"it depends"...

depending on how specific your needs are, depending on how MUCH change you are talking about, depending on how exacting you are, etc.

Taking a stock plan to an architect as a "start" is a good idea, but penning him / her in with this plan and only to make changes, that 's more of a draftsperson to do. (But certainly CAN modify a stock plan, but why do that when you can have something designed specifically for you / how you live / what your needs are and what your aesthetic is.

It's all possible - and you are actually talking about changing some fairly main parts of the house (let's face it - everything else is pretty much boxes...) you may get more out of a start from scratch experience - or - you may be perfectly fine with layout changes.

Of course - you have not spoken of your site / positioning, and the other things that make up the home experience - and that won't be part of the changing the layout experience either.

Not helpful, I know. Sorry.

Many stock plan designers and architects will customize their plans to suit your needs. You mentioned that the stock plan you have selected was "almost perfect," so my guess is that the most economic route to a final set of plans is to have the original designer/architect make the changes. Contact them and get an idea of cost before choosing to start from scratch with someone else.

Best wishes for a successful project.

Start out in the proper direction and retain a local architect to design a home for you from scratch that meets your needs and fits the site.

In most states with an architectural title or practice act, architects may not stamp or issue plans unless they prepared them directly or directly supervised their preparation. It's a consumer protection act to ensure that the adequate and proper professional services were provided. Stock plans often may not meet local site and jurisdiction requirements since they are prepared without any knowledge (or concern) for local conditions.

To be sure, stock plans may not meet local requirements, but that's where hiring a professional contractor comes in.

A few years ago we had a client who wanted to build a William E. Poole plan with no (yes, that's really zero) changes. We encouraged them to change the size of one door which was a trivial change. We did need to produce a foundation plan for the home in order to comply with local code requirements, but this was pretty minimal compared with starting over.

Many of the homes we build are in master-planned communities. The lots typically have small building envelopes and limited options for siting of the home. If the changes to a stock plan are minimal, and siting options are few, the client is best served by working with the original plan designer/architect to make the changes, This approach has the additional benefit of avoiding potential issues with architectural copyrights.

Some of the large internet design plan providers use designs from many sources and have no design staff so if they do provide modification services it would most likely be through independent drafters that might be working in distant locations so all communication would be through the company to someone even they might have never met. IMO it would be wise to stick with the smaller firms who only sell their own designs and have an in-house drafting staff.

When consumers buy pre-designed drawings they receive permission or a license from the owner to copy and use the drawings to build one house. But the issue of modifying the original drawings with the name of the original author on them is a difficult one. Regardless of who does the modifications, I would think the permission of the original author would be required and the issue of removing the author's name or adding the name of the modifier should also be settled. Not all companies sell CAD files but the only purpose I can think of for providing them is to allow the buyer to modify and print them so the provider must have a way to deal with these issues. This is why architects rarely allow CAD files out of their offices.

I would not modify a pre-designed drawing set unless the changes were extensive enough to clearly justify putting my stamp on the final result and I had written permission to remove the original author's name which would effectively give me the copyright for the final product.

If you think about it, remodeling your average tract house is literally "modifying a stock plan," so by that standard, it is entirely possible, and millions of people have done it, including me.

At present, I am in the process of building from the same plan that I happen to be living in, with a few changes such as a master on the main. So that's do-able as well.

One thing, however. Universal design is a big topic, with a lot of decisions and tradeoffs along the way. For example, are you talking about using a wheelchair, eyesight issues, strength issues, or general cognitive decline? Are you making any provision for live-in help? Will you be able to afford a housekeeper, handyman, and landscape service?

IMO, cognitive decline is one of the most difficult issues to plan for, because it's not just an engineering/architectural issue. There are many stages of decline, from intermittent forfetfulness, to full blown Alzheimer's, and one may not be fully aware of the decline as it is happening. In other words, we may be less and less able than we think we are, and the rate of deterioration can accelerate, without our noticing.

I see this in older relatives-- they don't realize that they shouldn't be driving a car anymore, or listening to the nice young quack pill merchant, or getting on the tall ladder to wash second story windows! The most dangerous thing is the older person living alone, with no one to check up. There's also the danger of losing money management skills, failing to pay bills, getting caught in scams, losing inhibitions about spending, or various forms of hoarding behavior.

This is why so many people end up in some form of assisted living.

So it's not just a design issue, it's multi-faceted: social, financial, legal, etc. I would strongly advise you to research the topic before you plunge in, so you can figure out what you want, based on most likely health scenarios, and your budget-- leaving a very generous sum of money for the last few years of life.

Modifying a house that you own doesn't infringe on any copyright and is not similar to modifying the original designer's copyrighted drawings; you just can't sell, give away, or reuse the original design drawings for another project.

Hello Everyone,

Thanks for your responses. I wanted to follow up on a few things that were brought up in your replies.

1. Universal Design - What I want in this house is an aging in place type of scenario. My husband is already mobility challenged, and we have many family members in various stages of ill health, and I'm sure my mom will come live with us at some point. This plan I want to modify has the right layout as far as placement of rooms, but it needs some changes to (larger door openings, easier ways to open doors, zero entry showers, etc.) make it work.

2. As far as the plan itself goes, it's more about the layout than it is the house itself. The lay out of the plan is perfect, but everything else can be changed - I don't even like the exterior of the house - I'd definitely want to talk to an architect about making changes to that as well.

I hope that clears things up, and again, thanks for your help!

There are AIP specialists - it would make sense to engage. I saw something as simple as making sure that all bathrooms had 3/4" plywood on the walls under the sheetrock so that grab bars could be installed ANYWHERE in the future - regardless of stud locations.. for example. That's a pretty inexpensive thing to do in construction - but not something I would have thought about - an AIP specialist would... And architects should have contacts with those kind of folks too.

Often if not most of the time internet stock plans require substantial modifications to adapt to the local building and energy codes where the home is going to be built. I have had many many clients love a floor plan idea, but for example the plan was designed for Georgia's building codes vs here in the Pacific NW. Exterior wall materials and lumber dimensions, structural and load detail, insulation factors and so on. Many times the plans are simply incomplete - sans foundation type etc. So basic answer to your question is yes, modifications can and probably will need to be done regardless. Using a floor plan idea that's close to your liking and having plans drawn up that are perfect for you is standard procedure for companies like ours and other firms like us. Just my .02 from prior experience.