The amazing thing about having house plans before you start building is that they save you tons of money and time! Everyone likes saving time and money, even if you have all the time and money in the world, why not save some? How do plans do this for you? Having house plans means you know what you have to do and when, so instead of a disorganized, frantic, chaos, you have relaxed organization.

Having house plans makes the process smoother, and your job as manager of the process much easier. Also, having house plans means saving money. So, the following will show you just how it does those two things:

House plans make your job smoother

Other than the fact that having a plan is going to save you money and time, it is also necessary for another basic reason: Plans = Road map for Subs! Your plans are the directions for the subcontractors and other tradesmen you hire to build your house. These are the experts that actually do the work, and carry out your dream. The better you plan the easier it is for them to see your dream. The better directions you give, the better chance those subs have of following them and giving you what you have in mind. These guys know what they are doing, but they may not know what you want it to look like. The more detailed and specific your plans, the more the subs can see your vision and help you to achieve it.

With this in mind, consider this your biggest planning tip: The plans you put together should be exact, not subject to interpretation. Otherwise, you could end up with plenty of things you don't want, and yet you are stuck with.

So, in order to provide the road map for your subs, you need to know which plans you need. A floor plan is not enough to get the job done. The following is a list of the typical plans you will need to have:
• Site Plan
• Foundation Plan
• Exterior elevations
• Floor Plan
• Framing plan
• Plumbing
• Electrical
• HVAC
• Wall section
• Interior elevations
• Door and Window Schedule
• Room Finish Schedule
• Specifications

House plans save you money

Plan for 90 days and save thousands! That is the way to look at it. While the actual building is exciting, and you probably feel a push to break ground, it only costs you more money if you break ground and start paying interest before you have everything set and ready.

Planning means finding all the deals before you start spending money paying interest (which happens as soon as you break ground, so plan it all before you start construction). It allows you to shop, research, bargain hunt, etc.--all of which add to your bottom line. It costs nothing to plan, and you can have all your plans ready before you have to start paying interest, so why not plan well? Know what you want before you start building. By knowing what you want before you start building, you won't be changing your mind later on, or necessitating ripping out and rebuilding.

Planning also means not doing things twice. Think of it this way, "measure twice, cut once." If you plan ahead, or in other words if you double check your measurement, you are less likely to make a mistake and need to start over, wasting time, and the money of having to buy two rather than one piece of lumber. So, planning equals less costly mistakes.

A good job planning it will be about half your work in building a home, and can lead to contributing up to 50% of your savings on your home. So, spend the necessary time to plan and you will eliminate plenty of wasted money and time later, which is more money in your pocket.