How our home design service works
Stock house plans rarely fit your lot, your views or the way your family lives. Custom design does – and it costs less than most people expect when the design process is clear. We work in four steps: brief and lot review, two or three concept layouts, design development in 3D, and the drawing set.
We keep cost in view the whole time. Simple roof forms, stacked plumbing, standard window sizes and spans that do not need special engineering keep the build affordable; we point out where a design choice adds cost so you can decide with the facts.
Once the design is approved, we prepare the permit set through our residential drafting team, with renderings from 3D home rendering if you want to see it finished. Structural items are coordinated with your engineer.
Deliverables you receive
- Lot and brief review (setbacks, orientation, views)
- Two or three concept floor plan options
- Refined floor plans, elevations and roof design
- 3D model and views of the exterior and key rooms
- Outline specification and area schedule
- Drawing set ready for permit drafting and builder quotes
What we need from you
- Lot survey or plot plan
- Your wish list: rooms, sizes, style, budget
- Photos of homes you like
- Local zoning or estate design rules
Who orders this service
- Homeowners building a new home
- Owner-builders
- Small builders offering design-build
- Investors building rentals or duplexes
Software and file formats
Revit or SketchUp models with renders, drawings in PDF and DWG/RVT. The model carries through to the permit set, so nothing is redrawn.
Home Design Services standards in the USA, UK, Canada and Australia
We set up every project on the standard of the country where it will be built or manufactured. These are the references we work to most often:
| Country | Standards and codes we draft home design services to |
|---|---|
| USA | IRC 2021 or adopted edition, local zoning (setbacks, height, coverage), energy code (IECC or Title 24 in California) |
| UK | Planning policy and local design codes, Building Regulations Approved Documents, Nationally Described Space Standard |
| Canada | Municipal zoning bylaws, NBC 2020 Part 9 or provincial code, energy step codes where applicable |
| Australia | Council DCP/planning schemes, NCC 2022 Housing Provisions, 7-star NatHERS energy rating, BAL ratings in bushfire areas |
How our home design services process works
- 1Send your files
Upload sketches, PDFs, markups, photos, scans or a model through the quote form. Tell us the standard (US, UK, Canada or Australia) and the deadline.
- 2Fixed quote in hours
We review the scope and reply with a fixed price, the deliverables list and a delivery date. Nothing starts until you approve it.
- 3Drafting & modeling
Your project is drawn in AutoCAD, Revit, Civil 3D, SolidWorks or the software you use, on your title block, layers and templates.
- 4QA check
A second drafter checks dimensions, annotations, layer standards, sheet numbering and cross-references against your input before anything is sent.
- 5Delivery & revisions
You receive native files plus PDFs. Comments come back as markups and we revise them quickly until the set matches the brief.
Turnaround and pricing
Concept options usually take 5–7 business days; design development with 3D views takes another 1–2 weeks depending on revisions. Every job is priced as a fixed quote after we review your files, so you know the cost and the delivery date before work starts. See how our pricing works, or send your files through the quote form for a quick estimate.
Related services
Home Design Services projects often need residential drafting services, 3D home rendering and exterior design services as well. You can order them together on one quote, or browse every option in our design services.
