House plans

[The_Pharoah]

hi all

we're trying to build a new low set house however we're struggling to find house plans which have houses built in a rectangular shape going from left to right, rather than the traditional design of top to bottom to fit the land we're after.

Can anyone recommend a good builder with plans on the net?

CHeers

 

[Jase H]

Check out www.tamawood.com.au they have a massive amount of house designs online and many that are designed to be wider than they are deep. They are very cheap and we are considering using them to build a house in brisy.

Sue78 has used them and was very happy with their service and quality.


Cheers

Jason

 

[AlmostBob]

& if you find plans you like oriented wrong, tell them, CAD systems make it easy to change things like door /entry positions and garage openings, they may have other than the front-back layout already designed and available

 

[MadMax2]

If found nothing suitable, you can also try to draw plan yourself.
by http://www.envisioneerexpress.com/
it's very easy tool, and allows you to 'walk through' the rooms inside

it's free edition. the professional is about $1.3K

to download it without sending your email address:
http://www.snapfiles.com/download/dlenvisioneer-express.html

 

[AlmostBob]

I drew these with envisioneer express, the prog above

its easy to work lots of hints, I am not artistic at all

 

[JFisher]

Hi TP
Unless you have experience in some drafting I would not draw the plans yourself (and no offence to AlmostBob intended). I have over 15 years in the building industry and have also done a CAD course and I can safely say that it isn't quite as easy as some may think. This is purely because
1. Your design needs to conform with BCA requirements as well as any state/council additional requirements.

2. Many of the software packages available are only suitable for ideas as predominantly they are USA designed and cannot supply the details needed by our laws.

3. Inexperience will probably mean that it will take you a long time to design a house before you even get it to the stage that you can take it to a building inspector, then he will probably come back with a list of regulatory requirements, state requirements, council requirements etc that you will need to incorporate on your plans before they will approve them. By the time you stuff around with that you might as well get them drawn by someone who can satisfy all of the above without copious amounts of time. Many architects, draftsmen and companies have books of plans that they have built/drawn for others; if you ask to have a look at plans and find something similar to what you would like they can make a few changes and print it out.

4. Cost effective buildings are not designed by accident; roof design, layout and structural elements all factor in the final cost of a design. If you do not understand what design or structural features are costly you may invest alot of time trying to design something that you cannot afford to build.

Do yourself a favour and get some existing plans. The style you're looking for is sometimes called a 'ranch' design. If there is a house around that you like the look of then ask the owner who built it or see if they would give you a photocopy of the plans. I have a one design if you would like some ideas. It is for a 18 square home or a 22 square home if you make it into a queenslander type style. I will try to dig up some photos for you in the meantime as we have built the smaller size on Kangaroo Island for a friend.

 

[NOT 2 L8]

hi all

we're trying to build a new low set house however we're struggling to find house plans which have houses built in a rectangular shape going from left to right, rather than the traditional design of top to bottom to fit the land we're after.

Can anyone recommend a good builder with plans on the net?

CHeers

Whilst this is a WA builder, you may get some idea of the style of house you are looking for. If you found that one of them suit, the builder may sell you a set of plans cheaper than having them drawn from scratch. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, I reckon.

http://www1.wacountrybuilders.com.au/pages/rural_farm.asp

Good luck, keep us in the loop.

Cheers Chrisv.

 

[kinga4610]

Watch the placement of these style homes on the block of land. I live in one, and the western sun in Qld can be a killer in summer if it is not positioned right. Try for not too many windows on that western wall.

 

[MadMax2]

Hi TP
Unless you have experience in some drafting I would not draw the plans yourself (and no offence to AlmostBob intended).

Agree, but...

We were talking about sketchs and preliminary drawings, not structural / engineer plans

Using that tool is more like a lego, not a CAD. Plus it has a good multimedia feature, allow you to easy look in 3D inside future rooms. No drafter will offer it. Especcially for free.

Once you got you draft, you can print it 1:100 and bring it to the builders, and they have enough skills to convert it into the proper design or find what would match it closely (save about 25% of total cost)

 

[Ozsunrise]

We were in exactly the same predicament- corner block, long street frontage and wanted a house to sit that way. Most plans are built for 20m city blocks, so our builder (GJ Gardner) was more than happy to design one for us, using my ideas. We also have a large are facing west, but are getting out of it by putting the 'utility' rooms there, our walk in robe and building that side in as a patio, shading it further with plants.
Happy to share our plan with you, just pm me, it is 47 squares tho, so may be a bit big for many, but we have a 2500 sq m block.
Susan

 

[The_Pharoah]

thanks susan...we didn't act quick enough and lost the property...ahh well, wasn't meant to be.