As we wrap up August and the month of free, we offer one more plan for your enjoyment. Last week we promised two new plans but the dog ate part of our homework. So we're left with one final flagship plan to introduce.
The Ramapo is 12' long and 8' deep covering 96sf. It sports a single shed roof with clerestory windows on the tall wall. This was originally designed as a bunkhouse for a rural property. It's big enough to get a bed and bathroomette and closet in. Or loft the bed and increase the floor space.
This may be the last of the free blitzkrieg for a while but it won't be the last of the free plans forever. There are a few variants on the current plans that we would like to add, plus some new ideas. In the meantime we need to attend to some other business. If you have a particular idea that you would like to see, post it here or send it to us and we'd be happy to give it a go.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Free Plans part 3
More free than you can shake a stud at! The third of our free plans, the Watson 88 has been released into the public. The Watson is a simple 8'x8' building that anybody could build in a week. We've kept the 2x3 wall studs but 2x4 would be perfectly appropriate at this point. Some gridded windows and a small front porch create an appeal that's hard to pass up. The uses for this building are as vast as your imagination. At this size we're bordering on the edge of playhouse and small house. Istockhouseplans has two more basic sizes to offer and... oh shoot, there's only one Tuesday left in August. I guess our back to school special includes our flagship free plan.
We better get cracking. In the meantime download the plans, build the shed, and give us your feedback. Maybe we should have a contest with the most innovative use of materials in one of our sheds...
We better get cracking. In the meantime download the plans, build the shed, and give us your feedback. Maybe we should have a contest with the most innovative use of materials in one of our sheds...
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Free Plans part 2
A couple of weeks ago we introduced you to our new free plans. We've added another to our portfolio and are thrilled to share with you.
Following the theme of defunct stops on the Springwater Trolley line in Portland, the Kendall 84 is named for the stop that was at 82nd Avenue. This is similar to the Bell 66 we launched prior except that this is in a more expected straight line format rather than an L shape. More like a backhoe loader, if you will. In fact that gives us another idea for decorating the structure. Lose the porch, slope the roof from left to right and add some extra wood to the front and back. Paint it all yellow and be the dirt digger you always wanted to be, all from the comfort of your 5-point office chair with lumbar support.
As long as our hosting provider doesn't freeze up again, we hope to release one more each for the remaining Tuesdays in August. Expect two more free plans from us and then more sporadically through the rest of the year.
Built this? Link to your picture in the comments and share with us!
Following the theme of defunct stops on the Springwater Trolley line in Portland, the Kendall 84 is named for the stop that was at 82nd Avenue. This is similar to the Bell 66 we launched prior except that this is in a more expected straight line format rather than an L shape. More like a backhoe loader, if you will. In fact that gives us another idea for decorating the structure. Lose the porch, slope the roof from left to right and add some extra wood to the front and back. Paint it all yellow and be the dirt digger you always wanted to be, all from the comfort of your 5-point office chair with lumbar support.
As long as our hosting provider doesn't freeze up again, we hope to release one more each for the remaining Tuesdays in August. Expect two more free plans from us and then more sporadically through the rest of the year.
Built this? Link to your picture in the comments and share with us!
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Free Plans!
We may be a day late but if you are a dollar short you are no longer up a creek. Istockhouseplans is proud to introduce our first free plan. Now granted you probably couldn't live in it but it does at least provide some quiet space for you to work, read, meditate, or pursue a hobby. Named for a defunct station on the old Springwater Railroad Line, the Bell 66 is small and could be a ticket booth as well. Post office? Dry goods? Vault? Almost too many options.
Plans can be downloaded directly from our website in 11x17 pdf format. Full wall framing details are included. Some cut lists and guides should help even the most ham-handed builder to at least kludge together a reasonable facsimile in a weekend or two. You may notice on the plans that the wall studs are 2x3 @ 24" o.c. The obvious reason should be in order to increase the usable space as much as possible. If you were really creative you could use 2x2 framing. Our suggestion would be to tack a 2x2 onto a 2x4 for the corners. Maybe you could even consider 1" plywood edge screwed to each other but then you lose insulation and effective window installation.
"Are these plans really free? What's the catch? Will you harvest my IP data and spam me?" We may look at your IP data but our only motive is to encourage you to visit our site and see what other great stuff we have to offer as well. We also plan on releasing some other small free plans over the next several months. Something you'd like to see in the 100sf and less range? Let us know and we'll do something with it!
