Finally, after months of thoughtful consideration, you have made one great decision. You are going to build your dream house! But with the ever-increasing cost of building a house, you need to be equipped with the necessary knowledge to avoid wasting your hard earned dollars.

In building a house, one of the first and most important steps you need to do is to find the perfect design for your future home. Do you need to have your house plan custom drawn or will you go for a stock house plan? “So, what's the difference between the two?” you might ask. Well, there is a world of difference between these two and cost is just one of them.

A custom drawn house plan is a plan specifically designed by a professional architect or designer to meet the needs of an individual homeowner. Among the factors taken into consideration in drawing a custom house plan are the size of the lot on which the house will be built, the location, the existing national and local building codes and the special needs of the home owner. A custom house plan requires considerable time to be completed and can cost up to a few thousand dollars!

Stock house plans, on the other hand, are plans that were previously drawn by a professional architect or designer either for a specific purpose or for general use.

So, why choose a stock house plan over custom drawn plans? Here are a few reasons why:

. Stock house plans are much more affordable than custom drawn plans. Can you believe that you can save up to 95% when you choose to buy stock house plans rather than commission a professional to have a custom plans drawn? While the cost of a custom house plan can be overwhelming, that of a stock house plan only averages at $700. That is just a small fraction of the cost of a custom house plan!

. You can save on construction costs when you use stock house plans. Most stock house plans have already been used at least once so you can be rest assured that any construction issues regarding the plan have already been resolved. You can also avoid unnecessary building costs and have more accurate budget estimates. Also, since yours will not be the first time the plan will be constructed, the building process will be faster and more efficient. That alone accounts for significant savings on the labor cost!

. Stock house plans can be modified to fit your needs. Don't think for a moment that you are forced to accept every single detail in your stock house plan. All stock house plans can be modified! You can request for some alterations to be done to suit your family's needs, to add a touch of character or to conform to local building codes. Modifications can be undertaken either by the original designer or through a number of design modification services. Even with the additional modification costs, stock house plans can still give you more value for your money.

. You can safely choose from a wide variety of designs available. You can find house plan designs in printed catalogs, in specially prepared CDs and in online sources. With the multitude of design options available, you can surely find one that will meet your budget and lifestyle requirements!