You can now purchase a 5 set construction drawing package or opt to have a PDF master emailed.  Both packages offer the advantage of less resources used, which add up to time and money savings to you, the customer! Package pricing is determined on living square footage of the home and can be found on the website’s individual plan detail page.

Regardless of the package you choose, Associated Designs guarantees that if you find our house plans anywhere for less, we’ll not only match the price, but we’ll take give you an additional 10% off. That’s our 110% Guarantee!

The new site is more user friendly with double the number of search criteria in the advance search, the ability to view side and rear elevations, and many more new features.

One unique new feature is our “Spin-Off Plans” button. This differs from the “Similar Plans” button in that it only shows the plans that are a revision of the plan you are viewing.

Newspaper publishers now have the ability to create a custom schedule based on plans they want to feature. A publication running a feature on cabins, for instance, can now get column materials for any available cabin design right online!

Since we have added more criteria to our search options, we are still feverishly entering the elevation views and additional data. If you happen across a plan that does not feature side or rear elevations, give us a quick call or email; we’ll get it entered for you!

Check out our new website and let us know what you think. We’d love to hear your feedback! Post your comments here on our blog!

Visit the new site here: Associated Designs or click the AssociatedDesigns.com button on the side bar.

To view an article on construction of this years PAC house from On the Level, the June 2008 Newsletter of the Home Builders Association of Lane County click: hba-home-article.pdf

To view plan details of the Tazewell 30-477 click here. To view photos of this house’s progress, view comments.

Heartington 10-550

     In reflective or visionary moments, maybe you’ve considered the possibility of designing and building a home perfectly suited to your lives.
     That’s exactly what the staff at Associated Designs invited readers to do several months ago when we published the 2008 Home from the Heart survey. Readers like you, from all over the United States and Canada, accepted our invitation. Now we’d like to share the tallied results of that survey along with some comparisons to ten years ago.

     More than half want a one-story home between 2000 and 3500 square feet. When it comes to exterior styling, the ranch-style home continues its long run as the most popular exterior style. Ten years ago the size preferences were about the same, but country-style homes were the most desired.
     One Missouri reader wrote, “The ideal home for me would be a ranch-style home that is very open, with no stairs.” Her preference is echoed by many. More than 60% now prefer an informal great room, where living, dining and kitchen areas flow together, while only 5% want those rooms separated. But about a quarter did ask for a combination of formal spaces and great room. Times have changed a great deal in this respect; ten years ago only half opted for the great room concept, and the other half wanted separated living, dining and family rooms.
     Features that have stayed about the same over the years are the number of bedrooms (3+), the number of bathrooms (2-3), and a strong desire for the owners’ suite to be well isolated from other bedrooms. More than 50% then, as now, also wanted a computer center, and around 70% still prefer their utility room adjacent to the kitchen. As for big contrasts, the desire for a fireplace or woodstove has dropped from nearly 100% to 72%.
     Two Oklahoma women from different towns asked for something we hadn’t listed on our survey. Both wanted the laundry room to double as a mudroom “for dogs and grandkids.” As usual, we always learn a lot from our readers!

To view statistics click here. To view previous Home from the Heart survey results click here.

Sunday, March 30, 2008

House Plan of the Week & Cost to Build with Cost to Finish the Basement!

Note: This week, because so many people want to know the cost of a finishing a basement, I am including that as an option. You will be amazed at how much the price per sq. ft. of the entire house drops when you add the basement area!

Remember that in order for a basement to be considered “habitable space”, it must have two (2) means of ingress & egress. This can be accomplished with doors, as in a “walk-out” (which requires a sloping lot), or with large windows, or with a “emergency basement door”. (See below)

Now, on with today’s House:

Rustic meets modern in compact Adkins
The covered porch and shutters give the compact Adkins the look of a traditional farm-style home, but the interior is entirely up to date. Kitchen, dining room and living room flow together, creating a feeling of openness, with nine-foot ceilings adding to the sense of volume.

Adkins

Associated Designs, Inc. Plan #30-197

Country Home Plans – Shutters, multipaned windows, and a full front porch create a warm welcome to this country home plan. The living room featuring a fireplace, flows into the dining room then to an open kitchen. A front-facing den, open to the entry, could be used as home office.

Total Living Area: 1604 square feet
1st Floor: 838 square feet
2nd Floor: 766 square feet
Bonus: 353 square feet
Garage: 520 square feet
Plan Width: 50′ 2″
Plan Depth: 35′ 0″
Floors: 2
Garage: 2 car
Bedrooms: 3
Baths: 2
Half Baths: 1

To estimate cost, I’ll use my resource #5 , “Building Costs by City & State”, on “Getting Started” on www.byoh.com., using “average” quality and an unfinished basement foundation.

Using this “shape” on the “cost to build” calculator for the Pasco & Walla Walla, WA area, I came up with $178,420 for an owner/builder. That’s an approximate cost of $91.17 per sq. ft. (Total sq.ft. = 1604 sq. ft. + 353 sq. ft. finished Bonus Room = 1,957 Total sq. ft. of living area.)

As always, I determined this amount by deducting the General Contractor’s Markup, equipment rental, and allowed only $2,000 for insurance.

Breakdown of Building Costs For This House (Unfinished Basement). PDF
(You will need Adobe Reader to read this cost breakdown.)

Here is a FREE Adobe Reader download if you need it.

The cost to finish the basement is approximately $8,518, giving a total cost (for an owner/builder) of $186,938. That’s an approximate cost of $66.88 per sq. ft.! (Total Sq.ft. = 1604 sq. ft. + 353 sq. ft. finished Bonus Room + 838 sq. ft.finished Basement = 2,795 Total sq. ft. of living area.)

If the basement is on flat land, you will need an “Emergency Basement Door”

Here is an example from Bilco:
Basement Door – Ultra Series from Bilco: Satisfies IRC 2006 Building code requirements for emergency egress in finished basement areas.

You should keep in mind that the cost to build for this example, or any house plan, can vary considerably depending quality of materials selected, and on actual bids for labor and material. Again, the estimate for this house is an approximate one based on “average” quality materials. Until you actually start getting bids and entering them into your own spreadsheet (see my spreadsheet page for FREE spreadsheets), it will remain approximate.

If you have a particular home plan and/or city you would like to see on this feature, let me know. Spring is “HERE”.Plan now!

Carl

www.byoh.com