Larry's Custom Houseplans Agreement
The benefits of custom houseplans agreements, such as this one, serve equally well the interests of all involved in the process of designing your new home - both you and the designer. It minimizes the guesswork and potential misunderstandings of what you are - and should be - expecting.
This page may only seem like so much "legalese" but is well worth your time and thorough understanding! (We'll try to keep it as simple, straight-forward, and painless as possible. You won't regret it!)
Also, please note: Although this page contains some repetitious details from the previous page (if you linked to it from our 'custom home floor plans' anyway), it is necessary due to this being the actual contract to get your dream home in progress. Enjoy the verification! ;)
With that said: for the sake of clarity and ease of reading, LARRY’S HOME DESIGNS will hereafter be referred to as We, Us, or Our. Larry’s Home Designs’ client will hereafter be referred to as You or Your or I. This document is considered a binding contract between Larry’s Home Designs and the person who requested custom houseplans design services from Us.
- As the future homeowner, it is Your responsibility to clearly present your ideas to Us in what You are looking for in Your new home. As an example, if You have a very clear idea of what You want and You give us clear sketches of Your home, we will simply turn Your sketches into working construction drawings. However, if you only have a vague idea of what you want, then we will gladly offer design advice and expand on your ideas. You have the absolute freedom to veto any suggestion we make.
- Our custom houseplans include the following, if required:
- SHEET #1: Elevation drawings. This sheet portrays the outside views of your home.
SHEET #2: Basement/Foundation Plan.
SHEET #3: First Floor Plan.
SHEET #4: Second Floor Framing Plan. Usually for log homes only.
SHEET #5: Second Floor Plan.
SHEET #6: Roof Framing Plan.
SHEET #7: Cross-section "A". One section is always required for a permit.
SHEET #8: Cross-section "B". May be required for a more detailed home.
SHEET #9: Cross-section "C". May be required for a very detailed home.
SHEET #10: Basement Electric Plan.
SHEET #11: First Floor Electric Plan.
SHEET #12: Second Floor Electric Plan.
SHEET #13: Detail Sheet. This details truss designs and/or any other detail of your house that needs to be clarified for your builder.
- We reserve the right to shift the placement of any of the above-mentioned sheets. Sometimes a Roof Framing Plan is not necessary, or a Detail Sheet. We cover all the construction details, but we will never do extra work to detail what is a common construction practice. That would waste our time and your money.
- We are structural designers only. We do not do plumbing, heating or air-conditioning schematics.
- What we do not cover: We are not general contractors. We do not do site development (driveways, septic systems, well drilling, excavation), permit acquirement, schedule appointments with local building inspection officials, schedule any lumber deliveries, or any other responsibilities involved with the construction process.
- Our custom houseplans are construction drawings designed to meet general building codes. If your local area has specific requirements, please make us aware of them before we start. If your township requires stamped drawings in order to obtain a building permit, we can have the drawings stamped for you by a licensed structural engineer. A stamp usually expedites the approval process.
- When your custom houseplans are nearing completion, we will call you and verify if the design has remained the same or if you wish to have changes made to your plans. We will gladly make any amount of changes you want, just understand it will increase the cost of your custom houseplans due to one change usually creating a domino effect on all the other sheets in the set of plans.) When you inform us everything is the way you want it, we will complete the entire job. We only do lumber estimations upon request, so please let us specifically know if you want a lumber estimation done for your project.
- We will notify you when the design and estimation work has been completed, and what your total invoice amount is. This speeds up the transaction of transferring money and plans. We do not ship any plans until everything has been paid in full, unless you are a contractor in good standing with our company. If you wish to see an itemized invoice before you send money, we will be more than happy to email, fax or snail mail one to you.
- For your convenience we now accept credit cards, checks, money orders, cashiers checks and bank checks. We are accepting e-checks online through Paypal only. If paying by credit card please call our office directly at 717-989-4491 to process your order personally over the phone. If you choose to pay by Paypal, we reserve the right to add a 3% transaction fee on top of your invoice total. If the balance due is not paid within 20 days, an interest rate of 1½% interest per month will accrue, for a total of 18% per year. In the event of an overdue balance, Larry's Home Designs reserves the right to employ the necessary agencies to collect the outstanding debt, and You, the client, will be responsible for the outstanding balance, collection fees and interest accrued on the outstanding debt.
- The cost to design your home varies with the individual custom houseplan itself. A $750 deposit is required before beginning the design work. Then a fee of $55.00 per hour is charged for the duration of the job. A lumber list will only be provided if it is requested. A fee of $3.00 per 18" x 24" sheet will be added for the sets of house plans. A fee of $3.50 per 24" x 36" sheet is charged if your home requires that size sheet. There is a customer service fee of $150.00 for our special follow-up service after the design service is complete. This service allows you to call an unlimited number of times with any questions you may have before, during or after the construction of your home. Your original $750 deposit is deducted off the invoice total.
