| © 2004 - 2022, OnlineHomePlans | Legal | Conditions of Sale |
| info@onlinehomeplans.com | (713) 461-4001 |
| Web Development & Programming: SOURCE | Graphic Design: SQUIDZInk.com |
| FAQ Answers | |
| 1. | Are there different kinds of house plan drawings? |
| Yes there are different types of drawings in a plan set, all together they comprise a construction set, and a AutoCAD set . Every house plan that you purchase from Onlinehomeplans.com is complete and has all the information you need to build your dream home (see PLAN CONTENT). The following is a description of each set: Construction set The basic package of drawings you need to obtain a building permit (see BUILDING CODES and PERMITS), secure your financing, and build your home. Each set has all four exterior views (also called elevations), complete floor plans, a roof plan, building sections, and all other details necessary to construct your house. (For more details about construction set contents, see PLAN CONTENT.) This set of drawings includes a "single use" Building License. AutoCAD set This set of drawings includes all of the above but in an electronic file format. The electronic file is for READY for CONSTRUCTION, but also for making minor or substantial changes to your drawings by a local design professional. The AutoCAD set also includes "PLT" files ready to take to your print shop along with printing instructions on how to arrange the sheets into a printed set. A copyright release is included so that your designer can make changes and legally make copies. Unlike the construction set, the copyright release grants you unlimited use and copying privileges. |
| FAQ Answers | |
| 2. | How can I find a house in my area that has been built with one of the house plans from your site that I like? |
| Unfortunately you can not. We do not release that information for privacy reasons. If we have a photo of the home you are interested in, we will email it to you. Please contact us and list the plan name & number you desire. |
| FAQ Answers | |
| 3. | After I order my home plans, how long will it take to receive them? |
| CD's are usually shipped within 3 to 5 business days. Printed sets may take a bit longer depending on the number of sets required. |
| FAQ Answers | |
| 4. | Is it possible to see a rear view of the house plan I am interested in? |
| At this time no. In an effort to keep our cost as low as possible, we made a decision not to do so right now. We may in the future offer this, but at present they are not available. Many of our homes have been designed for rear viewing lots, golf courses, lakes, forest, parks, etc. and therefore great care has been taken to create an attractive look on the rear to complement the front. |
| FAQ Answers | |
| 5. | Do your house plans have all the information I need to get a building permit? |
| In most cases yes. See WHAT YOU GET, PLAN CONTENT, BUILDING CODES, and PERMITS. Some additional work may be required based on your circumstances, however in most cases very minimal. |
| FAQ Answers | |
| 6. | What’s included with my house plans? |
| ELEVATIONS FLOOR PLANS BUILDING SECTIONS ROOF PLAN INTERIOR ELEVATIONS GENERAL DETAIL ELEVATIONS: - Rendered front elevation - Floor to floor & plate heights - Roof pitches - Exterior materials labeled - Window & door shapes & design FLOOR PLANS: - Complete & accurate dimensions - Floor & ceiling heights - General architectural features - Cabinet, appliance & plumbing layouts - Windows, door & openings labeled - Room titles - Code related & general notes - Building section markets - Electrical layouts (may be separate plan) BUILDING SECTIONS: - Floor to floor dimensions - Floor & ceiling changes - Floor system dimensions - Plate heights labeled - Roof pitches indicated - Stair section & related notes - Misc. framing detail - General code related notes for residential construction ROOF PLAN: - Roof design - Hips, ridges, valleys, etc. labeled - Plate heights labeled - Notes related to residential construction - Code related notes INTERIOR ELEVATIONS: - Cabinet elevations - Locations of drawers, doors, shelves, etc. - Locations of appliances, plumbing & related items - Dimensions of heights Specification of door designs & molding will not necessarily be indicated. GENERAL DETAIL: - Typical building section - Wall sections indicating method of construction & material make-up - Misc. framing details - Typical lintel & header span tables - Fastening & nailing schedules - Typical 2 & 3 car detached garage plans - General & misc. code related notes DRAWINGS NOT PROVIDED: - Foundation plans - Structural engineering - HVAC layouts (heating & air conditioning) - Detailed specifications - Electrical wiring diagrams & load analysis - Plumbing diagrams FOUNDATION PLANS: Foundation plans are & should be site specific. The soil conditions of your location should be considered prior to determining a foundation design. A local professional should be consulted to design your foundation. Your builder should be able to help you with this. You may also consider calling the local Home Builder’s Association or your local building official. STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: