Kevin Carden is a publisher of several stock house plan websites and informational resources, the most famous being www.houseplancentral.com. House Plan Central has a large collection of home plans and unique house plans in many different architectural styles, from the nation's top house designers and architects.
Shopping for a house plan is not as simple as it may seem. When confronted by tens of thousands of different house plans available, it is easy to get overwhelmed. It is important to narrow your choices down as much as possible before you begin your search. Get specific on details such as the number of bedrooms and baths, the square footage you are looking for, the house style you desire, how many floors the house should have. Most decent house plan websites will have plenty of options with the criteria that you have specified. You can start your search on House Plan Central.
After the initial search, be systematic about tracking the house plans that you like. If you have definitely decided to build your own house, you should also set a date for when you will have selected a plan by. Local architects may customize a plan for you that you could have found for thousands less online if you had been diligent about the search process. Make sure to store your plans if the website you are using offers that feature. Make lists of pros and cons about each house plan. Ask for feedback from friends and family.
When you have found your dream plan, don’t hesitate to call the house plan website you found it on if you have any questions or you want to verify their credentials. I don’t want to scare you, but remember that taking someone else’s plan to a local architect to have them customize it is theft. Usually the same online designer will customize that plan for a fraction of the cost of taking the plan to a local designer.
By Kevin Carden
- Related Videos
- Related Articles
- Ask / Related Q&A
2 Main Roles Served by the Colon Cleanse Agent in Colon Cleansing
By: Jacob K Smith | 22/11/2009Colon cleansing is one of the older alternative therapies that had virtually died out and gotten buried for many years; but which have since resurfaced, and turned out to be extremely popular in recent days. In colon cleansing, the goal is to rid the body of fecal matter and other toxins...
Window Blinds : Advice On Buying The Right Ones
By: Mark Thomas Walters | 22/11/2009There are so many different types of window blinds available, and you need quite a few in order to fit out your whole house. Therefore, it's easy to be overwhelmed, especially when most people initially think that buying blinds will be a quick and easy task. A lot of shoppers...
How to Approach a Lighting Project
By: Brian Gottschall | 22/11/2009Updating the lighting in your home is a wonderful way to add a fresh look. When deciding to take on a lighting project, keep in mind that it does not start by simply picking out a light fixture. You should take the time to first ask yourself the following questions: (1) What...
Condensing Boiler vs Geothermal Heat Pump: Cheap Heat Surprise
By: Sam Streubel | 22/11/2009While a geothermal heat pump’s 350% efficiency far outstrips that of a 95% efficient condensing boiler, higher efficiency ratings don’t always mean lower heating costs.
How to Best Use Cfl Bulbs When Updating Your Home Lighting
By: Brian Gottschall | 22/11/2009One of the best ways to reduce your homes energy footprint and overall electrical cost, is to start using fluorescent lighting in place of the standard incandescent. Fluorescent lights use much less energy than incandescent sources because they can produce more light for the same amount of energy. In addition,...
What is the Best Method For Installing a Radiant Barrier?
By: Ed Fritz | 22/11/2009Once you have decided to install radiant barrier, you have to determine which method of installation would suit your home best. Mainly, there are two criteria that should influence your decision: 1) The climatic conditions in your area and 2) Whether your attic has ductwork. Two of the most common methods...
Radiant Barrier Explained in Simple Terms
By: Ed Fritz | 22/11/2009You may have heard a lot about radiant barrier attic foil lately and how "amazing" it can be in reducing energy bills. I happen to be one of the leading manufacturers and suppliers of radiant barrier, and I'm the first to extol the benefits you get from radiant barriers installed...
Fences Around Pools Keep Kids Safe
By: Tommy Wolfe | 22/11/2009Fences around private, and city-owned, swimming pools are some of the most important for public safety. There are too many deaths each year from children who accidentally drown from falling into open swimming pools. This is a tragedy that can be avoided when the right swimming pool fence is bought...
Rugs
By: Kevin Carden | 23/10/2008 | Interior DesignRugs play important role to enhance look of any room. They can provide a distinctive accent to any room as they are exceptionally diverse in design, style, pattern, color. While selecting rugs do look for rugs which are well knotted for the style. On www.houseplancentral.com they have many plans with virtual tours and decorated rooms with rugs which will definitely give an idea.
Engineered Wood Flooring
By: Kevin Carden | 14/10/2008 | Interior DesignEngineered wood is a real wood and is built with multiple thin layers of wood called as plies that are assembled and glued together. construction technique results in a wood floor that is more stable than a solid wood floor. On Houseplancentral we have various plans with virtual tours to choose from where you can get an idea.
Laminate Flooring
By: Kevin Carden | 06/10/2008 | Interior DesignFlooring is an important aspect for any room. Laminate flooring is on lower side of costing for maintenance but provides the look of hardwood or stone flooring. You can say Laminate flooring is a hybrid. It has the looks of hardwood but it's not. On Houseplancentral we have various plans with virtual tours to choose from where you can view kitchen with laminate flooring to get an idea.
Hardwood Flooring
By: Kevin Carden | 03/10/2008 | Interior DesignFlooring is an important aspect for any room. Hardwoods come in strips which are narrow and planks which are wider. And both strips and planks come in various grades finished and unfinished. You can directly install finished boards. And you can stain and varnish unfinished boards to suit your plan. On Houseplancentral we have various plans with virtual tours to choose from.
Bathroom Flooring
By: Kevin Carden | 29/09/2008 | Bath ShowersFlooring is an important aspect for any room. When we select bathroom flooring, we have to take many things into consideration like if it is durable, will it look clean and nice, will it be easy to maintain, and will it be able to stand moisture. On Houseplancentral we can many virtual plans where we can see various flooring option for bathroom.
The Importance of Good Front Yard
By: Kevin Carden | 08/09/2008 | Interior DesignEveryone would like to have a beautiful front yard with great visual appeal that makes people driving by their home want to stop and look - and admire. Houseplan expert Kevin Carden tells you how you can design the front yard that gives the right first impressions.
The Difference Between a Deal and a Dream
By: Kevin Carden | 03/09/2008 | Real EstateRome wasn't built in a day and neither are multimillion dollar real estate investing portfolios. Rookie energy and investing exuberance may get you started down the path, but investing is a journey.