Built this? Link to your picture in the comments and share with us!
Plans can be downloaded directly from our website in 11x17 pdf format. Full wall framing details are included. Some cut lists and guides should help even the most ham-handed builder to at least kludge together a reasonable facsimile in a weekend or two. You may notice on the plans that the wall studs are 2x3 @ 24" o.c. The obvious reason should be in order to increase the usable space as much as possible. If you were really creative you could use 2x2 framing. Our suggestion would be to tack a 2x2 onto a 2x4 for the corners. Maybe you could even consider 1" plywood edge screwed to each other but then you lose insulation and effective window installation.
"Are these plans really free? What's the catch? Will you harvest my IP data and spam me?" We may look at your IP data but our only motive is to encourage you to visit our site and see what other great stuff we have to offer as well. We also plan on releasing some other small free plans over the next several months. Something you'd like to see in the 100sf and less range? Let us know and we'll do something with it!
Built this? Link to your picture in the comments and share with us!
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Addition vs. Addition
Spy vs. Spy with a twist! The English language is such that two phrases that sound very similar can mean very different things. In this post we will be exploring the differences and similarities of the phrases "A New Addition to Your Home" vs. "A New Addition to Your House".
I think most folks understand that a house is a structure and a home is the entity that dwells in and among the house including the occupants, behaviors, and the structure itself. We've recently experienced a new addition to our home (which explains our radio silence for the past month).
A new addition to your house is:
I think most folks understand that a house is a structure and a home is the entity that dwells in and among the house including the occupants, behaviors, and the structure itself. We've recently experienced a new addition to our home (which explains our radio silence for the past month).
A new addition to your house is:
- Noisy
- Costly
- Invasive
- Bulky
- Sleep depriving
- Time consuming
- May include some screaming in the process
- Requires lots of planning
- Requires several professionals
- Requires a permit and/or license
- A lovely thing five years later
- Can pay you back when you move to the next stage of life.
- Noisy
- Costly
- Invasive
- Bulky
- Sleep depriving
- Time consuming
- May include some screaming in the process
- Requires lots of planning
- Requires several professionals
- Strangely, DOES NOT require a permit and/or license
- A lovely thing five years later
- Can pay you back when you move to the next stage of life.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Welcome Summer!
Happy summer! On this first day of post-Spring we are pleased to announce that sun is in the forecast for the next several days. To welcome the sun (and since it has lightened our moods considerably) we are offering a sale that lasts through Labor Day. Any purchase of $250 or more can get 20% off by using the code 'summer11'. Shipping is still free and so is this blog. We will be winding down the designs a bit for the next few months while we take advantage of the lack of rain to focus on our spin-off, Dragonfly Trailers. Eager to use our hammers we've been working on building a small travel trailer. With any luck it will be ready in time for summer camping.
Visit Istockhouseplans to review our plans and pick your favorite. Kind of like a puppy.
Visit Istockhouseplans to review our plans and pick your favorite. Kind of like a puppy.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Beneath the Maple Tree
It's been a while since Istockhouseplans has released a new plan. Part of that is not feeling that what comes up is good enough for inclusion. Then there's the whole bit about keeping with our new model of smaller homes. To fill the void, we've let inspiration take hold. A railroad building at Union Station in Portland, Oregon gave us inspiration for a multi-use building. The structure is about 16x24', two stories and bricked out. We thought this would make a great garage model and ran with it. The Maple Garage G201 was born. The building is 16x24 of garage (or shop) below. The upstairs is 384sf of office, studio, or apartment. The bathroom is only a half bath and the kitchen only denotes a sink. However you are not strictly limited to what our drawings represent. Were you to want to use the upstairs as a true living quarters, the bathroom could increase a touch and the kitchen be further decked in appliances. The stairs are on the outside of the building which allows for true separation of uses. Got a piece of land to squat? Consider planting a Maple and grow from there!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Net Zero 100%
Meritage Homes, one of the nation's biggest builders has committed to building Net Zero Homes as their new building model. In some communities this is mostly true. They'll build about 75% better than code and give the homeowner the option to solarize the home to net zero. But this is not a complaint. For a large production builder to have found a net zero sweet spot raises the bar pretty high. So high in fact that many builders will either have to follow suit or get out.
http://www.greenbuildermag.com/News/Headlines/Net-Zero-for-the-Masses
How about you? Think you're good enough to net zero or will you keep playing with your old deflated ball? Need some help? Contact Istockhouseplans for plans that can help you achieve Net Zero Energy Use.
http://www.greenbuildermag.com/News/Headlines/Net-Zero-for-the-Masses
How about you? Think you're good enough to net zero or will you keep playing with your old deflated ball? Need some help? Contact Istockhouseplans for plans that can help you achieve Net Zero Energy Use.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Tiny Housing Advantages
In the spirit of laziness (or perhaps minimalism) we thought we'd share this blog post with you. It epitomizes everything we feel about why small homes are the way to go.