Structural engineering should be prepared by a licensed professional. Plans should be reviewed, loads calculated and beams designed to meet the needs & requirements of your regional local. More often than not, your local building department will require the review, design & professional seal by a licensed professional prior to issuing a building permit. Your local Home Builder’s Association or building official should be willing to assist you in locating a professional engineer. HVAC LAYOUTS: In residential construction, heating & air conditioning layouts are generally not required for permitting. Should your building department require this, a local mechanical contractor can generally provide them usually at little or no cost to you. Our plans are designed to have the air handling equipment placed in the attic. In the case of a multi-story home, chases are placed to allow supply & return ducts through the framing. DETAILED SPECIFICATIONS: Our plans contain most of the specifications needed to construct your home. Detailed specifications to establish finishes & allowances are best determined through consultation with your builder, interior designer & yourself, as this has a direct impact on your budget. ELECTRICAL WIRING DIAGRAMS & LOAD ANALYSIS: Plumbing & electrical wiring diagrams are generally not required in residential construction. Licensed electricians & master plumbers are required & must secure permits & inspection to insure code compliance. |
| FAQ Answers | |
| 7. | What are building codes and how do they effect me? |
| Building Codes: Building codes are standards created to ensure the structural safety of buildings. They are established and enforced by your local government, usually through your city or county's building department. Every state, county and local municipality has adopted their codes from one of the three nationally recognized building codes: UBC (Uniform Building Code), BOCA (Building Officials and Code Administrators) and CABO (Council of American Building Officials). The new IRC (International Residential Code) is a combination of the other three. All are very similar in content. However, many regions have additional, more stringent regulations because of extreme weather or geographic conditions. If you live in an earthquake-prone areas, flood-prone or the hurricane risk areas, be sure to inquire about the specifics of these additional requirements. Permits: Before you begin construction of your home, you'll need to obtain a building permit by demonstrating with your house plan and other documents, that your new home will comply with all applicable building codes. Depending on where you live, this can be a simple process of filling out a form, or it may require additional steps if your area has established patterns of hurricanes or earthquakes. Building departments in these high-risk areas typically require you to hire a state-licensed structural engineer to analyze your design and produce additional drawings and calculations, which you include in your permit documentation. Many areas have established energy codes. To comply with these regulations, you usually fill out a short form. Also, many building departments require a professional stamp from an engineer or architect who is licensed in the state you plan to build your home. Most building departments can give you a handout with a checklist of all the required documentation for your permit. Your House Plan: All house plans from Onlinehouseplans.com are designed to conform to the local codes where and when the original house was constructed. For most areas of the country, your house plan from Onlinehouseplans.com includes all the information (see PLAN CONTENT) you'll need to build your house-but not necessarily everything you need to obtain a building permit. Excluding hurricane and earthquake requirements, you will need to submit a site plan to show the house's placement on your property. For other local requirements, you may, for example, need to resize beams to accomodate roof loads specific to your area, or if your lot is not served by a sewer system, you may need a septic design. Builders can usually help you obtain these documents because they are familiar with local codes and permit process. If you need to modify your house plan, hire only qualified personnel that can make the revisions according to your local codes. It will save you time and money in the long term. The Fine Print: All construction drawings, products or services ordered through Onlinehomeplans.com, and its subsidiaries, are provided as is. Onlinehomeplans is not liable for incidential, consequential, special or indirect damages of any kind, including, but not limited to loss of anticipated profits, business opportunity or other economic loss arising out of the use of services, products or construction drawings received from Onlinehomeplans even if Onlinehomeplans has been advised of the possibility of such damage. In the event that any liability is imposed on Onlimehomeplans, or its subsidiaries, Onlinehomeplans liability to you or any third party shall not exceed the price paid to Onlinehomeplans for its product or service. |
| FAQ Answers | |