- You will receive a total of 7 sets of plans to use during the construction of your home. Generally, one for the foundation contractor, general contractor, electrician, plumber, and the heating and cooling contractor. The remainder is for you, the homeowner. Most townships need 3 sets for your building permit, but they normally return 2 sets when you are approved. You are billed at the per-sheet price for the 7 sets of plans. Should you decide that you do not need 7 sets, you will only be billed for what you need. You may always order more sets later at the same per-sheet price.
- All custom houseplans become the property of Larry's Home Designs and may not be reproduced without written permission. We design every building to the best of our ability, and cannot be responsible for design and structure changes on the job site that have not been pre-approved. We also cannot be responsible for property damage resulting from negligence and/or shoddy workmanship on the job site. Neither are we liable for damage resulting from Acts of God such as hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, lightning, wind, rain, etc..
- In the event a visit to the job site is required, a rate of .55 cents per mile, round trip, and total time spent away from my home office/office will be added to the invoice.
- If, for any reason, you request that your custom houseplans get put on hold or just simply terminated You will still be responsible for paying the full amount of hours that we have invested in your project.
- We sometimes bill projects on a (30) thirty day cycle; approximately the 10th of every month, for work that has been done. In the event your project takes less than a month, you will be billed only once at the completion of the job. Hours on the job will include meeting time, time spent on the phone with you discussing your project, and as mentioned in Item 13, time spent on the road for your project if that would be necessary to visit the job site. If you decide to pay your invoices via PayPal, a mandatory 3% will need to be added on top of the total. PayPal is faster, but it brings an added cost of transfer fees.
I, the undersigned, agree to the above terms and give Larry's Home Designs permission to proceed with the custom houseplans of my construction project. I am including $750 ($772.50 via Paypal) for my security deposit for my home design, as well as my basic design that I need finalized.
Client Name (printed) ______________________________________________________
Client Signature Date
Address:______________________________________________
City, St, ZIP_________________________________________
Phone:________________________________________________
Email:________________________________________________
Preferred method to receive your "Fast-Start Home Design Kit": ______________________________________________________
PS. If you prefer emailing, mailing, or faxing "Larry's Custom Houseplans Agreement" simply print this page and proceed as required.
PPS. Otherwise, simply click on the "Order" button to get your dream home project in motion faster. Your personal information will be requested during checkout. May your dreams come true!
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The Secret Psychology Behind 20+ Years of Home Design Success
What Our Clients Say
"We sent a layout to Larry with lots of modifications on it in writing. To our surprise, he designed our blueprints to exactly what we were wanting without any questions. He did a very wonderful job and it was also great how he listed each load that would be needed in sequence. We were very impressed with his work and at a very reasonable price. We would recommend him to anyone."
- Carrie Albright,
S. Bloomingville, OH
Believe me, Larry & his ability to design structures, is a 'jewel in the rough.' I was referred to him as an experienced log home designer & I had either a log (or log slab) home in mind. I contacted Larry, & in no time, had plans & the specifications. This was to the last nail & piece of siding.
Larry's work is reasonably priced & excellent quality. He knows builders & suppliers who can have you in 'front of the fireplace' in no time.
- James E. Vaughan,
Groveport OH
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And Even More Say
You are truly a "wonder worker". I called the township today to see if they had any news on our plans we gave them and the guy said he would have everything ready for me to pick up the permit next Wed. WOW!!!!! I have never heard of or seen anything go through so quickly - you have the talent, Larry.
I am so glad that we may be able to get this project underway before the real cold weather sets in and the builder can maybe be working on the interior by that time and maybe Mom can be here early spring. She turns 80 in April and we would love to have an 80th Birthday party and housewarming all in one for her and all her friends. We will see how the Lord leads. He is working quickly in all of this and I am amazed and what He has done through you and the builder. Thank you so much. I will be taking pictures and keeping you updated on all of it. We do promote you any opportunity that we get. You are GREAT!
Thank you
Ron and Marcy Shingle
PS - the check (really) is in the mail!
Larry,
…your website and found it to be very entertaining. It was geared to getting the "Larry's Homes novice" to do what I had pretty much already decided on from the great phone conversation we had, which is trust your expertise in your industry.
-Alan Leeth, Virginia
"In my line of work I build both log and conventional homes. It can be difficult to find someone who can draw prints for both styles. I received a flyer in advertising Larry's Home Design. I was planning to build a house for myself and decided to try Larry's that way I could guage whether I would use him for my clients. I was very impressed and since then Larry's Home Design draws prints for all our customers."
- Marvin Fisher
Denlinger-Fisher Builders,
New Holland PA