Not All House Plans Are the Same: Understanding Different Types of Construction Documents

If you are planning a custom home, you may hear terms like house plans, permit plans, construction documents, or construction drawings used almost interchangeably.

But they don’t always mean the same thing.

One professional might provide a relatively streamlined set of drawings that establishes the design and contains the information needed for permitting. Another might produce dozens, or even more than a hundred, sheets documenting everything from architectural details and wall assemblies to structural systems, waterproofing, mechanical systems, lighting, and interior finishes.

Both may be described as construction documents.

That is why, when you are comparing professionals and fees, it is important to understand what kind of plan set you are actually receiving, how much information it will contain, and who will be responsible for the things it does not show.

There is no ideal number of pages. The right level of documentation depends on the house, the jurisdiction, the way the project will be built, the professionals involved, and how much responsibility you want your design team to carry through construction.

Different Types and Levels of Residential Plan Sets

There isn’t one universal standard for what must be included in a set of residential plans. The drawings can range from early design studies to extremely comprehensive architectural and engineering packages.

It is also important to distinguish between the level of documentation and the stage of documentation. A preliminary bid set and a final permit set may be different versions of the same project, while two final construction sets prepared by different professionals may contain very different levels of detail.

Concept and Schematic Design Drawings

At the earliest stage are drawings intended primarily to explore an idea.

These might include a floor plan, exterior elevations, sketches, 3D views, or preliminary site information. Their purpose is to establish the basic size, organization, appearance, and direction of the home.

These drawings can be extremely valuable during design, but they are not necessarily intended for bidding, permitting, or construction.

This is where an important distinction begins: a floor plan is not automatically a construction document.

A floor plan can communicate an idea beautifully without containing enough information for someone to accurately price, permit, or build the house.

Design Development Drawings

As the design progresses, considerably more information is added.

Room dimensions become more specific. Windows and doors are located and sized. Stairs, ceiling heights, cabinetry, fireplaces, plumbing fixtures, built-ins, rooflines, exterior materials, and other elements begin to be resolved.

This is also where 3D modeling and visualization can become particularly useful. Instead of waiting until construction to discover how two spaces relate to each other or whether an exterior elevation feels right, those decisions can be studied while they are still relatively easy to change.

These drawings are becoming much more technically developed, but their primary job is still developing and communicating the design.

Review and Bid Sets

Once a design has reached an appropriate level of development, a plan set may be issued for review or preliminary bidding.

This gives builders an opportunity to understand the project, identify potential construction issues, and begin developing pricing. It can also provide the architectural information a structural engineer needs to begin engineering the house.

A bid set may look very similar to a construction set. It might already contain dimensioned floor plans, elevations, roof plans, schedules, electrical layouts, interior elevations, notes, and other detailed information.

But it is still a work in progress.

Engineering may not yet be complete. Builder feedback may result in changes. The homeowner may make final decisions based on pricing. Details may still need to be coordinated.

For example, one of my own review/bid sets contains a site plan, general notes, renderings, two floor plans, four exterior elevations, interior elevations, electrical plans, a roof plan, and furniture plans. Yet that particular issuance is clearly identified as a Review/Bid Plan Set and is marked as not for permitting or construction because the project has not reached that stage yet.

The drawings aren’t necessarily lacking information. They simply aren’t finished.

Permit Plan Sets

A permit set contains the drawings and information required for submission to the authority having jurisdiction.

What that requires varies tremendously by location and project.

A jurisdiction may require particular plans, sections, elevations, site information, energy information, structural engineering, schedules, calculations, or other documentation. Another jurisdiction may have different requirements.

That is why the person preparing the drawings needs to research what applies to the particular property rather than assuming every house requires exactly the same package.

A permit set also should not be confused with an instruction manual for every aspect of construction.

Receiving a building permit does not mean every flashing condition, fastening method, plumbing connection, structural connection, waterproofing transition, or installation procedure has necessarily been drawn.

It means the project has reached the level of documentation required for review and approval by that jurisdiction.

Residential Design-Intent and Construction Documents

Many residential projects fall somewhere between a minimal permit set and a comprehensive architectural specification package.

These drawings may thoroughly document the architectural design of the home while leaving many construction means and methods to the builder, engineer, manufacturers, and licensed trades.

