,000–$20,000 once revisions are included (based on what we see as general contractors). The price calculator gives you the number for your home.

First draft in as little as 2 business days once we have what we need from you. Bigger or more complex homes take longer, and so does waiting on decisions. We'll give you a date when we confirm your order. It's a target, not a guarantee.

Ready-made plans download the day you buy. None of these times include a licensed professional's schedule or the building department's review.

No. I'm a draftsman and a builder, not an architect or engineer. I draw houses the way they actually get built. Plans are prepared by a person who is not a licensed architect or professional engineer, and every sheet says so.

We draft house plans and construction drawings for one- and two-family homes. Many states allow that for those buildings, with that statement on the documents (Missouri's rule is RSMo 327.101.2(5) and 327.191.2(5)). Rules vary by state. We don't seal drawings.

See our design service disclosures.

Many homes don't need sealed plans at all; it depends on your state and your building department. It's your responsibility to call your local building department and find out whether sealed plans are required.

If they are, we coordinate with a licensed structural engineer, who reviews the calculations in our plans, makes any adjustments necessary, and seals them. The engineer's fee is passed through at cost: commonly $1,000–$3,000, and from about $500 to $5,000 depending on the home. Plus our $150 coordination fee. See the next question for how it works.

We coordinate with a licensed structural engineer, who reviews the calculations in our plans, makes any adjustments necessary, and seals them. The terms are simple:

• Their fee, at cost: commonly $1,000–$3,000, and from about $500 to $5,000 depending on the home, passed through with no markup, plus our $150 coordination fee.
• Scope: limited to what your building department requires.
• You approve first: you see and approve the engineer's quote before any work starts.
• Their call: the engineer's design decisions are the engineer's professional responsibility.
• Updating our drawings: one round of working the engineer's required changes into our drawings is included. Changes beyond that, or engineer-driven redesign beyond the original scope, are quoted in writing first.

Everything a builder needs to price and build the house:

• a cover sheet;
• a dimensioned floor plan for each floor;
• exterior elevations, all sides;
• a roof plan and a foundation plan;
• a floor framing plan for each floor level, and a roof framing plan;
• wall bracing;
• building sections and construction details;
• door and window schedules;
• an electrical plan for each floor;
• code references.

Sheet count varies with the size of the home and the number of floors. Not included: a site plan or survey, truss and engineered-lumber design (from the manufacturer), HVAC sizing, and any licensed professional's seal.

Yes. That's what a complete set is for. Every general contractor prices the same house from the same sheets, so the bids compare apples to apples. You don't need a builder lined up before you start.

Yes. Three rounds of changes are included with every custom plan. Bigger changes after that are quoted in writing before we start them.

Customizing a ready-made plan: $400 per revision round, or $500 per round with the plan's images redone to match. A whole new layout is quoted as a custom plan.

We can't promise that, and nobody honest can. Approval is your building department's call. Some cities and counties require sealed plans for new houses even where state law doesn't.

It's your responsibility to call your local building department and find out whether sealed plans are required. If they are, we coordinate with a licensed structural engineer, who reviews the calculations in our plans, makes any adjustments necessary, and seals them.

It depends on each state's licensing laws:

• Most states: we draft and sell, with the state's required statement on the plans.
• Some states: state law may require engineering; the plan page and checkout show that state's notice before you order.
• Restricted: Arkansas, Hawaii, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey and New York. We don't sell plans for building there.

This is based on our legal research, which isn't legal advice, and it can change.

We confirm the price in writing first. Custom work starts with a 50% deposit, and the balance is due before the final files are released.