Permits & Reviews. Once the preliminary site plan is drawn, your local building or planning department can help you identify the building setbacks and any other regulations that may dictate how the property is developed and the house sited. Homes built in planned communities or subdivisions are often required to undergo an architectural review prior to submitting plans to the building or planning department who ultimately will issue the building permit.

Study Set. A study set of drawings can usually be purchased from a designer or plan company prior to committing to a full set construction documents. From the study set of drawings (cost: between $50 and $200) the actual length, width and height of the building can be used to determine if the house will fit on the property. The study set should include exterior elevations which your design professional can use to illustrate how the home will fit on the site. Plan study sets can be used in establishing a preliminary budget with the builder, however, complete drawings and specifications will be required to develop a final price. Construction drawings should not be purchased for the home until it has been proven that the building fits the site and a preliminary budget has been established.

Estimation Set. An Estimation Set is a smaller scale version of a full set of plans (in addition to dimensioned floor plans and elevations, this includes floor and roof framing, foundation plan, construction details and cross sections). This set enables a builder to determine accurate bid for a project. (Cost: between $200 and $400)