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Designed to be modified by a professional (architect, engineer, designer, builder)
with computer aided design experience in the residential industry, our CAD files
make it possible to modify the drawings for local engineering and code requirements,
as well as design changes.
Our CAD files orders now include the following information
sent to you by US priority mail for no additional charge. They are usually mailed
out within 5 days of placing the order. Not only will you receive a computer
CD with the the following files, but you will also receive two printed 11x17
sets of the drawings, specs with custom energy recommendations, and one-time
copyright release. (We can still send them by e-mail also, so please inquire
about that too.)
We include the following combination of electronic and printed files. (If you
are a consumer with no CAD experience, don't worry if you can't understand the
information below as it is intended primarily for the design professional.)
1) CAD files -
Our default method of preparing the CAD files is in AutoCAD 2000 DWG file
type with the files split into separate files. This is what abut 95% of
our customers have been requesting over the past year. (You also have the
option of choosing AEC (DataCAD), DXF, or DWG (AutoCAD 12 through 14, but
you need to let us know of these other formats immediately after placing
your order).
We send the files compressed/zipped and they must therefore be uncompressed/unzipped
with appropriate software available on most computer systems. There may
be SHX file also for some DWG files that allows you to see any custom text
or line types and these must be used along with the DWG file of the same
name.
The split up files are organized by drawing type: site plan/cover sheet,
foundation/basement, first floor, second floor if applicable, exterior elevations,
section, kitchen elevations, wall detail, and garage if detached. The basement
and floor plans also contain the electrical and framing so certain layers
will need to be turned off for various drawings sheets.
If you order the all- in-one file approach, the foundation and floor plan
layers will be stacked to make it easy to check floor line up, and again
you will have to turn on just the layers applicable to that sheet. (DataCAD
"goto views" that will turn on just the layers needed for any
particular drawing sheet make it easy to work with the all-in-one file system
and some versions of AutoCAD also have that possibility. Most of our files
can be modified with DataCAD LT www.datacad.com
. DataCAD is also excellent at exporting to AutoCAD, and in fact, we have
never had a complaint about our CAD files when we have broken them up into
separate files for AutoCAD users. We strive to make our CAD files easy to
use and understand by a variety of software.)
The Sun Plans title blocks have been removed and each electronic file
contains a copyright notification to regarding their use. (See below.)
The drawing sheets are designed to be set up on 22x34 which allows for
half-scale printing on 11x17 which is good for check sets, but of course
can be printed onto 24x36 paper too.
The information is in these CAD files is most likely NOT exactly the same
as an earlier Construction Review Set that you may have ordered as we are
continuously revising and updating our drawings.
2) PDF Specifications - Approx. a 35 page document that includes Custom
Energy Recommendations that are particular to not only your location, but
also for the particular house plan. Since they are designed to accompany the
drawings, attach a copy of them to the cover of the printed, modified drawings.
The design professional and home owner may choose to mark up modifications
to the specs or attach their own specs as well.
3) PDF Drawings - These are the same as what is on the CAD files. In the
event information would show up differently, the PDF drawings allow the CAD
files to be verified. The drawings are setup to be printed onto 22x34. They
will print to approx. half scale onto 11x17. If you print to 24x36, do NOT
use the "expand to fit" setting.
4) Single Construction Lease and Authorization to Modify Plans - This gives
permission for someone else to modify our design and for one house to built
from the CAD files. (Contact us for the discount to allow for more than one
house to be built.)
Our CAD file orders come with specifications that contain General Specifications
and Custom Energy Recommendations which describe how to adapt the home to your
location by evaluating the insulation values, windows, thermal mass, overhang
lengths, and sometimes framing to accommodate necessary insulation. No matter
where you live in the US or Canada, we will make recommendations for you to
adapt the home to your climate!
When you place an order, please advise us of the location in which you plan
to build (city, state or province, county) and if you will have to orient the
south side of the home other than due true (not magnetic) south and, if so,
approximately how many degrees east or west of south your south wall will need
to face. (Our specs will give you information on how to find out these important
issues and assure that they are followed through on during construction. 45
degree plans MUST be oriented at exactly 45 degrees.))
Our CAD files are optionally available mirror
reversed (see price list or shopping cart for prices), but with the CAD
files, it is very easy for your design professional to perform the mirroring.
The price for the CAD files is normally listed at $450 more than the blueprints.
See the price list for each house plan in our shopping
cart. You may also later upgrade to CAD files from Blueprints or Vellums
for a similar additional fee plus a $100 upgrade fee.
The CAD files can be modified by your local architect, designer, engineer,
or builder, but please check with them first. The CAD files are recommended
for areas with high snow loads, earthquakes, unstable soils, or high winds since
a structural engineer will most likely need to add to or change our drawings.
(It is impossible to design a home that meets the extremes of all these conditions
or at least it would then be over designed and therefore cost more than necessary
to build.)
Most of our plans have originated from custom designs and have various levels
of drawings and details included based on what the client requested from us.
See each house plan description on the web site or in the flier, or look at
the drawings included in a current Construction Review Set.
We check (and sometimes update) our plans with each Blueprint, Vellum, or CAD
file order (we've been told we are the only ones in the house plan industry
that does this), but NOT with the Construction Review Set so later drawings
you receive may differ somewhat, but will be equal to or better in quality and
content from the Construction Review Set.
After you place your order for Blueprints, CAD files,
or Erasable Vellums, please feel free to send us by e-mail a list of concerns
that you have or issues that you would like for us to address in the Custom
Energy Recommendations. If they require little extra consulting and review time,
we will most likely address them with no additional charge. At that time, if
you let us know of changes your design professional plans to make to the CAD
files, we can address them to a limited extent in the custom energy recommendations.
For instance, you might want to tell us you are replacing the basement with
a crawlspace or slab foundation or changing the exterior walls to ICF. Then
we can leave in those parts of the specs.
Our pre-designed plans were created for one particular client with unique requests
based on their family, location, land slope, construction methods, climate,
and budget although they were all concerned about passive solar. (Some more
so than others, see the % of south glass with each plan.) Pay attention to your
own needs and listen to your local builder, architect, structural engineer,
energy professionals, etc. when you begin with our plans as they may recommend
a change that is in your best interest. The Custom Energy Recommendations provided
by Sun Plans will recommend energy-related elements best suited to your location
for a particular plan. If you are not comfortable with the limits of adapting
a pre-designed plan, then consider custom design by Sun Plans or others. If
you are a very detailed type of person or have a complex site, a local full-service
architect that can guide you all the way through construction, may best suit
your needs as our limited-service Internet-based design does have some limitations.
(See more information about our Custom
Design.)
Customer Support - buying a pre-designed plan does not come with the same level
of customer support as does Custom Design or Custom Changes to one of our plans.
Please scroll to the bottom of our FAQ
page to see the general level of customer support provided.
The contents of this site are copyright © 2002-2008 Sun Plans Inc.
All Rights Reserved. This material may not be reproduced or redistributed
without prior written permission. Please contact us for permission to
use or modify our designs and information. Thanks!
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