Customize a Plan

Have you found a plan that’s almost but not quite perfect? No problem! We offer customizations to our house plans through our founding company, the Colorado-based custom home design firm LGA Studios. 

Compared with starting from scratch on a true custom home, choosing to customize an existing plan or floor plan concept saves you time and money right away, because it gives you and our design team a great place to start from. It’s very common to want some level of changes–from adjusting or flipping the garage to changing the architectural style itself–that only serves to make the home a true custom fit for you!

One question you may be asking is if what you have in mind rises to the level of needing custom design services. If what you need is straightforward, it can often be accommodated through our plan add-on options, or you can send us an email requesting these changes. (All customization emails will be directed to LGA Studios). Below is a breakdown showing prices for several examples that can be accommodated quickly (two weeks or less).

SIMPLE CHANGES:

• $250 - Right-Reading Reverse Plan- Maybe your favorite plan would work better on your site if it were mirrored. This can often be the case depending on your site’s driveway access or to capture the best sun angles. We can reverse the plan and adjust all notes and dimensions for ease and accuracy. You can add this option on from a plan’s purchase page.
• $250 - Foundation Type Changes - Options include slab, walkout, basement, and crawlspace, or you may inquire about others. Email us to request this adjustment. Designing a finished walkout or basement when one does not exist constitutes a moderate customization–contact us for details.
• $250 - Changing exterior wall framing from 2x4’s to 2x6’s (if not the default type) - Email us to request this adjustment.
• $500 - Add CAD files (.dwg) - These files may be added to any plan purchase for $500 when you add the plan to your cart. 

CODE COMPLIANCE ADJUSTMENTS AND CAD FILE INFORMATION:

Our plans DO NOT include structural drawings and will require site-specific modifications to meet local building codes. Your builder and building department will help determine what is necessary to comply with local codes, regulations, and requirements. The addition of engineering notes to your plan and small adjustments done with the help of local experts to bring it up to your region’s code are possible with the purchase of a Digital PDF Plan Set. If, however, you would like your local architect, home designer, or builder to be able to make larger changes and site-specific customizations, we recommend adding the CAD files (.dwg) to your plan purchase. CAD files are editable by building professionals, and will save them time (and save you money) when it comes to making larger changes. 

Learn more about what’s included in our Digital Plan Sets and the differences between PDF and CAD files.

MINOR FIELD CHANGES:

There are many minor customizations that can be made to make the design fit your taste. These can often be handled by your local design professionals or builder, and may include:

• Changing exterior surfaces (brick, stone, siding, stucco)
• Material changes, cabinet layouts, fixtures, and appliances
• Shifting, adding or changing doors or windows that do not affect the structure
• Adding or removing fireplaces, false dormers, or raised or dropped ceilings
• Shifting non-structural interior walls that do not affect spans
• Adapting a plan to meet local codes or to provide engineering notes

Make sure to ask your local architect or builder if they can make these minor adjustments or customizations. You’ll want to hire an experienced and licensed professional who is familiar with your local codes and would know if a change requires input from a local engineering professional.

MODERATE CHANGES:

This is where it begins to make the most sense to contact us for a custom proposal. A local architect or experienced professional home designer may also make this type of customization for you using the CAD files (.dwg). CAD files can be added to any plan purchase for $500 before you add the plan to your cart. 

Moderate customizations that would be best handled by either our team or by your local design professionals include:

• Adding a porch or garage
• Changing or relocating the garage from the existing design (front, rear, side-load)
• Significant interior layout changes
• Rearranging non-structural interior walls
• Designing a finished basement or lower level (if not existing)
• Kitchen or bath layout changes
• Roof pitch changes
• Changing ceiling heights

COMPLEX CHANGES

These types of changes often affect every aspect and layer of the plan and take a good amount of time and expertise. All customizations you can dream of are certainly possible, however. 

Complex customizations that would be best handled either by our team or by your local design professionals include:

• Changing the exterior architectural style (for example, going from Craftsman to Contemporary)
• Enlarging or shrinking a floor plan in any direction where roof pitches or rafter lengths are changed
• Adding or eliminating a room
• Increasing or reducing the square footage of the home 

Contact us for a custom proposal, or a local architect or experienced professional home designer may also make this type of customization for you using the CAD files (.dwg).