FAQ

Find the most commonly asked questions about house plans from TheHouseDesigners.com. If you have additional questions, live chat, email or call us at 866-214-2242 and we’d be happy to help you!

Q. Why buy from The House Designers?

A. The House Designers represents the leading residential architects and designers in the country offering the most popular, construction-ready and builder approved house plans in America. Be confident that you are buying from a trusted source as satisfied clients have built homes from our plans in every state in the U.S. and in 56 countries around the globe. Read our customer reviews to see what families and builders all over the world think about us. In addition to offering free modification estimates, design consultation, cost estimating tools and free shipping, we’re the only house plan company where your plans can be downloaded immediately after purchase through our PDFs NOW!™ collection. If you have questions, live chat, email or call us at 866-214-2242 and we’d be happy to help you!

Q. What is our best price guarantee?

A. The House Designers guarantees that our prices are the lowest you’ll find anywhere online. Buying your home plan direct from the designer ensures you’re receiving the best price available on the web. And if you happen to find a better online price and meet the qualifications listed below, we’ll give you the difference AND an additional 5% discount off the house plan. We also guarantee the best modification pricing as well. Simply provide us with a copy of your estimate and that price will be matched as well and receive an additional 5% off!

Q. Do you offer free shipping?

A. Free shipping to the continental US only. Shipping for Canada and expedited shipping is listed on the order page. For International orders, PDF and CAD plan options are available.

Q. What type of payment do you take?

A. MasterCard, Visa, American Express or Discover

Q. How long do you have to upgrade a bid or study set?

A. A minimum 5 set plan package or electronic package must be purchased within 90 days for a license to build. The full amount will be credited toward the plan upgrade. Full credit will only be applied when upgrading to the exact plan that was originally purchased. If the plan purchased doesn’t meet your needs, a 20% discount towards the purchase of another plan will be applied.

Q. What size are construction drawings?

A. Construction drawings are typically 24" x 36"; some may be smaller 18" x 24". All electronic options can be printed at a local printer or from your home computer.

Q. What's Included in the construction drawings?

A. Each set of construction documents includes detailed, dimensioned floor plans, basic electric layouts, structural information, cross sections, roof plans, foundation plans, cabinet layouts and elevations, as well as general specifications. They contain virtually all of the information required to construct your home.

Q. Do your plans include everything I need to build my home and get permits?

A. Although our plans can be built “as is” in many locations, your local building department may have specific requirements. Some of these requirements include structural engineering, soils reports and energy efficiency calculations. A licensed architect or engineer will need to be hired to ensure your plans are code compliant. If you’re not sure what your county requires or need assistance finding a local engineer, please contact your local town permitting office or The House Designers by live chat, email or by calling 866-214-2242. We’d be happy to help you!

Q. What’s an ENERGY STAR package?

A. In addition to the construction plans, with this package you’ll receive detailed drawings, wall and roof insulation and glazing specifications and information on cooling calculations for your specific area plus information on getting your home built and certified to ENERGY STAR® standards. This package is not exchangeable or refundable. Allow one week for completion of your customized package. Not available in Oregon, Washington or Canada. We also have a collection of ENERGY STAR House Plans.

Q. What is a PDFs Now!™ Plan Package?

A. The House Designers’ PDFs NOW!™ house plans are exclusive to The House Designers. Receive an electronic PDF version of construction drawings within minutes of ordering. You can print as many full size (24” x 36”) copies of your blueprints as you need or smaller sizes from your home printer. Staples, OfficeMax, UPS and most local print shops can print full-size sets. With PDFs, you can quickly and easily email builders, subcontractors, supply stores and more for budgeting and estimates, making it convenient to obtain competitive pricing on your new home building project! For electronic plans not available in the PDFs Now!™ Program, please allow 24 hours for your plans to be emailed.

Q. What is the difference between Mirror Reverse and Right Reading Reverse?

A. A Mirror-Reversed set is a printed copy of your house plan resulting in the same image you would see if you held the drawing up to a mirror. Everything, including the text, is backward in relation to the original design. A Right Reading Reverse set is a True Reverse of the plan. The plans will be mirrored and text and dimensions are updated so they are legible. If a Right Reading Reverse option isn’t listed, please live chat or call 866-214-2242 to special order.