Tiny Housing Advantages
Tiny Housing Advantages
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Builder vs. Homeowner
In our final installment we bring you the Builder vs. the Homeowner. Oh sure, we could bring in building officials, subcontractors, neighbors, bankers, etc. But this series of three neatly sums up what we work with the most. Hopefully the point has not been taken that everyone's an imbecile. Rather you should understand that communication is the key to a successful home build where everyone is happy.
That or everyone learning to design and build their own homes (cf . http://www.homehumor.com/introduction.shtml).
Homeowner: "We'd like to have you build a house for us. You come highly recommended and we've seen some of your other stuff. We have a pretty specific list of things we would like for trim, cabinets, etc. Other than that we'll leave it to you."
Builder: "I generally build to three different packages of trim. If you'd like something else we can discuss that. Do you have plans?"
H: "Well we had a designer draw up these..."
B: (perusing plans) "Hmmm... You could save a lot of money if you installed slider windows instead of double-hungs. And the roof will be cheaper if you drop it to a 5:12 pitch. And what's this note? 24" o.c. studs? Can't do that, the house will fall down. Besides, it costs more."
H: "Wait, it costs more to install less wood?"
B: "Oh sure, there's all sorts of other things you have to do instead. And I can't insulate the attic 'cuz your shingles will fail. It's alright if the furnace is in a cold attic."
H: "Well, you're the professional..."
What then happens is that the homeowner moves into a house that they're never truly happy with. They notice the little things. And they live there for 5 years and then do a complete remodel.
H: "Well thanks for your opinions, we'll call you." (we know what that line means)
Future homeowner interviews several other builders and finds one who is happy to build a home for the owners, the way they want. Double hung windows, knotty pine trim, and walls with studs 24" o.c. Builder also recommends a heat pump and the homeowners never look back.
Hey homeowner! If you approach a builder about building a house, please remember one thing. It's your house! Don't let anybody change your mind about what you want. The remodel 5 years down the road costs more than implementing all the things you want the first time around. Istockhouseplans hopes your dream home gets built the way you like the first time around.
That or everyone learning to design and build their own homes (cf . http://www.homehumor.com/introduction.shtml).
Homeowner: "We'd like to have you build a house for us. You come highly recommended and we've seen some of your other stuff. We have a pretty specific list of things we would like for trim, cabinets, etc. Other than that we'll leave it to you."
Builder: "I generally build to three different packages of trim. If you'd like something else we can discuss that. Do you have plans?"
H: "Well we had a designer draw up these..."
B: (perusing plans) "Hmmm... You could save a lot of money if you installed slider windows instead of double-hungs. And the roof will be cheaper if you drop it to a 5:12 pitch. And what's this note? 24" o.c. studs? Can't do that, the house will fall down. Besides, it costs more."
H: "Wait, it costs more to install less wood?"
B: "Oh sure, there's all sorts of other things you have to do instead. And I can't insulate the attic 'cuz your shingles will fail. It's alright if the furnace is in a cold attic."
H: "Well, you're the professional..."
What then happens is that the homeowner moves into a house that they're never truly happy with. They notice the little things. And they live there for 5 years and then do a complete remodel.
Alternate ending!
H: "Well thanks for your opinions, we'll call you." (we know what that line means)
Future homeowner interviews several other builders and finds one who is happy to build a home for the owners, the way they want. Double hung windows, knotty pine trim, and walls with studs 24" o.c. Builder also recommends a heat pump and the homeowners never look back.
