HOME PLAN ALTERATIONS

Creative Design Solutions Gourmet Kitchens Kitchens are the hang out when entertaining. Breakfast bars, double wall ovens, warming drawers, Island counters with vegetable sinks and food prep areas. Smart storage solutions for your appliances typically set on counters, walk-in or 'work-in' pantries. We can help integrate these ideas and others into what you need in your kitchen. Master Suite Luxury Consider large walk-in closets, coffee bar, cozy sitting area, fireplace, larger walk-in shower, secondary laundry facilities, twin, dual height vanities and jet or bubble tub! That Extra Touch Try decorative arches, architectural columns, dropped soffits, plant shelves and French doors! On the go, in and out? You need a Rear Foyer and Drop Zone with coat closet, lockers, bench seat, recharging center for cell phones, laptops and PDA’s, drop off for keys, umbrellas and mail. Enjoy the fresh air? Include a Rear Deck with Outdoor Kitchen and Fireplace! Need Extra Living Space? Using or expanding space over the garage is an easy way to gain cost effective living spaces. Where you can build on a basement, we can help with your space planning needs. Front Elevation Curb Appeal Use exterior brick or stone, architectural trim, roof tile, designer entry door with glass sidelites and transom!

Traditionally, there have been two routes to purchasing the plans for your dream home. Browsing through a library of readily available home plans and selecting the one that works best for you provides a fast and inexpensive way to get a good set of plans.

Or, you can hire a designer to custom-design your new home. You’ll get exactly what you want, but the design process can take quite some time and is considerably more expensive. A new approach - Hybrid Home Plans™ - combines the best of both approaches.

Tricia Baker elaborates about Hybrid Home Plans™. “You’ve found

a home plans that is close to what you’re looking for. Then call us and you’ll work with me or one of our designers to tailor the plan to make it perfect for you. A true custom home plan at a fraction of the time and cost of starting from scratch. “ It’s a collaborative approach. You tell us what you like about the plan you select and what needs to change. That’s what we typically do in our Plan Alterations department. “ But with Hybrid Home Plans™, you’ll be working with a designer, so you’re not on your own when it comes to figuring out how you want something altered. Don’t be surprised if you are asked other questions. As leaders in the industry, we have the knowledge and experience to identify design features and amenities you may not have been considering, but would love to have in your new home!

“As we work with you on the modifications to the original plan, we’re addressing all aspects of design. We want to make sure the home functions the way you want it to, so, based upon what we’ve learned from you, we’ll be looking at the home’s livability for you and your household.

What others are saying about Hybrid Home Plans™ -- Design Basics is a great resource for builders. The plans are versatile and they have a great variety of styles and sizes. In the Midwest where we have basements, the plans seem to work well with adding stairs to the Lower Level and the plans adapt well to a walkout lots. Design Basics does a great job at keeping up with the trends in the home i.e. Drop Zones, open plan concepts, walk-in shower options, covered deck or outside entertaining areas, and they are competitive in building prices for the economical clients yet great at luxury client options as well. They are quick to answer questions and educated in their field. They understand what the client is looking for without any trouble. We always consider Design Basic and we refer our customers to their site when looking for designs. Great Company. ~ Elaine M. ~ D & E Custom Building and Design

We recently talked with some folks soon to become empty-nesters about Design Basics’ Holbrook plan, #5180. They had identified that they wanted to widen the garage and enlarge the dining area by stretching it backwards. That’s typical, client-driven, and what we refer to as‘ Plan Alterations’.

“But as we talked, the reality of walking in from the garage and there being no rear foyer/transition space came up. Further, in the original Holbrook design, you had to walk through the kitchen every time you entered through the garage. In fact, you had no choice but to walk right by the range where the cooktop might still be hot, risking injury.

“So, we looked at a redesigning the entry from the garage and kitchen. Relocating the door in from the garage allowed us to slide the laundry room over and add a rear foyer complete with drop zone and closet. Then, the refrigerator was moved, allowing for an island kitchen design so that they wouldn’t need to always be walking through the kitchen when coming in from the garage. “ The resulting open kitchen design was quickly embraced and the rear foyer re-design created an opportunity for a huge walk-in pantry. To visually compliment the rest of the kitchen, that pantry is accessed by twin, full-height cabinet doors. But the new rear foyer and pantry layout meant moving the laundry room.

“The couple concurred they didn’t really need a tub and separate shower in the master bathroom, so the tub was deleted as there was a tub in the hall bath. A spa-type shower was envisioned where the tub was shown on the original plan (yes, there are 1-piece shower floors designed for that exact size and shape,) topped by a transom window. This created additional closet storage helping offset space given over to the repositioned laundry room. The new laundry area also picked up a built-in ironing board and a welcome folding counter. And in the master bath, the linen cabinet was placed between the vanities, allowing for “his” and “her” space and offered the opportunity to raise one of the vanities for added comfort.

“Finally, the bedrooms were enlarged to be more accommodating. The home’s entire bedroom wing was stretched to the left, in line with the original design’s hall bath. Along with stretching the eating area to the rear added 95 square feet to the plan. We also stretched the garage two feet to the right as per their original request.

Hybrid Home Plans™ Changes to Design 5150
Before	After

“While we can’t provide pricing information on your home, we can be sensitive to the budget figure you have in mind. Design impacts the price of your home in many ways—some seen, some unseen. For example, designing around standard size building materials minimizes expensive waste. Or, we may make suggestions which would eliminate costly structural members, providing a more open feel. There have even been instances where adding square footage was less expensive than eliminating it.

“Similarly, we design with the future in mind. Maybe you envision finishing space in a lower level or perhaps above a garage in a few years as your household grows or you finally start that home based business. And, some day you’ll likely want to resell the home. Thoughtful design today translates into higher resale tomorrow.

“Yes, with Design Basics home plans, you can opt to have changes made to the plans by a competent, qualified local draftsman of your choice. But when you work with our Plan Alterations team, you can rest assured the modified plans are buildable (unfortunately, that’s not always true of plans changed by others). In addition when you have Design Basics modify the plans, you remain eligible for full technical support throughout construction. But perhaps most importantly, it’s the fact that you’re working with a designer who has your specific best interests in mind when re-designing the home.”

Hybrid Home Plans™ from Design Basics. A great design tailored specifically for you, fast turnaround and very reasonable prices.

Commom Design Changes

WHY USE DESIGN BASICS FOR YOUR PLAN ALTERATIONS?

Personal Designer

You will be working directly with a designer. You are not on your own when it comes to figuring out how you want something altered.

Construction Experience

Our Plan Alteration Specialists are familiar with each of our plans and understand important structural issues that are often associated with design changes.
  

Continuity of Design

Because our home plans originate right here, you can be assured that your desired changes will blend naturally with the original design.
 

Completeness of Work

Our plans are drafted to the highest standards in the industry and each set of construction drawings is subjected to a thorough review process to ensure accuracy.
 

Technical Support

As a Design Basics customer, you receive no-cost technical support throughout the construction of your new home.  Call us with your questions at 800.947.7526, Monday - Friday, 8am - 5pm CT.
 

Engineering of Structural Changes

Certain types of design changes require the re-calculation of a home’s structural components. We will incorporate the necessary engineering adjustments for your desired changes.

WE HAVE THE IDEAS, SOLUTIONS, AND EXPERIENCE TO MAKE YOUR HYBRID HOME PLAN POSSIBLE!