How to Select a House Plan

Select a house plan that fits the size and shape of your lot. For example, a tall house looks better on a tilted lot, while a ranch home looks better on a large lot. Avoid choosing a plan that will require you to grade your land or bring in dirt to make the house plan work on your property. In addition, determine how much you want to spend on your new house, and stick to this budget when looking at house plans of various prices, sizes and features.

Focus on the rooms in which you spend the most time when choosing a house plan. For example, if you are a newlywed couple, pay close attention to the location of the bedroom or living room. Meanwhile, if you are middle-aged and enjoy spending time with your kids, look at where the family room or den is located in the house plan.

Also, figure out how many bathrooms you want your house to have, if you want to have a detached garage and how formal you want the home to look. Determine whether you want certain rooms to be large or small depending on how much you plan to use them.

Choose a U-shaped or L-shaped house plan if you prefer to have privacy from your neighbors, as this type of house plan actually can hide you from them. Also, look at the placement of windows and doors on your house plan to see if they provide you with sufficient privacy from the windows and yard at your neighbor’s house.

Find a house plan that includes outdoor entertainment or relaxation areas if you enjoy spending a lot of your time outside. For example, look at potential house plans to see if they offer space for a basketball court, flower garden, vegetable garden or even a pond or pool.

Look at other homes in your neighborhood, which might feature a particular common home style such as country homes or duplexes. Consider choosing a house plan that fits in with neighboring houses, as this might help you if you ever decide to sell your home in the future.