Our home plans meet the International Residential Code (IRC) in effect when the plan was designed. The International Residential Code is the base code typically adopted by all states, though states will often add their own adjustments on top of the base code due to state-specific geographical conditions. Because local regulations and site variations differ widely, you’ll need to run your plan by local experts who can help you out.

Some areas of the country have especially strict engineering codes–with good reason–such as hurricane risk zones along the Gulf Coast or earthquake-prone areas of California. Certain neighborhoods have strict Homeowner Associations or Architectural Control Committees with dictates on setbacks and style. 

Many areas require additional steps, including site plans, structural engineering, MEP (mechanical, electrical, and plumbing) plans, energy code compliance, and local code updates. It is your responsibility to comply with all local building codes, zoning requirements, and other applicable laws, regulations, ordinances, and conditions set forth by your planning commission. 

A great place to start is with a visit to your local building department or their website. Many will have a handout or list of everything you need in order to submit for a building permit.

Before purchasing a set of plans, we recommend visiting your local building department either in person or via their website. They will often have resources, recommendations, and a checklist of everything you need in order to submit for a building permit before breaking ground on your site.

Often, you will need a site plan and will likely need to hire a structural engineer, as a state-licensed engineering stamp is one of the most common requirements when applying for a building permit. Site and state conditions vary widely, and an engineer will be able to address local frost-depth requirements, hillside considerations, soil testing requirements, wind and lateral bracing, and load conditions pertaining to snow, wind, and earthquakes, as required by your area. 

An engineer will analyze the design of your house plan and may provide additional drawings and calculations as required by your local building department. Trusses, if used, may also need to be professionally engineered. Your home builder will likely be able to recommend trusted engineers in your area.

Some areas require an architect and / or engineer’s stamp in order to be approved for a building permit. Every county and municipality has its own requirements and regulations, and our plans do not come pre-stamped. Please visit your local building department to learn if a stamp is required.

Because our plans are designed to meet national building codes rather than state or county-specific codes, our plans do not show extensive HVAC or plumbing. Local building codes and your personal energy preferences dictate systems such as heating and cooling, duct layout, and the location, type, and number of heating and cooling units necessary. Water flow is also site-specific. Your builder and subcontractors will be able to help you choose the systems that are right for you that meet your local building codes.

Finding the right builder for your home is crucial to the success of your project, as it is their experience and craftsmanship that will have an enduring impact. It’s important to find someone you trust and who you can build a good relationship with, and this may mean interviewing several builders and certainly doing your homework.

Good word-of-mouth is a great way to get started – ask for suggestions from family and friends, or if you’ve already purchased your site or know the neighborhood you’re interested in, ask your new neighbors who they would recommend. Especially if you have a challenging site, finding a builder with experience in that area can make the learning curve a lot less steep should you run into issues. You also may consider going to a Parade of Homes in your area, where you can examine the work of local builders up close.

You’ll want to verify that every builder on your shortlist has an updated license and insurance, which you can do by contacting the state licensing board, and it’s a good idea to ask each builder for references of homes they’ve built. You may want to drive by these completed homes or sites that are under construction to get a better sense of how they operate.

Once you’ve narrowed your field of potential builders, set up interviews with the best candidates to work through your questions. If you’ve already selected a plan, you can request that the builder create a bid for what it would cost for them to build your home. If you're still in the idea phase, you can show them plans on our website or purchase a Bid Set to see if they would be confident taking on your project, or if they've built homes on a similar scale and budget to what you have in mind.

You may ask about how they select subcontractors, inquire about potential timelines, and generally see if they would be a good match for your project. Quite a bit can come down to gut instinct, as the relationship you have with your builder is important to the success of your home build.

For more details and example questions you may wish to ask during your interviews with builders, LGA Studios has a blog series with ideas: How To Select A Home Builder.

Our plans are designed for use by individuals and companies with prior construction knowledge. They are detailed, but are not a step-by-step guide for building a house. Unless you are an experienced home builder, we recommend working with a trusted local builder when using our plans.

Our team of designers come to the table with decades of experience in residential design and building. Our collective passion is to spread the practice of good design and to create homes that make people happy, and we have extensive experience in conceptualizing communities, green building, and custom construction.

We can find or develop innovative floor plans based on any criteria, from floor plan style to footprint size to square footage, and we can customize your favorite plan with a variety of elevations, providing your clients with the architectural style they crave.

We can open our portfolio of hundreds of floor plans to you for your perusal, and we can help you find or design homes that suit your goals, whether it be attracting new clients or developing a new subdivision or a pocket neighborhood. Please contact us for a custom quote to discuss the possibilities.

If you’ve found a plan of ours that you love working with and would like to build the plan more than one time, we offer additional or unlimited building licenses for many of our plans. One building license is included with the purchase of a Digital Plan Set, or you may add on additional licenses when you add the plan to your cart. If you need anything else, just send us a message or give us a call, and we’ll get you taken care of!