Almost every week, someone sends us a house plan they found online and asks a very reasonable question:
“How much would Two Structures Homes charge to build this?”
It sounds like it should have a simple answer. Unfortunately, it usually doesn’t.
The problem isn’t that a builder doesn’t want to give you a price. The problem is that what you see on many house-plan websites simply isn't enough information to accurately price the home.
At Two Structures Homes, we build homes using a fixed-price contract. When we give you a final price, we want that number to be based on the home we're actually going to build—not an educated guess based on information we don't have.
The House Plan You See Online May Not Be the Complete Plan
When you're browsing house plans online, the information shown on the website can look incredibly detailed.
You may see floor plans, exterior elevations, square footage, room dimensions and beautiful interior renderings. It feels like you're looking at everything a builder should need.
But there's a significant difference between sales drawings and a complete set of construction documents.
Sales drawings are intended to help you decide whether you like a home. Construction documents contain the technical information we need to determine how that home is actually going to be built.
That missing information can make a substantial difference in price.
If you're still looking for the right design, you can also browse our new home floor plans to see plans we've already developed for the way we build homes in Oklahoma.
What's Missing When We Try to Price From Sales Drawings?
Depending on the plan, we may not have complete information about:
- Foundation and structural engineering
- Ceiling heights and ceiling details
- Structural beams and load-bearing requirements
- Window and exterior-door sizes
- Exterior wall construction
- Roof framing and roof complexity
- Cabinet layouts
- Interior trim details
- HVAC design
- Electrical layouts
- Plumbing layouts
- Insulation requirements
- Exterior materials and details
- Stair construction
- Interior and exterior finish specifications
Every one of these items can affect material quantities, labor and ultimately the cost of building the home.
A large window isn't priced like a standard window. A 12-foot ceiling isn't priced like a 9-foot ceiling. A complicated roof structure isn't priced like a simple roof.
Those differences add up quickly.
A Real Example From an Internet House Plan
We recently had a prospective customer bring us a modern traditional house plan they found on a popular house-plan website.
They wanted to know what we would charge to build it.
We could review the information available online, look at the square footage, study the layout and elevations, and use our experience to establish a reasonable budget range.
What we couldn't responsibly do was guarantee a fixed construction price.
Why?
Because we didn't have the complete construction plans, and the customer understandably didn't want to spend more than $1,000 purchasing the full plan set before knowing whether the home would fit their budget.
That creates a chicken-and-egg problem:
The customer doesn't want to purchase the plans until they know what the house will cost, while the builder needs the complete plans to know exactly what they're pricing.
We understand both sides of that dilemma. That's why a realistic preliminary budget range can be valuable before a customer invests in the complete plans.
Renderings Aren't Specifications
There is another issue we frequently encounter with online plans: the renderings.
Today's architectural renderings can be beautiful. They may show elaborate cabinetry, oversized windows, detailed trim, specialty ceilings, fireplaces, beams and high-end finishes.
But a rendering isn't necessarily a construction specification.
The image may show you what the house could look like, but it doesn't necessarily tell us exactly what products, materials or construction details are required to create that look.
That matters when you're asking a builder to attach a guaranteed price to it.
Ballpark Estimate vs. Fixed-Price Proposal
This may be the most important distinction for anyone considering building a custom home.
A Ballpark Estimate
A builder might tell you:
“Based on what we can see, we believe this home will probably fall somewhere between $425,000 and $470,000.”
That can be extremely useful.
It can tell you whether you're looking at the right size and style of home for your overall budget before you spend money developing or purchasing plans.
But it's still an estimate.
A Fixed-Price Proposal
A fixed-price proposal is different.
Before Two Structures Homes establishes a final contract price, we want to understand what we're actually building. That means reviewing the construction documents, specifications, engineering, site conditions, allowances and other details that affect the cost of construction.
That's when an estimate becomes something much more meaningful: a price we're prepared to put into a contract.