Hey homeowner! If you approach a builder about building a house, please remember one thing. It's your house! Don't let anybody change your mind about what you want. The remodel 5 years down the road costs more than implementing all the things you want the first time around. Istockhouseplans hopes your dream home gets built the way you like the first time around.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Designer vs. Homeowner
One day, sitting in the office playing solitaire, we were rudely interrupted by the phone ringing. On the other end is a potential client who absolutely loves one of our plans and would like us to make a few minor modifications. Since they live 15 minutes away, we are willing to take a look. Generally we don't offer this service for out of towners because of the distance gap. Strangely, communication gaps grow exponentially to distance gaps. But being close by means we can meet in person and see the hand gestures that generally accommodate limited similar vocabularies.
We offer to meet the potential client at a local coffee shop, buy them a drink, and go over their ideas.
When we arrive we are hesitantly surprised to meet the client (a couple) and a mother of one of them. Also in attendance is a friend or college roommate, or maybe it was a friend's college roommate. In any event, they are the interior designer.
Things look stickier than raw honey already.
Also in attendance is a 3" notebook that appears to be full of photos, design ideas, and several copies of our plan with different colors of ink all across them. After introductions are made, the first plan comes out.
"We thought about taking this one, removing the windows from the obvious locations, and putting in weirdly sized windows where they don't make sense. Over here, we'd like to remove this entire bearing wall and not have any posts in the way. The idea on this one was to expand the second floor by 800sf without touching the first floor. How much can we cantilever?"
The mother-in-law chimes in about her room. We end up arguing with the interior designer who knows nothing about shear and load-bearing. Finally we say we'll make some adjustments and see how it goes. Everybody leaves pretty sure that the job is not going to happen. We're out about $12.
An open letter to potential homeowners:
We offer to meet the potential client at a local coffee shop, buy them a drink, and go over their ideas.
When we arrive we are hesitantly surprised to meet the client (a couple) and a mother of one of them. Also in attendance is a friend or college roommate, or maybe it was a friend's college roommate. In any event, they are the interior designer.
Things look stickier than raw honey already.
Also in attendance is a 3" notebook that appears to be full of photos, design ideas, and several copies of our plan with different colors of ink all across them. After introductions are made, the first plan comes out.
"We thought about taking this one, removing the windows from the obvious locations, and putting in weirdly sized windows where they don't make sense. Over here, we'd like to remove this entire bearing wall and not have any posts in the way. The idea on this one was to expand the second floor by 800sf without touching the first floor. How much can we cantilever?"
The mother-in-law chimes in about her room. We end up arguing with the interior designer who knows nothing about shear and load-bearing. Finally we say we'll make some adjustments and see how it goes. Everybody leaves pretty sure that the job is not going to happen. We're out about $12.
An open letter to potential homeowners:
Dear potential homeowner;
Thank you for choosing an Istockhouseplans design. We are pleased that we could design a plan that meets your exacting eye for beauty and function. However, if you would like some changes to the plan, we suggest a quiet meeting with just you and us so that we can figure out your basic needs. If we end up spending more time modifying the plan than we did designing and drawing it, you're probably better off having a custom home designed from the start. Please consider a design from scratch that uses one of our plans as inspiration. We tend to be very strict about the homes we design and sell. If your plan ends up being a 3 story neo-modern with a 4 car attached garage, we can recommend a couple of other designers that could help you out. Having us design that style of house is akin to getting a taco at McDonald's. It won't be what you expect and we will struggle to make it happen.
Thank you
Istockhouseplans
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Designer vs. Builder
"In this corner coming in at a lean 180 pounds and sporting a 3-button mouse is... The Designer! His house plans have sold nationwide but he has a beef so he has called his opponent into the ring."
"And in this corner weighing in at 205 and wielding a framing nailer is... The Builder! He has built houses nationwide and accepts the challenge by the designer."
"Let's get ready to rumble!"
Opponents? Maybe and maybe not. Let's look in a little closer...
Designer: "I very specifically drew out the dimensions for this tipout and you ignored it completely."
Builder: "Are you crazy? Have you ever tried to build something like that? It was too much work."
D: "How will you set this house apart and make it look good?"
B: "I thought that was your job."
D: "I did my job and you ignored it."
B: "Too much time for the payout. Maybe I'll paint the house light brown with dark brown trim."
Designer then tries to whip Builder with the mouse. Builder fires a few nails into the mouse and renders it ineffective. Both contestants leave the ring.
A draw? No, a lack of communication. In our experience we have found that designers and builders rarely (want to) discuss plans beyond the price tag. Those that have discussed plans are usually wanting to strip the house down to a bare square. The designer does the work because he is getting paid, but often against his values because he is being asked to design the wow factor out of the house.