They might include dimensioned floor plans, elevations, roof plans, sections, window and door information, cabinetry and interior elevations, electrical and lighting intent, site information, schedules, code-related notes, and other project-specific information.

But they may not contain individual details showing every wall assembly, flashing transition, framing connection, waterproofing condition, mechanical system, plumbing layout, or installation method.

That does not necessarily mean information is “missing.”

It may mean that the information belongs to someone else’s professional scope.

The structural engineer may determine the foundation and framing systems. A truss manufacturer may engineer the trusses. The HVAC contractor may size and lay out the mechanical system. Cabinet fabricators may prepare shop drawings. Product manufacturers provide tested installation requirements. The general contractor coordinates the work of the trades and determines construction means, methods, sequencing, and many material decisions.

This approach can be particularly appropriate when an experienced residential builder is involved and has established construction practices.

It requires everyone to understand where the designer’s responsibility ends and the responsibilities of the builder, engineer, manufacturers, and trades begin.

Detailed Architectural Construction Documents

At the more comprehensive end are highly detailed architectural construction documents.

A custom residential architectural set might include numerous enlarged plans, wall sections, building sections, exterior details, waterproofing and flashing details, stair and railing details, cabinetry and millwork drawings, finish plans, reflected ceiling plans, door and window details, material specifications, schedules, and other information.

The architect may also coordinate drawings prepared by structural, civil, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, landscape, lighting, interior design, or other consultants.

For a large or complex home, the complete package can become very extensive.

There may also be a written project manual or specifications establishing products, materials, performance standards, installation requirements, and other requirements that aren’t practical to communicate graphically.

This level of documentation can be especially important for complex construction, unusual assemblies, highly customized detailing, competitive bidding, or projects where the design team intends to maintain a high degree of control over exactly how the design is executed.

It is also a substantially larger professional service.

More Pages Do Not Automatically Mean Better Plans

This may be the most important point.

A 100-sheet plan set is not automatically better than a 20-sheet plan set.

Likewise, a 20-sheet set is not automatically more efficient or appropriate than a 100-sheet set.

The question is whether the documentation is appropriate for the project and the way it will be built.

A complicated home on a difficult site may require extensive architectural and engineering documentation. An unusual building envelope or structural system may require specialized details. A project being competitively bid may benefit from very detailed specifications so every contractor is pricing substantially the same thing.

Another custom home may be built by an experienced local builder who already has established standards for waterproofing, framing, mechanical systems, flashing, and other construction methods. In that case, the design professional may intentionally leave more of those decisions to the builder, engineer, manufacturers, and trades.

The number of sheets also tells you very little about the amount of design work that went into the house.

A beautifully resolved floor plan, carefully considered circulation, well-proportioned exterior, thoughtful window placement, functional kitchen, appropriate ceiling heights, and cohesive material direction can require enormous design effort without requiring a drawing showing every fastener used to construct them.

Design expertise and construction-document detail are not the same thing.

The goal isn’t to have the most pages.

The goal is to have the right information, prepared by the right professionals, at the right stage of the project.

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What Kind of Plans Do I Provide?

My process is design-led.

The primary purpose of my drawings and 3D model is to develop the home with my client and clearly communicate the design.

We work through the floor plan, circulation, room relationships, exterior architecture, windows and doors, rooflines, cabinetry and built-ins, important interior details, and the overall character of the home. We can explore potential materials and finishes through the model and renderings so the client can understand what the finished home could look and feel like.

The goal is not simply to produce drawings that can be submitted for a permit.

The goal is to make sure the client has thoroughly developed a home they understand and love before they build it.

Once the design is developed, I research the requirements of the local jurisdiction, including the adopted building codes and planning or zoning requirements that affect the architectural design. I incorporate applicable code requirements and recognized residential design standards into my work, including requirements that can affect such things as room dimensions, ceiling heights, stairs, guards, emergency egress, fireplaces and chimneys, and other architectural conditions.

The plans then evolve with the project.

A review/bid set can go to builders for preliminary pricing and to the structural engineer for engineering. Engineering, builder feedback, pricing decisions, and final client changes are coordinated back into the architectural drawings.

The structural engineer prepares the engineering within their professional scope, including project-specific foundation, framing, reinforcement, calculations, and other structural requirements.

Once those pieces are coordinated, I prepare the final architectural set and incorporate the appropriate engineered documents into the complete package for permit submission.

