Avid A Vision In Design

Have you ever visited a really nice neighborhood and admired the community landscaping, the upscale architecture and the beautifully tree lined streets.  Then suddenly, a home appears on the horizon that seems to tower over all others, has special appointments and details and looks like it was built to a higher standard?  That well built home with all the upgrades is typically owned and inhabited by a home builder.  Why is that?

Besides the local funeral home or the “old-home-renovated-for-a-law-firm”, the nicest house in the neighborhood is usually the residence of a local home builder.  The fact that the home is grander than any of those around him or any of the homes he ever built is not lost on the builder or the community.  In fact, builders typically use their homes as a sample to show-off their skill and craftsmanship.  Too bad the actual product is far from what is advertised.  Even real estate agents admit that home builders’ homes are better than those subpar versions reserved for you and me.  How many times do you see a property listing that boasts “builder residence”.  Why should that matter?  Should I only fly in airplanes that are built by pilots or sail in boats designed by fishermen?  Maybe!

The reason that home builder houses are better than yours or mine is not that they put extra care into their own homes.  On the contrary, it is because they don’t put proper care into the homes they build for you and me.  Yes, home builders are probably the best skimpers, scrapers and penny pinchers on the face of the earth.  If they can a build a home with nails that cost a 1/100^th of cent less, they will.  No matter that the nails are flimsy, will probably rust and rot the wood studs from a galvanic reaction.  Who will know?  You probably won’t.  At least not until another year or two after the warranty and the home builders responsibility has expired.

If we are honest, can any of us be sure that every wall cavity in our home is filled with insulation?  Do we know if every stud is 16” on center?  Are we sure that the floor sheathing is attached to every joist?  And what about all that extra material required during construction?  Shouldn’t a builder know how much material is needed to build a home?  The amount of waste generated at a home building site is staggering.  And when one home site wastes too much, builders typically get “extra” materials from another project down the street.  That “other” project could be your new home.   

Ask a builder about the cheapening of their product and they will tell you it is to save the homeowner money.  That is a hard pill to swallow as historic material cost fluctuations never really seem to make it down to the homeowner.  The material that makes up most American homes is wood.  Wood prices have gone from a historic highs to historic lows over the past decade yet home construction costs (based on cost per square foot, not overall home prices) continues a steady, rapid rise.  Where is that extra money going?

Yes, there are some very good home builders on the market.  Just like there are some good used car salesmen and Ginsu knives.  But to quote a famous philosopher from the 1960’s, “times they are a changing, my friend.”  Builders aren’t building “spec” homes any more, many builder residences are up for sale and people who can build a new home are in total control.  Quite a change from just a few years ago. 

Someday the economy will improve and this new age home buyer will rise from the ashes of this current downturn.  A new home buyer that has more control over the building process and will dictate how they want their home built, how much it will cost and when it will done.  This buyer will demand the latest in energy saving construction, the best construction practices and possess a set of construction documents that details every facet of the building process while monitoring material usage, managing labor efforts and scheduling just-in-time deliveries.  This reenergized home buyer will demand that the builder follow their home plans in every detail and produce the home they have dreamed of and saved up for years.  Because let’s face it, we all want to live in the nicest house on the block, too.

Tags: building, floor plans, home plans, House Plans, new building, new construction, new home, new home construction

This entry was posted on Monday, July 6th, 2009 at 8:19 am and is filed under House Plans.
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Building a new home can be one of the most exciting events of your life.    Designing the right space, on the perfect property, in the ideal neighborhood is the epitome of the American dream.  But this dream can quickly turn to nightmare without proper construction site and labor management.  If left in the hands of your builder, your new home could end up costing you a fortune in wasted time and materials.  A complete and detailed set of home plans will empower you to make the right decisions throughout the project and maintain control over all material expenses and labor charges.

Building a new home involves a complex set of tasks, performed by a number of unrelated subcontractors working toward a common goal.  If the tasks are not coordinated, the labor is not managed and the goal is not well defined, the entire process will turn to chaos and the final results will be less than satisfying.  A complete and comprehensive set of construction documents (aka blue prints or house plans) is the ideal tool to organize and manger your home building project.  Home plans include a full color rendering of the future home, side and rear elevations detailing the exterior materials required, foundation details, a sophisticated roof plan and a dimensional floor plan that is concise and clear.  Advanced plan sets should include material lists, assembly guides and virtual models that ensure the home is built properly and efficiently.   

Most people think of home plans as merely the wall layout of the home.  Though these drawings are vital in defining the living spaces and traffic flow, foundation and roof plans are the most important documents of any plan set.  Proper foundation and roof design ensures the structure is safe, sound and dependable.  Very detailed and sophisticated foundation and roof plans can actually reduce the cost of home construction by removing waste and confusion from typical trial-and-error contractors at the jobsite. 

Many floor plans available through online retailers barely address roof and foundation design.  In fact many online plans leave the task of foundation and roof design to the builder.  Unless the builder is willing to create new foundation and roof plans from the online purchased floor plan, you will be unable to maintain control of your home construction.  More importantly, you will be unable to ensure the home is sound and stable.    

Every building and structure ever built by humans started with a plan.  From Stonehenge to the Egyptian Pyramids all successful projects started with a plan.  Those buildings that stand the test of time, started with really good plans.  If you are contemplating building a home, be sure you are in control of the project and have a good plan.  A good understanding every aspect of home construction is vital to keeping your costs low and building the house of your dreams.  Every building project begins with a plan, but not all plans are good plans.  A comprehensive set of construction documents is the first step to making your dreams come true.

Tags: blue prints, building, floor plans, home building, home construction, home plans, House Plans, new construction

This entry was posted on Monday, July 6th, 2009 at 8:08 am and is filed under House Plans.
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Can a home plan be intelligent?  At AVID Home Studios, we think our Intelligent Home Plans™ are the smartest plans in the business.

A home plan is a set of construction documents that serve as the “assembly” manual for a new home.  There are no standards or laws that require specific information on these drawings so there is a wide variety in the quality of the plans available on the market today.  Some plans show only a floor layout and a simple front elevation.  Other plans show more details and include accurate dimension lines, construction details and wall cutaways.  But regardless of how detailed the plan may be, the plan is typically designed for one specific lot, one specific region and one set of building codes.  The AVID Intelligent Home Plan™ has the ability to meet any lot, region or code.  In fact, the AVID Intelligent Home Plan can make a new home less costly, more efficient and easier to build. (more…)

Tags: blueprints, build a new home, building a home, building a house, floor plans, home plans, House Plans, intelligent house plans, new home, residential construction

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 29th, 2009 at 9:06 am and is filed under House Plans.
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Can the current recession affect future home design?

For those of you returning to your childhood home over the holidays, you might have noticed how much houses have changed over the years.  Lifestyle trends, building product technologies and economic fluctuations have all had a hand in changing the American home.  How will the current economic outlook affect the homes of tomorrow?  If the current recessionary period is anything like those from the past, you may be surprised. (more…)

Tags: design, economy, floor plans, home construction, home dsign, home plans, new home building, new homes, recession

This entry was posted on Monday, January 5th, 2009 at 1:57 pm and is filed under House Plans.
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A house plan is a construction document that guides a number of different construction efforts through every phase of building. Dimensions throughout the drawing need to be as accurate as possible to ensure every part of the home is constructed properly. Many home designers use dimension techniques that speed the design process but can cause considerable construction errors. You should avoid three dimension techniques commonly found in online plan purchases.

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Tags: design, dimensions, floor plans, house design, House Plans, new construction, new home building, new homes

This entry was posted on Monday, December 8th, 2008 at 12:42 pm and is filed under House Plans.
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