In almost every major real estate market in the country, prices for new homes have increased by double-digit amounts for the past few years. This has sent the price of new and used homes through the roof. Millions upon millions remain stuck in the dead-end rut of the rental game due to these skyrocketing home prices. But one way that you can possibly end the rental nightmare or perhaps even upgrade to a larger home is to use floor plans and start from scratch!
There was a time when a person had to hire an architect to have a set of floor plans drawn up for a new home. Not only was this a costly expense, but it was time consuming as well. Nowadays, of course, a person has any number of outlets where finding floor plans are concerned.
The Internet is prime territory for finding floor plans for almost any kind of home design. Builders often post floor plans of homes they have already built as a way of showcasing their work. There are also specialty sites who specifically sell floor plans. The cost of these plans will vary according to site and house type, but it is entirely possible to secure a set for less than $300. That is a fraction of what it would cost you to have an architect firm create floor plans from scratch.
If you are particularly computer savvy and love to be creative, you may want to design your own floor plans. Using a typical CAD (Computer Assisted Drafting) software program, you can create your own floor plans from scratch. Some of the better programs will be able to calculate load strengths and help you craft realistic plans. If you do not have one of the better CAD programs, then you may need to have your plans verified by a structural engineer or contractor to make sure that all of your designs are feasible and safe.
Of course, floor plans can also be found in a number of books available at any library or bookstore. These are tried and true plans that usually come with a picture of how the home will actually look when completed. The cost of a book with floor plans can run you from $25-75.
No matter where you get the floor plans, they are quite useless unless you have the land to build the home on along with the financing to have it built. A lot of time and money can generally be saved by buying your floor plans as part of a kit which includes most of the lumber and materials necessary to build the home. You are usually responsible for the plumbing, foundation, and electrical—but everything else is included to turn your floor plans and big dreams into an actual house of your very own. So consider floor plans and some property as a real economical solution to ending the rental nightmare.