I cannot stress enough the importance of investing the money up front in getting a good set of building plans. Whether you are building a custom home, adding a home addition, renovating your kitchen, renovating your bathroom or any other kind of construction project, you need a good set of plans.

I constantly receive sub-standard or preliminary drawings from homeowners looking to get an estimate for their construction project. When I explain I cannot provide them with an estimate without them investing in a good set of plans, I often hear they do not want to spend that kind of money without first getting an estimate of what the building project will cost. If you cannot afford to spend the money on the plans, trust me when I say, you probably cannot afford the cost of the project.

There are many other contractors that will provide you with an estimate using what you are providing them but beware that the estimates you receive from different contractors will not be on a level playing field without a detailed set of building plans.

Why do I need a set of building plans?

Here are the main important reasons why you should invest in a detailed set of building plans for your home building project or home renovation:

1. You get all your detailed ideas down on paper and maybe you will decide on making changes once you can visually see it.
2. Making changes in advance on paper costs a lot less money than making changes after you start your Project.
3. Getting comparable estimates from multiple contractors (I generally recommend getting 2 to 3 bids from reputable contractors that can handle that size Project). Hiring a Handyman is not conducive to large projects.
4. Estimates are more accurate; variations of up to 10%-12% are not outrageous. If outside of that ASK Questions as something may have been missed.
5. Good plans don’t have as many construction delays; changes cost MORE MONEY for both the homeowner and contractor and cause delays in completion.
6. Estimates the general contractor receives for materials, subcontractors, vendors, etc. are more accurate.
7. The bigger the Project the more you need to use an Architect vs. a design person. You need that knowledge and experience the bigger your Project is. It costs more but what you get in return is three-fold.