Plan Descriptions

 

Stages of Plans

All house plans start off as a Concept Plan which includes:

1. A floor plan (in the case of a custom design, the floor plan is shown on its location on your site

2.  4 elevations (2-dimensional views of each side of the house)

3. A 3-dimensional view of the house from the road

4. An indication of scale, as a guide to the dimensions of the house

All of the Concept Plans on this website also include a 3-dimensional top view with a cut-away roof.

The next step is a Construction Plan, which also includes:

1. A number of additional drawings, specifying building materials and details of construction

2. Full & precise dimensions

 

After that, the next step is a Council-Ready Plan which includes

1. The location of the floor plan on the site

2. Town planning aspects addressed, such as heights, distances to boundaries, etc

A Council-ready plan may also include an engineer’s report, foundation data for a sloping section, and earthquake & snow load data.

See Site Variables and Pricing.

In the case of a custom design, there is no need for a Construction Plan. Your site is included on the plan right from the beginning, so a custom Construction Plan is already a custom Council-ready Plan.

The final step is a Council-Approved-Plan. This contains no more information than a Council-ready plan, but has been processed by the Council and provides the statutory approval to start building.

 

Plans for Sale

A wide range of original plans are offered for sale on the Plans for Sale page.

The advantages of a plan we have for sale include:

1. A substantial saving in cost by comparison with commissioning a custom design (see Prices)

2. The opportunity to precisely assess value against cost prior to each stage of your financial commitment

Stock plans are offered as either Concept Plans or Construction Plans. All of the Concept Plans on this website are offered as free downloads.

You will find Concept Plans useful as a way to compare different house features that appeal to you. Also, all the Concept Plans on this website contain an approximate overall cost of building the house, based on regions around the country, so you can match this against your budget.

However, please note that Concept Plans do not contain enough information to build a house. Also, I hold the copyright of the design, and the right to use the design in a building is withheld until you purchase a Construction Plan (see Terms & Conditions).

When you’ve settled on your preferred Concept Plan, you can purchase a Construction Plan. All of the Construction Plans offered for sale on this website have been designed to suit a wide range of New Zealand environments and Council requirements.

Once you have purchased a Construction Plan, you can use our design service to convert it to a Council-ready Plan, or instead can engage the services of a local draughtsperson if you find that more convenient.

See Site Variables and Prices

If you are interested in a minor or major modification to a plan we have for sale, please contact us for a quotation on the work involved.

 

Custom Plans

The advantages of a custom design include:

1. specific design for your section, such as orientation to sun or views

2. precise dimensioning of each room to suit your practical needs

3. the particular design features that appeal to you

4. closely tailoring the design to suit your budget (see Prices)

Custom designs can be based on one of our plans we have for sale, or else they can be fully customised to your needs. Check out the Gallery page for examples of fully customised house plans we have prepared for clients throughout New Zealand and overseas.

If you're interested in a custom design, we suggest that we initially schedule a free, no-obligation telephone meeting. We will discuss your project and run through some design possibilities online, so that we can get an idea of your design preferences, and you can find out whether the remote design process suits you.

After the end of this first meeting, or later, you can take the next step toward a Concept Plan. At that point we willl ask for a deposit of half the cost of that Concept Plan before starting on the plan, and the remainder when you are totally happy with the completed Concept Plan.

After that, you can choose to use our design service to convert the Concept Plan to a Council-ready Plan and then to a Council-approved Plan, or you can engage the services of a local draughtsperson if you find that more convenient.