Building a House From Stock House Plans

As the owner of houseplancentral.com I thought it would be important to provide some information to people shopping for house plans about what it takes to build a house yourself. My parents are approaching retirement age and wanted to move into their dream house that they will grow old together in. Over the past two years they have gone through the process that many prospective house plan buyers will be going through soon. I want to share some experiences that they went through that may help you in your process.
1) The lot. Although I think it is better to purchase the plans before you buy the lot, I do recommend getting comfortable with the type of lot that you are going to want your house to be built on. This can make a big difference in the ideal plan. My parents bought several acres overlooking a lake (and there's room for my family to build on the property in the future). They knew exactly what kind of lot they needed for the plans that they had purchased. Make sure you do your homework also and know the answers to the following questions and more: Do you want a flat lot; a basement; will your house have a view and how can you maximize that with the plan selection; how wide does the lot need to be, etc. Buying the lot first can significantly hinder your creativity in selecting your ideal house plan if you aren't taking these items into consideration.
2) Buy your plans. Assuming you have settled on the ideal plan, the next step is to order the plans. Make sure you get all the information you need when you buy your plans. Houseplancentral.com helps to make sure that you get everything you need with your house plans. If a materials list is available for your plans, I would recommend purchasing it. Also, it will be difficult to build your house if you only purchase 5 sets of plans. Paying a few hundred extra dollars for reproducible plans is usually worth it and can avoid costly mistakes from trying to work with too few plans. My dad purchased 8 sets and still struggled to complete the house with those 8. There were just so many people working on the house that needed the plans and they were always getting damaged or misplaced.
3) Select a Builder/Contractor. Many cities have local handimen who will help you to be your own contractor if you want to be the primary contractor for the construction of your home. I would highly recommend using one of these individuals or companies. I would also recommend interviewing several builders or contractors to make sure that you get the best possible quote. While my parents were building their home, they received framing estimates from $20k to 90k. With such a wide spread in quotes, it is important to always get multiple quotes to make sure you are receiving a fair deal.
…See the rest of this article in part II coming shortly.