Should I hire a house plan designer, or an architect?

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There are also individuals who are specialized only in residential design. Most often, these designers have less post-high school education, but can design home plans without working under a registered architect. A national organization called the American Institute of Building Design, or AIBD, offers certification in residential design, and by passing a set of comprehensive tests, a person can become certified in residential design. A residential home plan designer can also do small commercial design, but they are restricted on commercial designs by square footages requirements.

So which one do you choose to design your house plan? Well, that’s a tough one, but there are a few questions I’ve come up with that you can ask your potential home plan designer that might give you a better direction when choosing:

1. How long have you been designing homes? Make sure your home plan designer has ample experience designing unique house plans, especially in the style and size that you are planning to build.

2. How many residential house plans do you design each year? Make sure your home plan designer creates more than four or five house plans a year.

3. Can I see samples and photos of your house plan designs? Ask to see photos of home plans they've designed for others, and don’t just settle for one or two. Someone who specializes in house plan design will have plenty of samples for you to take a look at.

4. How do you charge for your house plan designs? Do they charge a percentage of the final building cost? Hourly? On a fixed fee? Make sure you are comfortable with the entire fee structure before you begin the design process so there will be no surprises at the end of the project.

In the end, your goal should be to find a house plan designer that you are compatible with in personality, budget and experience. You are building your dream home, and choosing the best home plan designer for the job is the first step in that process.