My drawings can be quite detailed, but they are primarily design-intent documents.

That does not mean they are merely conceptual.

They document the architectural design: dimensions, spatial relationships, elevations, openings, roof configuration, cabinetry, interior elements, electrical and lighting intent, materials where applicable, schedules, notes, and other information needed to communicate what the home is intended to be.

What I do not attempt to provide is a drawing for every construction decision.

I do not perform structural engineering or typically prescribe every framing connection, flashing assembly, waterproofing transition, fastening method, mechanical system, plumbing system, or trade-specific installation. Those portions of the project are developed and coordinated by the appropriate engineers, builder, manufacturers, fabricators, and licensed trades.

The scope of services and project notes establish those responsibilities so the designer, engineer, builder, manufacturers, and trades understand the information each is providing.

A simple way to describe my process is:

I design the home with you first. Then we develop the documentation needed to communicate that design to the builder, engineer, trades, and building department.

I am not designing a house around a permit set. I am developing a home with my client and then documenting that design for the professionals who will help turn it into a built project.

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Who Creates House Plans?

The terminology can be confusing because several different types of professionals may be involved in residential design and documentation. Their roles can also overlap, and exactly what an individual professional offers depends on their qualifications, experience, jurisdiction, and scope of services.

Drafter

A drafter primarily produces technical drawings from information or design direction provided by someone else.

An experienced residential drafter can be extremely knowledgeable about construction and documentation, but drafting itself describes the production of drawings rather than responsibility for developing the design.

Building or Residential Designer

A building designer or residential designer develops the design of the home rather than simply documenting someone else’s design.

Depending on the professional, that may include space planning, floor plans, exterior architecture, materials, cabinetry, interior details, 3D modeling, visualization, code research, and preparation of residential construction documents.

Qualifications and legal requirements for residential designers vary by jurisdiction, so homeowners should look at the individual’s education, certifications, experience, portfolio, and actual scope of services.

Architect

An architect is a licensed professional whose education, experience, examination, and registration are regulated by the jurisdiction in which they practice.

Architects can provide residential design and construction documentation, and depending on the project and agreement, their services may extend into detailed specifications, consultant coordination, bidding, construction administration, and other phases of a project.

Hiring an architect does not automatically tell you how detailed the final plan set will be. The scope still needs to be defined in the professional agreement.

Structural Engineer

A structural engineer is responsible for structural design and calculations within their scope.

Depending on the project, that may include foundations, beams, headers, columns, floor and roof structures, reinforcement, retaining walls, lateral systems, and other structural components.

The architectural design and structural design must ultimately be coordinated, but they are different professional responsibilities.

Builder or General Contractor

The builder is responsible for actually executing and coordinating construction according to the contract, approved documents, applicable codes, engineering, manufacturer requirements, and the builder’s professional responsibilities.

The builder also coordinates subcontractors and makes many of the means-and-methods decisions that are neither architectural design nor engineering.

For an owner-builder, understanding this role is especially important. If you choose to perform some or all of the general contractor’s role yourself, the decisions and coordination normally handled by the contractor don’t disappear. You are taking responsibility for managing them.

Know What You Are Hiring

Before comparing fees for “house plans,” find out what those plans actually include.

Ask what stage the drawings will reach, what drawings and specifications will be provided, whether engineering is included or separate, who researches local requirements, who coordinates the engineer’s work, who handles construction details, and what happens when questions arise during construction.

Most importantly, understand where one professional’s responsibility ends and another’s begins.

A drafter, building designer, architect, engineer, and builder can all play valuable roles in creating a home. They simply aren’t providing the same service.

And neither are all sets of house plans.

Related Planning Resources

For the sequence of early decisions, read my Owner-Builder Roadmap. My home design process and home-building FAQs explain more about working with me.

Code editions and amendments depend on the authority having jurisdiction. The International Code Council’s code-adoption resources explain how jurisdictions adopt model codes and amendments. Confirm the actual submission requirements with the building department for your property.

Let’s Talk About the Drawings Your Project Needs

If you are planning a custom home and are unsure what kind of drawings you need, I can help you understand my design and documentation services and where they fit into your project. We can discuss the layout, exterior design, 3D visualization, and construction drawings, along with the engineering and other specialist services that may need to be provided separately.

Use the contact form below to tell me about your project, its location, and the stage you have reached.