Why This Matters at Two Structures Homes
Accurate plans and specifications are especially important to the way we build.
Our fixed-price approach is designed to give our customers greater certainty about what their home will cost before construction begins. To do that responsibly, we need to understand the actual scope of the home we're agreeing to build.
The same is true of our construction and energy-efficiency standards. Details such as wall construction, insulation, windows, HVAC equipment and other building components aren't minor assumptions. They are part of the home's performance and part of its cost.
That's why we would rather identify those details before we establish the final price instead of discovering them after construction has started.
For customers building on their own property, the homesite itself is another important part of that equation. Site conditions, utilities, grading and other property-specific factors can affect the total construction cost. Learn more about our Build On Your Land process.
Why Can Two Builders Be So Far Apart on the Same House Plan?
This is one reason buyers can receive dramatically different prices from builders who appear to be looking at the exact same house.
One builder may assume 9-foot ceilings while another assumes 10-foot ceilings.
One may include engineered features that another hasn't accounted for yet.
One may assume standard windows while another recognizes that the elevations require significantly larger or more expensive windows.
The builders may also be assuming completely different levels of finishes, energy efficiency and construction standards.
And sometimes, one builder may simply be willing to make more assumptions than another.
So when one builder's initial number is substantially lower, the important question isn't simply:
“Who has the lowest price?”
It's:
“Are these builders actually pricing the same house?”
When comparing prices from custom home builders, make sure you understand not only the number at the bottom of the proposal, but also what is—and isn't—included in that number.
Why Two Structures Homes Won't Guess at a Fixed Price
We would love to be able to look at every plan a customer brings us and immediately provide an exact price.
But we also believe in being transparent about what we know—and what we don't know yet.
Giving someone an artificially precise number when important information is missing doesn't help the customer.
If a builder guesses too low to win the job, eventually the actual costs show up. At that point, either the builder absorbs the difference or the homeowner does through additional costs and change orders.
Neither is a good way to start a relationship that's going to last many months.
We would rather give you a realistic range, explain what assumptions we're making and then work toward an accurate fixed price as the details become known.
Found a House Plan Online? Send It to Us Before You Buy It.
Finding a plan online can be a great starting point for building a custom home.
If you've found one you love, send it to us before you purchase the complete construction set.
We can review the available sales drawings with you and, in many cases, give you a realistic idea of whether the home is likely to fit your construction budget. That's often enough information to determine whether it makes sense to move forward with that particular plan.
If it does, the next step is obtaining or developing the complete construction documents and specifications we need to price the home properly.
Our goal isn't to give you the fastest number. It's to give you a number you can actually rely on.
Send us your house plan and let's talk about what it would take to build it.
At Two Structures Homes, that's an important part of what we mean when we say Built Better.
Frequently Asked Questions About Pricing Internet House Plans
Can a builder quote a house from an online floor plan?
A builder can often provide a preliminary budget range from an online floor plan or sales drawing. However, an accurate fixed price usually requires complete construction documents, specifications, engineering and information about the homesite. Without those details, the builder has to make assumptions about what will actually be built.
Why do builder quotes vary so much for the same house plan?
Two builders can look at the same floor plan and make very different assumptions about ceiling heights, windows, structural requirements, finishes, insulation, HVAC systems and other construction details. Before comparing prices, make sure the builders are actually pricing the same scope of work and construction standards.
Do I need complete construction drawings before getting a fixed price?
Complete construction drawings provide the information a builder needs to accurately determine material quantities, structural requirements and construction details. At Two Structures Homes, we may be able to provide a preliminary budget range before the plans are complete, but we want the necessary construction information before committing to a final fixed price.
Can Two Structures Homes build a house plan I found online?
Yes. An online house plan can be an excellent starting point. Before purchasing the complete plan package, we recommend letting us review the available drawings and discuss your budget, homesite and construction goals. We can help you determine whether the plan makes sense for your project before you take the next step.