Transportable Homes - Your Extra Costs When Modifying Floor-Plans

Small modifications to portable homes floor-plans can be made but may still require drafting fees. Some changes to a Standardised Floor-plan may be

changing to a plastered ceiling instead of exposed beams
requesting a shub (shower and bath-tub combined) instead of a standard shower
upgrading the kitchen and changing the layout
changing the position of lights, light switches and power points
having a larger than normal fridge/freezer space

Drafting fees depend on the complexity of the modification to the plan. Structural changes are normally most expensive. Examples of more complex and/or larger changes could be

adding, deleting or moving a door
adding, deleting or moving windows
extending the length of a bedroom
turning two small bedrooms into one large bedroom
changing the roof pitch or design for aesthetic purposes

Note: Every building contractor is different. It is a good idea to ask what the fees are for changing one of their standard floor-plans before you start modifying. Good building contractors will have a fair idea of the extra costs you will incur as they may have made similar alterations to the floor-plan before.

Also, when I state you may incur a drafting fee for making alterations, that means a drafting fee is likely. However, it does not include the actual materials and labour for making such a change.

Example:

You choose a standardised floor plan, but you want a shub in the bathroom, instead of the basic shower because you have small children.

In this case you may or may not incur a drafting fee. It depends if the shub fits in the same space as the basic shower cubic. Some building contractors charge for this, and others don't; regardless of the shub fitting exactly in the space or not.

Then, you have the additional cost of the shub, compared to the basic shower cubic that was included in the original design. You need to pay the difference.

And, you may have extra costs associated with the labour to fit the shub. The basic shower cubical may have been a one man labour unit to fit it in, but the shub is heavier and needs two men to fit it.

In conclusion, you may have three costs associated with changing from a basic shower to a shub in a standardised floor-plan in this example.