Contact Perch and work with them on one of their plans you like?

Looking for a design like this that doesn't cost $2 mil: https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/the-magnolia-pj-vj~6079785

Hi Tracy. You just stepped on a landmine. Prepare to be inundated with 'Hire an architect', 'you can't afford to build' responses. I stepped on the same mine.

We ended up drawing up our own plans and giving them to a draftsperson. They are being drawn up as we speak. We are very excited about our design. We put a ton of thought into it, we considered how we live, how we move around the house, and what rooms we needed. It's probably not what an architect would design but we love it and it will be 100x better than any cookie cutter subdivision house.

I say just do it! :) Do some research though, there is a lot of great advice on here that can prevent you from making some terrible layout mistakes. Good luck!

We will wait until your project is done before commenting. But a draftsman plans are not architectural drawings so you will still need them. BTW a draftsman told one of my clients they could safely remove a load bearing wall and almost lost their house. I do agree that what the OP posted is not in the realm of a stock plan from anyone. There are so many things you don’t know you don’t know when designing a home and BTW when you stert altering plnas the changes can add up to $$$$$$ very quickly. i might be repeating what others have said but IMO hire an architect.

That's unfortunate. Like all professions, there are those who are not good at their jobs.

There are also electricians who have improperly wired homes. I will still be hiring one to wire mine though. :)

The draftsperson we are working with works with a company that reviews and stamps the drawings. He's also very experienced.

Have you tried websites like monsterhouseplans.com or eplans.com? Some of them are very good with filter choices to get down to exactly what is important to you.

@Mark Bischak, Architect Hahaha, you always crack me up! (along with the good advice)

"We don't have time to work with an architect..."

That's too bad. Sorta like saying I don't have time to work with a XXX (Doctor, Lawyer, Accountant, Pharmacist, etc.). I'll just take an aspirin and go on my way. What could possibly go wrong?

Good luck!

I'm not a pro, and just going to admit that we didn't use an architect... But starting a summer build may be pretty unrealistic. Even if you could get your ducks in a row with financing and permits, you REALLY don't want to rush this process. We planned for a full year, then waited six more months for the contractor to get started because their wait lists are LONG these days. So my advice is be patient! :) Don't rush. Your home is such an important investment.

Have you purchased property for this build? Do you need permitting from local entities? Will you pay separately for a licensed structural engineer to review and approve your plan for structural integrity? Does your state require a Professional Engineer approval of design plan? Who will design your roof and exterior elevations? Will you act as General Contractor? Do you have a vetted list of subs who would work your job? Are you paying as you go or getting financing? If financing, what requirements does the lender have for this home funding? What I am trying to help you understand is this might not be a prudent path you are venturing down and believe me you will have time to fix and remedy all the issues that can and will come up even with solid professionals working hard to avoid. So start interviewing architects who have done work like yours in the area you want to build and interview them in person if possible. The vibes you get will help you make a decision as well as viewing work they have done. Put a healthy line item in your budget as contingency to handle issues. 20% of total project as least. Just trying to help you avoid very big trouble. 😊

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is that you can't modify a set of plans using a draftsman because those plans belong to the architect. You can have them modified by the architect that did the original design, but not using a third party. The plans you pay for from the plan mills are incomplete and not meant to be used as construction drawings so you will have additional time and expense there even if you make zero personal changes.

Denita:

Good luck getting a lawyer to take a residential architectural copyright case on contingency; not gonna happen.

We're talking residences here, not skyscrapers. Yeah, you may mis-locate the kitchen and no one will want to buy the home that was not professionally designed, but it isn't going to fall down.

Good point Joseph. I wasn't thinking that it was going to fall down :)

More like the plan mills have a reason to keep an attorney on retainer to protect their 1000s of stock plans from being appropriated by the general public without purchasing the plans from the plan mill.

Also thinking that the construction drawings would have to be specific to the buyers location for local code compliance. eg slab type construction, basement etc for one example.

Thanks for all your comments. Yes... we definitely see that we may need to wait a year. My husband is a civil engineer and a PE so he's very knowledgeable and so we feel confident in his own design (not a modification) which will be drafted by an architect friend. But, we also are getting a bid from another architect who already has a for sale plan (not a generic stock plan) to modify. The majority of the houses we saw on stock sites just were way too generic for us. Want something different and unique but we think we have zeroed in already on what we want... inspired by housing designs in another country. Have some general contractor options. Subdividing a property just purchased by a relative. No financing. Still... we see some roadblocks already and might not be able to start next summer. I'm ok with that but I think then we will bite the bullet and refinish the floors and redo carpet in our home if we have to wait another year!