| 8. | What building codes are your plans drawn for? |
| All house plans from Onlinehomeplans.com are designed to conform to the local codes where and when the original house was constructed. For most areas of the country, your house plan from Onlinehomeplans.com includes all the information (see PLAN CONTENT) you'll need to build your house-but not necessarily everything you need to obtain a building permit. Excluding hurricane and earthquake requirements, you will need to submit a site plan to show the house's placement on your property. For other local requirements, you may, for example, need to resize beams to accomodate roof loads specific to your area, or if your lot is not served by a sewer system, you may need a septic design. Builders can usually help you obtain these documents because they are familiar with local codes and permit process. If you need to modify your house plan, hire only qualified personnel that can make the revisions according to your local codes. It will save you time and money in the long term. |
| FAQ Answers | |
| 9. | How much do modifications cost for your house plans? |
| The cost of modifications vary greatly based on what you wish to modify. Most modifications are charged on an hourly basis, your builder can advise you and suggest a design professional to help you. Many minor revisions can be made with out modifying the plan at all, simply a field change by your builder. Your local building department or Homebuilders Association is another helpful source for information. |
| FAQ Answers | |
| 10. | I’m confused by the living area square footage. In terms of a house plan, what does it mean? |
| The living area square footage of a house plan is the sum total of the areas inside the exterior face of the heated & cooled walls, that is, it does not include areas like garages, porches, decks, etc. Consequently, you can not determine the actual square footage of a house by adding the square feet of each room. The total covered area of the plan does include all the above mentioned areas of a home. Although these items must be considered in the cost of construction of the home, builders often use the living area when estimating “cost per foot”. The addition of numerous covered areas is one of the factors which drive the “cost per foot” up from one plan to the next. |
| FAQ Answers | |
| 11. | If I don't see the house plan I want, can you still help me find one? |
| Yes, if you have not yet used the POWER SEARCH tool try this first. We have numerous designs that are not yet on the website. You can use the CONTACT US page to ask us to help you find a design that suits your needs. If we believe we have a design that fits your description that is not yet on the site we will make it available to you. Most of our designs have a list of "Similar Plans". If you find a design that comes close to your desire, you should look at the "Similar Plans" listed to see if one of these addresses your issues. When using the CONTACT US page be sure to include your POWER SEARCH request and YOUR PORTFOLIO so we can review your thoughts. Still another way is, you can simply return later to see the latest updates to the plan library. |
| FAQ Answers | |
| 12. | Is my credit card information secure and my privacy protected? |
| Onlinehomeplans.com will not provide any personal or credit card information to any third party without your permission. However, we must cooperate fully should a situation arise where we are required by law to provide information about a customer. We may opt to share overall statistical or demographic information with our marketing partners, advertisers or third parties for research purposes. However, your identity will remain anonymous. If you have purchased house plans from us, or otherwise contacted us, we may occasionally notify you by e-mail of new house plans we have added to our collection or of new services being offered. If you prefer not to be contacted with updates about our house plans or services, please notify us at info@onlinehouseplans.com |
| FAQ Answers | |
| 13. | If I buy a set of home plans from Onlinehomeplans.com, can I have them modified? |
| Yes, most definitely, that's what sets Onlinehomeplans.com apart form other house plan sites. All of our house plans are available in an electronic file format (AutoCAD 2000).We highly recommend the CD purchase option for this reason. With the CD you have unencumbered rights to use the house plans however you wish. The "single use" BUILDING LICENSE does not apply. You may modify, or not, the house plan as much or as little as you want. With the CD you can print as may copies as you need as often as need. We do strongly recommend that you consult with a qualified design professional to make any of the modification you need so that the changes can be evaluated as to the over all effects it may have on the design. |
| FAQ Answers | |
| 14. | Are your house plans available in a CAD format? |
