I love that you’re planning to build a house in the style that was originally on the property, and I’d think an architect would love the chance to work on this project.

The plans you linked are quite different layouts despite sharing the same look, which makes me think they’re either compromises or would require significant changes. I think you’ll be happier with a house that is designed to meet your needs and wants (one of which is sticking with the original style) than trying to adapt a stock plan.

Kristin S, thank you very much for your post. It's true, none of the plans have exactly the layout that I think I want at this point in time. I really like the L shape of the Texas Style Farmhouse. Although the original home did not have that element, there were a lot of old homes in the area where I grew up that did. I think most were later additions but I'm not positive. So many have been torn down now.

The original house faced west toward the road. An L shaped home facing west would give me south and east orientations for the back yard (it would actually be a reverse of the L for the Texas Style farmhouse). I would like an open layout in the back, and we really don't want a separate dining room. Most of these plans include the more traditional separate dining room, living room, etc.

I think a local architect is probably the right option, but I'm worried about limited choices in the area. I know of at least one in the city where I currently live (about two hours away from the property), that would be amazing and has done similar homes on a much grander scale. I'm afraid he would be outside of my budget though. I will have to start a more serious search for local architects in the area. Any suggestion as to timing? Is a year or so pre-build the right time to start interviewing architects?

The timing would vary a lot based on your location and how long permitting takes. We started about a year ahead of when we’re hoping to start building, but I wish we had started sooner. We’re told that permits will take a least four months and maybe longer in our city, though. I’d say starting interviewing architects a year out is as close as I’d want to cut it, actually, when you consider allowing time for interviews, perhaps waiting to fit into the schedule of your chosen architect, time for design, time for engineering, time for permitting, etc..

Kristin S, thanks again! Very helpful info.

I purchased a plan from Don Gardner, and had it modified. I picked the plan that I loved and tweaked it to fit our needs. I preferred to have it modified by them; however, their turn around for the changes was too long for me. I ended up having major changes done by an architect and minor changes fixed on site by my builder.

Tenisha B, interesting on the turnaround time. I didn't consider that as an issue. Good to know.

Mark, thanks for the comments. I previously read the threads describing the work that ArchitectRunnerGuy did with his Florida client (apologies as I don't remember his user name). Reading through those was very enlightening for me. It really helped me better understand my frustrations when reviewing stock plans and brought me to the realization that there were other, often much better, options available.

In my mind, local means someone within a reasonable driving distance to the site who can visit/walk the site and is available for in person meetings. I've been mentally debating this option versus what I consider a more long distance working relationship where an in person visit might be possible but would require plane tickets or a long car ride. Given electronic communication options, a face to face meeting might not even be necessary but this is just how I set up the mental debate. Reading about what ArchitectRunnerGuy is able to do without being local to the site (again using my definition of local here) helped me to see that we didn't have to be limited by the expertise available in an 100 radius of our land. However, I still imagine there are some benefits to working with someone closer, provided a suitable match can be found. Here I'm considering some of the pros as personal knowledge of the climate, local culture, codes, permitting, local builders and subs, real estate market, etc. But then again, I also imagine the right builder can help bridge any gaps that might exist in the other option.

I know of at least one in the city where I currently live (about two hours away from the property), that would be amazing and has done similar homes on a much grander scale. I'm afraid he would be outside of my budget though.

I would add him to your list, schedule a consultation, and tell him all of this. The worst that can happen is that he says no. It may well be that for a less grand project he will have a less grand budget : ) . Fingers crossed...

Interesting project -- good luck, and hopefully we get to follow along!

You are getting good advice about interviewing architects, both local and afar. We used architectrunnerguy and are delighted with his work. We live and will build in Ottawa Canada, the process was seemless and enjoyable. We just hope the build, itself, is as enjoyable. I love your prospective home/inspiration image. (:

What others above have said. For many architects, designing a "new" old house is one of the most appealing and enjoyable types of residential commissions. The challenge is to find that sort of architect. You are well advised to search your "local" area and do some no-cost initial interviews. There are several architects here on this forum who also do "design charettes" and produce conceptual drawings which can then be completed locally. Good luck on your project!

Hi. Any progress over the past few months?