Choosing the right house plan is an important step for anyone who is thinking of having a home built, whether for themselves or for resale. The house must comply with neighborhood regulations in many cases, while still being functional for the family who will live there. Hiring a professional architect is pricey, as is buying ready-made plans from retailers. Luckily, there are a variety of ways to find free house plans as an alternative.
First you should check out your local library. Many libraries have books full of free home plans in all sizes and price ranges. These books may require you to buy the full plans from the original architects, but many of them are detailed enough that copies would suffice. This is especially true if you plan to build the home yourself.
Websites may also offer free home plans if you look thoroughly for legitimate sites. Some may charge a flat membership fee in exchange for plans, while others display a few free homes plans and many others that must be purchased. Since there are many websites with these features available, it may be possible to find just the right home by looking through the free home plans listed on several of them.
If you know someone who built a home, check with him as well. He may be willing to offer free home plans used when building his own house or a house that was built and sold. This limits the selection available, but you may get lucky and find a house you love. Another version of this is to post an ad on an online classifieds site requesting free house plans.
Finally, if you are artistically inclined, you may draw up free house plans yourself. Even if you are not an architect, a simple home plan may be a feasible task for amateurs. Check with local guidelines for regulations on homes built in your area to be sure the house you design meets all codes and ordinances.
You may even be able to get ideas for house plans by purchasing or checking out books and copying some of those designs for your self-drawn house plans. This allows you to tweak the floor plan to your liking by allowing you to add features you want and removing those you do not. This way of finding free house plans is perhaps the most rewarding because your home will be fully customized and personalized.