Questions & answers

How are your design fees calculated?

Our fees are based on heated and cooled square footage — so the size of your home is what determines the cost of your plans. There’s no hourly meter running while you think about a decision.

Just let us know the size you’re looking to make your home, and we’ll work to create a wonderful space designed for you within that boundary. Call us with a rough size and we’ll talk numbers.

How long does a set of plans take?

It depends on two things: the size and complexity of the house, and how quickly the revisions come back from you. The drawing is rarely the slow part — the thinking is, and that’s time well spent.

We’ll give you a realistic estimate when we scope your project, and we’d rather tell you an honest date than an optimistic one.

What’s in a set of plans?

A working set is drawn so a builder can price it and build from it — floor plans, exterior elevations, foundation and roof layouts, electrical layout, and the sections and details that make the construction clear.

Exactly what your set needs depends on the house and on what your builder and lender expect. We’ll go through it with you before we start, so nobody discovers a missing sheet halfway through bidding.

Do I need an architect for a house in Texas?

For most single-family residential work in Texas, an architect’s seal isn’t required — which is why residential drafting and design firms like ours exist and have for nearly seventy years.

Requirements do vary by project type and by local jurisdiction, so it’s always worth confirming with your local building official before you build. We’re a drafting and design firm, not architects, and we’ll tell you plainly if a project looks like one that needs a licensed architect or engineer involved.

Will I need an engineer too?

Sometimes. Foundation design in particular can require an engineer — East Texas soils move, and some builders, lenders and building departments will want an engineered foundation regardless of what the code minimum says.

It’s a normal part of the process and not something to worry about. We’ll flag it early if your project looks like one, so it doesn’t become a surprise at permitting.

Can you customize one of your stock plans?

Yes, and it happens more often than not. Move a wall, flip the garage to the other side, stretch the master, open the kitchen into the living room, redraw the elevation in a different style.

If the changes start adding up, we’ll be honest with you about when it makes more sense to move over to a custom design instead.

How many revisions do I get?

We won’t call the plans complete until you have the details just right. The back-and-forth is the work — it isn’t an add-on, and we don’t put a counter on it.

Can you work with my builder?

Yes. We work directly with a lot of area builders on a regular basis, and many of them have been building from our drawings for years. If you don’t have a builder yet, that’s a conversation we’re glad to have too.

Builders looking for plan services can start here.

I don’t have a lot yet. Is it too early to come in?

No. Plenty of people design first and buy the lot after, or come in with two lots and want to know which one suits the house they want. Both are perfectly normal starting points.

If you do have a lot, bring its dimensions, and tell us about the slope, the trees and where the good view is.

Can I buy a plan online?

Not today. Our stock plans are reviewed and purchased in person — you come in, we pull the contenders based on the size, the number of levels and anything unusual about your lot, and you look through them at the table with us.

It’s slower than a download and it produces a much better decision. Set up a time and we’ll have plans ready.

Do you only work in Longview?

No. Our homes are built all over East Texas — Tyler, Kilgore, Marshall, Gladewater, Henderson, Gilmer and well beyond. The office is in Longview; the houses aren’t.

Do you do remodels and additions, or only new homes?

Both. Remodel and addition work is a real part of what we do, and it starts with us coming out to measure the house as it stands today rather than trusting the original plans.