Or perhaps it is a technical issue. The designer specifies to start joist layout at a particular point in order to avoid plumbing issues. The builder spaces evenly from the corner because it's easy and then gets mad at the designer for putting the toilet right there. "But I specified the second joist to be 10" away from the corner, not 16". "That messes up the plywood, besides it's not typical practice."
What to do? How about encourage open discussion? Every plan we sell, we ask the builder if we can discuss some of the points of it and why we did certain things. Sometimes a few bits and pieces are dependent on a single item. If that single item gets changed, the rest of the dynamic crumbles. So we want to alert the builder to such issues. No, not all plans are designed the same. It doesn't matter how many years you've been building.
What would really be ideal is for the builder to invite the designer out the job site. This accomplishes two things. First, the builder better understands what the designer had in mind. Second, the designer gets exposure to the job site and sees and learns how certain elements are put together and how particular builders tend to approach problems. The designer might also be able to suggest an immediate solution if something nosedives. Understandably, the designer should be in the office to conduct business. But if builders can be mobile, why not designers? With a laptop, car charger, and a cell phone, the designer could conduct business from on the road. Camp out at a jobsite for a few days, take orders and process them via wireless, offer solutions with realtime speed. Then off to another jobsite, bouncing around the lower east side for a few weeks before taking some time to support builders on the middle west side. Hit the northern burbs, then the next county, and get a good circuit going. You might even be the next preacher of the Gospel of harmony!
At Istockhouseplans we are happy to offer this service for free. And we know about a lot more than just design. We can help with onsite solutions for energy efficiency and building durability. And as a program ally of Energy Trust of Oregon we can assist with getting your details right to get the biggest incentive possible.
"And in this corner weighing in at 205 and wielding a framing nailer is... The Builder! He has built houses nationwide and accepts the challenge by the designer."
"Let's get ready to rumble!"
Opponents? Maybe and maybe not. Let's look in a little closer...
Designer: "I very specifically drew out the dimensions for this tipout and you ignored it completely."
Builder: "Are you crazy? Have you ever tried to build something like that? It was too much work."
D: "How will you set this house apart and make it look good?"
B: "I thought that was your job."
D: "I did my job and you ignored it."
B: "Too much time for the payout. Maybe I'll paint the house light brown with dark brown trim."
Designer then tries to whip Builder with the mouse. Builder fires a few nails into the mouse and renders it ineffective. Both contestants leave the ring.
A draw? No, a lack of communication. In our experience we have found that designers and builders rarely (want to) discuss plans beyond the price tag. Those that have discussed plans are usually wanting to strip the house down to a bare square. The designer does the work because he is getting paid, but often against his values because he is being asked to design the wow factor out of the house.
Or perhaps it is a technical issue. The designer specifies to start joist layout at a particular point in order to avoid plumbing issues. The builder spaces evenly from the corner because it's easy and then gets mad at the designer for putting the toilet right there. "But I specified the second joist to be 10" away from the corner, not 16". "That messes up the plywood, besides it's not typical practice."
What to do? How about encourage open discussion? Every plan we sell, we ask the builder if we can discuss some of the points of it and why we did certain things. Sometimes a few bits and pieces are dependent on a single item. If that single item gets changed, the rest of the dynamic crumbles. So we want to alert the builder to such issues. No, not all plans are designed the same. It doesn't matter how many years you've been building.
What would really be ideal is for the builder to invite the designer out the job site. This accomplishes two things. First, the builder better understands what the designer had in mind. Second, the designer gets exposure to the job site and sees and learns how certain elements are put together and how particular builders tend to approach problems. The designer might also be able to suggest an immediate solution if something nosedives. Understandably, the designer should be in the office to conduct business. But if builders can be mobile, why not designers? With a laptop, car charger, and a cell phone, the designer could conduct business from on the road. Camp out at a jobsite for a few days, take orders and process them via wireless, offer solutions with realtime speed. Then off to another jobsite, bouncing around the lower east side for a few weeks before taking some time to support builders on the middle west side. Hit the northern burbs, then the next county, and get a good circuit going. You might even be the next preacher of the Gospel of harmony!
At Istockhouseplans we are happy to offer this service for free. And we know about a lot more than just design. We can help with onsite solutions for energy efficiency and building durability. And as a program ally of Energy Trust of Oregon we can assist with getting your details right to get the biggest incentive possible.
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