Q. What does IRC [International Residential Code] mean?

A. Our house plans meet or exceed the minimum requirements of the IRC (International Residential Code), a model building code developed by the International Code Council for use as a base code standard by most jurisdictions in the US. The code creates minimum regulations for one and two-family dwellings of three stories or less and brings together all building, plumbing, mechanical, fuel, gas, energy and electrical provisions for one and two family residences.

Q. How much will it cost to build a home?

A. House construction costs are dependent on where the house is built; the level of finishes selected like countertops, flooring, plumbing and kitchen appliances, molding and trim and more; size and complexity of the home; the builder and the cost of the land. To get your house cost estimate, simply click on “Estimate the Cost to Build” button which is located on every home plan page under the main, large image. We have two options for our cost estimate, a single plan option for one home which is $29.99, and an unlimited home option to use for as many homes as you want for $49.99. Both options have a one-year license. To learn more about our cost estimator CLICK HERE.

Q. How do I purchase an item from TheHouseDesigners.com?

A. Whether you purchase a house plan or any other item from TheHouseDesigners.com, simply place those items in your shopping cart, then proceed to check-out. TheHouseDesigners.com will accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover.

Q. Is my credit card information secure?

A. Yes. TheHouseDesigners.com does not store your credit card information on our servers. We use industry standard encryption to send your credit card information to our PCI compliant gateway processor.

Q. How do I know my order has been successfully received and processed by TheHouseDesigners.com?

A. After placing your order you'll receive an email confirmation from TheHouseDesigners.com with shipping or downloading information.

Q. What is TheHouseDesigners.com's return policy?

A. If you aren’t satisfied with your purchase, you can exchange your first house plan order for a credit towards another house plan purchase subject to a 20% restocking fee. Reproducibles, PDFs and CAD files, Study/Review Sets, PDF Bid Sets and modified house plans are not returnable or exchangeable. In addition, all sales of house plans, including those requiring modification customizations, and all customization/modifications are final and not returnable or exchangeable for any reason. After purchasing plans, be sure to review the contents of your order immediately. If you have any questions, concerns or issues about your order, you must contact a THD representative in writing within 14 days of the date of your purchase. In the event of a permitted exchange, your order must be returned to THD within 14 days of the date of purchase and note that returned blueprints that look used, redlined or copied are not exchangeable.

Q. When ordering house plans, how many plan sets do I need?

A. A minimum of five printed sets is recommended for your building project, however, electronic PDF plan packages allow unlimited printed sets as well as easy viewing on your computer, tablet or phone. CAD files are recommended for house plans with major modifications and engineering.

Q. Can I purchase one set of plans and have them copied?

A. All of our blueprints are protected under strict copyright laws and cannot be copied. The only plan package that allows copying is PDF plan packages mentioned above.

Q. How is the total living square footage determined?

A. Total living space includes the heated living space. Total living square footage includes only the heated area of the house and does not include the garage, storage areas or bonus rooms.

Q. What is reproducible vellum?

A. Reproducible vellums are ideal if you intend to make changes to the plan. They allow qualified architects and engineers to modify the design without having to completely redraw the plan.

Q. Why aren't HVAC and plumbing included?

A. Because local HVAC codes, climatic requirements and commonly used systems vary dramatically throughout the country. Your local HVAC contractor, plumber and electrician can determine the best layout for your new home.

Q. Do you offer preview plans?

A. Study plans and PDF bid sets are available for many plans and, if available, are listed under 'Available Plan Packages'.

Q. How often do you release new plans?

A. We are constantly developing and releasing new plans which can be viewed in our New House Plan Collection.

Q. Do you have Exclusive Plans on your website?

A. We offer lots of select house plans only available on our site. View our Exclusive House Plan Collection.

Q. How soon will I receive my order?

A. We offer free ground shipping to the Continental U.S. as well as expedited shipping options. We also offer PDFs NOW!™ plan packages that can be delivered immediately in your inbox.

Q. How do you handle international orders?

A. House plans are available to ship to Canada, and electronic PDF plan packages are available to purchase for all other countries.

E-mail: info@TheHouseDesigners.com