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This might be the most frequently asked question I receive: “Don’t you already have a plan in the drawer that will meet my needs?” That would be great for our clients – not so great for our business.

As it turns out, there are so many variables that make “plans in the drawer” unsuitable. Are you ready for this?

• The plan is dated
  • Bat wing island in the kitchen
    
  • Giant tub/tiny shower in the primary bath
• The building envelope is wrong
  • Too wide/too deep
• The wall construction is not correct
  • 2 x 4, 2 x 6, CMU first floor/framed second floor
• Ceiling height and floor system requires more risers
• Outdoor living is:
  • Covered/uncovered
    
  • In the building envelope/tacked on

Perhaps it meets the square footage requirements. However…

• Too many/not enough bedrooms/baths
• Wrong buyer profile
  • First-time buyer
  • Move-up/down buyer
  • Active adult buyer
• Don’t want/need a flex room
  
• Want/don’t want a game room/loft
• Primary suite should be up/down
• The laundry room should be up/down

developer requirements:

• Garages
  • No front-loaded garages allowed
    
  • Front loaded garage must be set back “X” feet.
  • Only single garage doors allowed
  • Alley loaded garages only
• Porches
  • Specific width and depth
  • House must be raised off of the ground 16″/18”/24”
    

“We just don’t build that way”

• Never/always use slab on grade/crawl-space/ basement
• Need/don’t need a tub in the primary bath
  
• Shower pan vs a mud set shower with/without a shower seat
  

  

• We never/always mull our windows
• We always/never put the stove behind the sink
• We use bi-pass/bi-fold/swing closet doors
• The A/C must be in the house/attic
• Interior doors are too big/small
• TV always over/never over the fireplace
  

That’s quite an exhaustive list, and we haven’t even talked about the elevation styles, roof pitches, exterior finishes. You’ve probably gathered by now that I’ve been asked about this more than once!

While it can be helpful to show your architect homes for inspiration, many of these are not simple tweaks here and there. There is so much that goes into the places our buyers will call home, and there are so many ways to build a house. A well-thought out plan is designed with purpose and a few seemingly small changes can snowball into a compromised design. So, when I get asked that question I respond by sending them my Design Kickoff Questionnaire before I even look. Needless to say, I never find an exact match.