house plans

What's Included in a Plan Set?

Stock plans come in an extremely wide range of qualities from an extremely wide range of sources. Many designers who offer stock plans for sale sell only the design; your documents are meant to be completed by a local professional, and do not include much of the basic information needed to actually construct the home. We strongly advise that you consult your local building official to verify what you will need to submit for your building permit before you make a plan purchase. We pride ourselves on setting our product apart from the crowd: each set of home plans that we offer will provide you with all the necessary information to build your home. Our plans come detailed to meet the latest International Residential Code, and include gravity loading calcs and beam specifications as needed for the home's design. If you're considering a plan purchase from elsewhere, be sure they are providing what you really need.

Mascord Plan Sets Include:

Elevations Page Example

Exterior Elevations

In addition to the front exterior, your drawing set will include drawings of the rear and sides of your house as well. These drawings give notes on exterior materials and finishes. Particular attention is given to cornice detail, brick and stone accents, or other finish items that make your home unique.

Note: Sections and Elevations depict the default foundation, regardless of optional foundation page choices

Foundation Page Example

Foundation Plan

The foundation page dimensions, concrete walls, footings, pads, posts, beams, bearing walls, and any stepped foundation information along with any retaining wall info (schematic only). A typical wall section for the home is also usually included on this page (if not, it is elsewhere in your plan set, as space allows). If your plan features a poured concrete slab rather than a basement or crawlspace, the foundation page shows footings and details for the slab, and includes plumbing locations.

Floor Plan Page Example

Floor Plan(s)

Exterior and interior wall framing, and windows/doors are dimensioned. Room sizes are indicated and any beams, posts and structural bearing points are called out. The floorplans include an electrical legend, and electrical fittings, lights and outlets are shown. Floor Plans will also indicate cross–section details (provided on the sections page) and show any special framing details applicable to the design. Cabinet elevations are included for kitchen and bathrooms; some designs feature cabinet elevations for design–related built–ins too.

Sections Page Example

Building Sections

Building sections show changes in floor, ceiling, or roof height, and the relationship of one level to another. Our section pages also show how the stairs are calculated (if there are some!) and depict roof and foundation members. We try and draw sections to show the most useful information — choosing locations where there are elements you or your contractor might need clarification on.

Note: Sections and Elevations depict the default foundation, regardless of optional foundation page choices

Roof Plan Page Example

Roof Plan

Roof framing or truss directions are shown, slope directions are indicated and structural members are sized and called out if applicable. The gravity loads used to calculate the rafters, beams and posts are indicated , and we also show gutters, downspouts, and any roof venting required for your home.

Notes Page Example

Notes and Details Page(s)

Your home comes detailed to meet the requirements of the latest adopted version of the ‘International Residential Code’, and our notes and details pages outline all the elements applicable to the design of your home. Compliance with further standards may need to be incorporated into your plan set, depending the requirements of your building department — these are usually done locally.

Calcs Package Example

Beam Calcs Pack

Mascord stock home plans come with all the gravity calcs used in the design of your home, upon request (Not all building departments require them; please ask if you would like them included). You can rest-assured you have purchased a quality plan package that will be easy to construct, and meet all the requirements of your local building department. We generally calculate loads based on 25# Snowload, but also have many plans for higher snowloads, or can even modify the structure of a plan to comply with your local conditions. Our plans do NOT come with seismic, wind or other site specific engineering calculations; we have engineers we work with to provide those to you at additional cost, or you are free to source your own engineer locally.

In addition to the items included in our house plan packages, there may be additional items you need to submit for a building permit with your local building department.

What Else You May Need