We present to you a curated list of the top home plan websites where you can explore and purchase residential blueprints!
Understanding that the journey of designing and constructing a new home can be quite extensive, we aim to assist you in commencing this journey correctly. The first step involves establishing your budget, preferred house style, and size. Once these are determined, you can incorporate your essential features.
If you own a building lot or have a specific type, such as a narrow or corner lot, it’s important to select a house plan that fits your requirements. A beneficial way to start your dream home journey is by browsing and purchasing a solid house plan (as outlined below, many options are available online).
To kick things off, we’ve compiled our top 28 websites for home plans. The best part about these sites is that you can view floor plans at no cost. If you find a plan you like, you can proceed with the purchase.
This may not come as a surprise, but we dedicate a significant amount of time to exploring, researching, and studying homes, architecture, and house plans.
Our selection…
We hope you discover precisely what you need, whether you’re building a new home or renovating an existing one.
1. ArchitecturalDesigns: With 40 years of experience, this site boasts the largest variety of home plans available. It’s a comprehensive resource, complete with an extensive FAQ section and a helpful search guide for the entire process. It’s the original leader in home plan websites.
2. Home Stratosphere’s House Plans: This platform now provides a variety of house plans for purchase, showcasing a vast and rapidly growing collection of different styles, sizes, and features.
3. The House Designers: Known for its rich selection of house plans, many exclusive to them, this site also offers comprehensive information on aspects of house building, legalities, and more. It’s a straightforward yet rewarding shopping experience.
4. Donald A. Gardner: For over four decades, Donald Gardner Architects have been creating house designs. Many of their plans can only be found on DonGardner.com, ensuring exclusivity.
5. Homeplans: This site is similar to Architectural Designs, presenting an extensive index of over 28,000 house plans across various architectural styles. They feature themed collections ranging from Southern living to ultimate kitchens.
6. Coolhouseplans: This no-frills site gets to the point quickly, making it easy to search for home plans. It features a detailed main page search form and a wide array of subcategories for browsing. While its visual appeal may seem old-school, its functionality matches contemporary standards.
7. ePlans: Upon visiting, you’ll find vivid home images and an efficient search box ready for use. Alongside house plans, the site features step-by-step home building guides covering aspects from financing to finishing touches.
8. Better Homes & Gardens House Plans: This addition to the home plan market is robust and user-friendly, replete with a detailed search feature and varied categories. After selecting a plan, you can choose from various options, including types of physical copies.
9. Builder House Plans: Builder presents an exquisite collection of house plans sortable by different categories. Unique to this site is the option to view plans by specific designers, which is perfect for fans of particular styles. Customizing any plan is also offered.
10. Frank Betz Associates Inc: This site is specialized with a straightforward search feature and a guide to their latest designs. The selection is not as vast as larger aggregator sites, but it delivers a more personalized touch with attention to detail.
11. Monster House Plans: With over 24,000 house plans available, including many 3D “Intelligent” options, you’ll find a wealth of choices here.
12. HousePlans.co: The standout feature is the ability to create a “3D model of a real house design,” similar to the previous site. This allows for a better visualization process when considering a particular plan. They also provide additional services like modifying existing plans and offering marketing help for your designs.
13. Family Home Plans: Like many others, this site offers an extensive variety of home categories and outdoor projects. Their filter-rich search box helps you locate exactly what you need.
14. Concept Home: In addition to expertly designed home plans, this site offers a guide on how to start a home project along with various FAQs and informative articles. The curated collection is categorized, maintaining quality over quantity.
15. Archway Press: Featuring over 600 house plans and easy-to-navigate search options, this site is designed for quick and efficient searches. There are detailed purchasing choices and various garage plans available as well.
16. DFD House Plans: This site has a broad collection from various designers. As implied by the name, Direct From Designers offers a plethora of original plans searchable by category or architectural style.
17. Designs Direct: Offering a solid collection of house plans in a straightforward format, this site includes home photo tours and a list of featured designers for easy browsing.
18. Drummond House Plans: With easily searchable and tidy designs, you can sort plans with checkboxes, and the site offers customization options balanced with a clean aesthetic.
19. The Plan Collection: Similar to many others, this site features a wide selection of plans across a variety of styles and sizes. One useful tool allows browsing by specific features.
20. Dream Home Source: This visually appealing website contains a precise and detailed list of home plan styles, complemented by an easy navigation experience. It features a curated section for distinctive designers and unique designs.
21. The House Plan Shop: This site is attractive and user-friendly, showcasing plans categorized by architectural style in clear lists with a quick search function on each page. Free membership includes options to save favorites and retain them for future reference.
22. House Plan Gallery: This site also provides a customizable search function alongside extensive FAQs on various process aspects, from planning to buying.
23. House Plans And More: With a fantastic photo and video gallery, this site enhances their plan listings, which can be filtered by style or feature. Additional projects like barns and outdoor furniture are also available.
24. Sater Design: Focusing solely on luxury homes, this site offers a diverse range from smaller, intricately designed houses to expansive Spanish Colonials and Victorian homes. They provide both customization options and the opportunity to create personalized designs.
25. Southern Living House Plans: The renowned magazine and website “Southern Living” features an extensive collection of house plans showcased on an easy-to-use platform.
26. Floorplans.com: This user-friendly site has a vast selection of styles and offers excellent home search tools that assist visitors in narrowing down their search criteria effectively.
27. Houseplans.com: As the name implies, Houseplans.com is a popular site for purchasing a wide variety of house plans, attracting many visitors due to its extensive inventory.
28. Homeplans.com: This site catches attention with its beautiful design and user-friendly layout. Searches can be performed by style, number of bedrooms, and stories, including options for various features like porches and pools.
What makes a great house design website?
The number of available house plans
This factor is important. I say “important” because it can vary depending on the type of site. Some are straightforward retailers that only sell house designs from architectural firms without creating their own.
Others are owned by architects who exclusively design their own home plans. They may have fewer options, but their uniqueness can be a significant benefit, especially if you appreciate the architect’s style. Hence, more options do not always equate to better offerings.
Ability to conduct detailed, filtered searches
This capability is crucial and can differentiate a mediocre site from an exceptional one.
You should be able to narrow searches by style (such as farmhouse, craftsman, modern, etc.), the number of stories, sizes (small or large homes), number of bedrooms/bathrooms, budget-friendly options, luxury homes, and various unique characteristics like swimming pools, decks, and open concepts.
House plan costs
It’s wise to compare prices for house plans across these platforms, considering any sales or discounts. The industry is highly competitive, meaning there are often opportunities to save 10% or more.
Customization Options
Some sites offer customization services where you can modify existing plans or connect you with an architect for further assistance. This can be a cost-effective way to achieve your dream while working from a stock plan.
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