My guess is any plan has to meet local code and would need to be modified to meet those codes. Most of the online plans are more generic plans.

Thank you for the response. I know you are correct in that aspect and my part about local code was just an example. I know there will be tweaks on the builders side to ensure it complies with code. I am more interested in satisfaction and actual results with the plans. Has someone bought them and ended up not "money ahead?" Such as paying $1000 and then having to spend "X" amount more money to make them usable vs having someone local take a basic design and make it work.

For that plan, I wouldn't change anything and I would bring them directly to my builder. I am just wondering how complete they are, such as a materials list. Looking online, some companies come with that but Southern Living appears to just be a front for another company, so they don't have a lot of information on their website.

I have not purchased a Southern Living plan. However, at one time we were considering one of their small cottage plans, but wanted more information. I called them and they were very helpful, they emailed us additional elevations and answered our questions. We didn't pursue it, but you might find them helpful if you call.

In your situation, it may be wise to purchase the $9.99 study plans and take them to your builder or to the appropriate county office to find out if you're even in the ballpark with requirements for your area. There are some things in your plan that you'd want to know about before buying, even in addition to hurricane requirements. For example the two bedrooms have no closets, in some areas these would not count as bedrooms, and there may be local codes regarding the ladder-access loft (writing from experience on that one).

I like small cottages and hope your project is successful.

ETA: I think you were responding as I wrote, I'm glad you are taking plans to the builder and thinking this all through!

Every ready-made plan company has their own standards and components which they bundle (or not) for sale to consumers. Your best alternative is probably to contact the business directly and see if they will answer your questions.

Keep in mind that in 99% of the cases, the plans are generic shell plans and elevations and do not reflect local site conditions, local ordinances and codes, have no systems information or design--HVAC, electrical, plumbing, signal, etc.--and frequently do not have any architectural specifications.

Good luck with your project!

Thanks for the response. In NC, and according to IRC, a closet is not required for it to be considered a bedroom. I need to do more research on the ladder, I will figure something out. Unfortunately, they don't seem to offer the $9.99 study plans for this plan.

Southern Living is a little different than most plan sites. If you wish to you can click the tab to find out the architect of the plan you are looking at. There are of course the usual "plan-mill" architects (not my term). There are also some really nice plans by top-notch architects such as Historical Concepts, Our Town Plans, Spitzmiller & Norris, Tim Bryan, etc

we built a Spitzmiller & Norris plan 11 yrs ago. I think it was cost effective even though we had a local architect make changes for us. No materials list included that I recall.

just be selective and be prepared to pay for changes. However if you can find a good architect that you have confidence in...a custom designed home is the best way to go IMO.

p.S. Call the site and they might send you a PDF of the plan as a study plan.

Thanks everyone. I will definitely give them a call in the morning. This design is by what appears to be a higher end architect, unfortunately they are out of Seattle.

One other thing to consider if you're in hurricane country is that you're most likely better off with a hip roof vs a gable roof. Mostly to save on insurance costs from what I was able to gather.

Thanks, a hip roof will drastically change the look of the house... not sure if it is something I will consider. We are building something very simple and small; the look is important to us.

Hurricane country is relative, we might get a storm twice a year or once every five years that causes concerns. We are tucked up in a corner of the county a good distance away from the coast and are surrounded by forest. My two mobile homes have had no issues in 10+ years.

Hurricane regulations and other special use regulations are not about what you may have personally experienced. They are about what your local jurisdiction has adopted and enacted. Thus, you should check with your local building department authority to see what special ordinances and regulations they may have in effect. Good luck with your project!

Thanks Virgil, though I already mentioned the requirements and the need to adhere to them, in my first post. My personal experience was about anything beyond that as a cost saving measure....

The requirements for wall bracing for wind are included in Section 602 of the IRC (if that is the applicable code) although it only goes up to 110 MPH which means it is almost a certainty that a structural engineer will be required.

In any event, it would be extremely unwise to not use one especially for this design where windows wrap around the corners and there are tall end gables possibly with cathedral ceilings. I suspect some kind of welded steel moment frame might be required. Its certainly beyond the capacity of anyone not trained as a structural engineer.

Since you would need to make extensive revisions to a set of design drawings, the set should be available in digital format otherwise you would have to pay someone to draw them again after the engineer had provided structural drawings.

Hiring a local architect to advise you would probably save you money.

Thanks JDS, that is good to know!

we purchased a plan that was in the southern living house plan book and several others, but we purchased it through the architects who were clearly indicated in the plan book, we also had it changed, just a bit and our local wind storm "people" had to amend the structure just a bit otherwise we could not have purchased windstorm insurance on it and since we live about 15 miles from the gulf of mexico we considered that a necessity friends purchased their plan from a local group (stock plans) prices were a couple of hundred dollars of each other our plan came from beaufort, SC and was built south of houston, tx, both coastal wind zones

How do you access the loft? Is that a ship's ladder? Can't be a stair as shown.

Virgil, in the description of the plan it states that the loft is accessed by ladder. From the description, it sounds like this plan was designed by an architect for a family in northwest Washington. It would have been nice if they'd included as-built photos!

I've purchased and built a Southern Living Home Plan. There was no materials list. It wouldn't be useful because everyone will select different finishes. The plan that I built was a William Poole plan. My builder had no problem using the plan. He created his own list based on my requirements and selections. We decided to add an additional four feet to the back of the house, moved the windows around and I completely changed the kitchen. We did this without any new drawings.

I'm 250 miles from the Atlantic and I had to stress my garage door to withstand hurricane forces. It is a perfectly ridiculous requirement of my local building department, but you have to do it if you want a CO. You are going to want to check with the local building department about the roof design.

I would print out the pages on SL of the plan you are considering. Give them to your builder and get his take on it before you spend money on a roof design that won't work for you. He can run it past the local building department. They will advise you as to whether it feasible as currently presented. SL has contracted with an architectural firm that will make modifications for a fee. If the roof needs to be changed, they can do it for you on their PDF files.

One thing that I did learn was to only order and pay for one set of plans. You can have multiple copies reproduced for much less than what you would pay at SL.

Copyright violation?

Yep. Willful and flagrant. So what? The original poster doesn't even know if this plan will work in the proposed area. I wouldn't sink money into them until I knew I could use them.

Thank you all, through research a few days ago I did find the actual house. It can be found here: http://pbwarchitects.com/projects/darrington-river and has thumbnail pictures and a couple of stories about it.

presidential_wind, thanks for finding and sharing that link. Impressive!

You might also find additional photos in this book.

The New Cottage Home

After seeing the home as built, and how it sits on the site, do the pros still believe that "an experienced architect or engineer would design a much better house"? Is it really a house of cards? I find it so curious what is judged positively and negatively here at GW.