| All of our plans are available in an electronic file format (AutoCAD 2000). With the CD you have unencumbered rights to use the plans however you wish, the "single use" BUILDING LICENSE does not apply. You may modify,or not, the plan as much or as little as you want. Each CD contains both "DWG" and "PLT" files. With the CD you can print as may copies as you need as often as need. We do strongly recommend that you consult with a qualified design professional to make any of the modifications you need so that the changes can be evaluated as to the over all effects it may have on the design. |
| FAQ Answers | |
| 15. | What are "DWG" and "PLT" files? |
| All our plans are drawn using a computer program called AutoCAD 2000. This program creates files called "DWG" files. These "DWG" files are fully and completely modifiable. If you wish to have changes made to your plans, these are the files your design professional will need. "PLT" files are the type of files a print shop will need to make copies for you. All the information regarding paper size, pen settings, scale, etc. is contained in these files. When you purchase a CD, instructions are included to give to your print shop to place the sheets in the correct order. |
| FAQ Answers | |
| 16. | How many times may I build a house from the plans I purchase from you? |
| That depends on which purchase option you choose. If you choose the printed copy option you receive a "single use" BUILDING LICENSE. This means you may only build this home one time and may not reproduce the drawings. If you choose the electronic file, (AutoCAD) option you will receive a copyright release to make revisions and use as many times as you wish. |
| FAQ Answers | |
| 17. | Can I buy one set of house plans and then make copies as I need them? |
| No, all house plans listed on this site are protected by U.S. copyright laws. Unauthorized reproduction, sales or transfer of house plan images contained on this site or any other work produced herein is a violation of these laws. These laws allow the copyright holder to recover damages of up to $100,000 per offense. All content, graphics and other data stored on this web site not expressly stated as being from another source is copyrighted 1994-2005 by Onlinehouseplans.com ("the owner"). All content, graphics and other data stored on this web site expressly stated as being from another source are hereby designated original material and is the intellectural property of the owner. This material may not be reused in any form, or for any purpose, without the consent of the owner. The content of this web site may not be reproduced in any form without the express written permission from the owner. It may not be sold for profit or included in any type of archive (commercial or private) without the consent of the owner. Failure to abide by these rules may result in legal action by the owner. Permission is hereby granted to download and view any material for personal, non-commercial purposes and to create hyperlinks to the top level (home page) of this web site. Pricing and conditions subject to change without notice. |
| FAQ Answers | |
| 18. | If I change my mind after buying a house plan, can I return it for a refund? |
| Unfortunately, no. We are sure your intentions are honest and honorable, but because you are actually purchasing a copy of licensed intellectural property that can be copied illegally, we must protect our designers from piracy as best we can. Consequently, all sales are final. Please be sure you are committed to building your home from our plans before buying one of our house plans. |
| FAQ Answers | |
| 19. | Why do you need my email address if I'm only looking at plans? |
| The short answer is we don't. First, rest assured we do not share or sell your address to anyone. The porfolio feature of our site requires this, if you decide to use it (See "What is a Portfolio"). We may use your address to send you information regarding new updates or features we have added. We will use your address to send you confirmation information on purchases, shipping and tracking. Should you receive anything from us you wish not to receive, you will be given an opportunity to remove your address from our data base. |
| FAQ Answers | |
| 20. | If I find a home plan I like, how do I order it? |
| This is the simplest part of all. Look for the "BUY NOW" button and fill in the required information. Your order will be filled the next business day and usually shipped within 3 to 5 business days. |
| FAQ Answers | |
| 21. | What is a portfoilo and what does it do for me? |
| As you view designs on our website, and you find a plan that interests you, simply click on "Add to my Portfolio". This plan will be saved while you continue to view other plans. When you have finished looking through the plan library, you can choose to print the saved plans or choose to have them emailed to you. |
| FAQ Answers | |
| 22. | What are the little partial floor plans shown on some of the front elevations? |
| We refer to these as "Strip Plans". This strip plan indicates the plan was originally designed with a different exterior appearance, elevation. As the plan gained popularity, additional elevations were developed. The plan remains the same; however, some of the windows will be different and possibly a porch will be added or deleted. The strip plan indicates the changes made to the original plan. |