HOUSE PLAN SPECS
Floor 1
1,490 sf
Daylight Basement
1,640 sf
Entry Faces
North
South Glass
9%
Complexity
average
Garden Delight
PLAN PRICING
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Study Plans
See larger, clearer, and more drawings than what are shown on the individual house plan pages.
The price can be credited to future orders of Construction Prints or CAD Files of any Sun Plan even if a completely different house plan is later purchased.(Some exceptions if customer requires Study Plan level of consulting.)
Study Plans can be ordered from the Pricing tab for each house plan.
Study Plans include:
- A mini set of design-oriented drawings set up for 11"x17".
- A choice between a Paper version sent by US Priority Mail or the PDF version sent via email.
- Unlimited printing with PDF's for sharing with family members.
- 6 to 9 pages of drawings depending upon the complexity of the home.
- Click here to see an example set for a 1.5 story home with daylight basement.
- Schematic site plan, floor plans (with room sizes and furniture), daylight basements if applicable, exterior elevations, a schematic section of the house to help visualize the interior, kitchen elevations and garage plans.
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Review Sets
Review Sets provide information to help decide whether the design will meet the budget. They are mainly for those who crave technical details, have construction experience or have a builder on board.
The price can be credited to future orders of Construction Prints or CAD Files of any Sun Plan even if a completely different house plan is later purchased. (Some exceptions if customer requires Review Set level of consulting.)
Review Sets can be ordered from the Pricing tab for each house plan..
Review Sets include:
- A mini set of construction drawings set up for 11"x17"
- Choice of PAPER sent by US Priority Mail or PDF version sent via email. (Select PDF to print extra copies or share electronically with other building professionals.)
- 10 to 16 pages of drawings depending upon the complexity of the home.(See each house plan description for the drawings that come with each design.)
- Dimensions and construction notes.
- Click here to see an example Review Set of a 1.5 story home with daylight basement.
- A copy of the Study Plan.
- An "Opinion of Probable Construction Cost" from Sun Plans if requested. Sun Plans evaluates the design and compares it to similar home designs for which other clients have provided construction costs. A range of construction cost is provided. (This is based on national information. Sun Plans does not have statistics by state, region or country.)
Review Sets may vary slightly from later orders of Construction Prints and CAD Files since drawings are continuously being updated to meet newer construction and in-house standards,
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Construction Prints
Large Construction Prints with clear, concise information make it easy for builders to follow yet they are flexible enough to adapt locally based on the price and availability of materials and subcontractors, various construction methods and home owner preferences. Together, every builder and home owner will change some aspects of the design before or during construction. If mutually agreeable (and approved by the building inspector and local engineer), these "field changes" can often be made with red notes on the Construction Prints. (For complex changes, please see CAD Files or Adapt-A-SunPlan Services.)
Construction Prints include:
- Six sets of Construction Prints on 24"x36" paper shipped via UPS ground or PDF computer files sent by email
- 10 to 16 pages of drawings depending upon the size and complexity of the home. (See individual house plan descriptions for specific drawings for each design.)
- Schematic site plan (cover sheet showing how to orient the house for passive solar gain)
- Foundation Plan (either slab-on-grade, crawlspace, below grade or daylight basement)
- First and second floor plans (many construction notes, window sizes, etc.)
- Exterior elevations (all four sides shown in hatched detail)
- Schematic Building section (cut-away through the home showing basic configuration)
- Kitchen elevations (all sides of the kitchen)
- Typical wall detail (showing the various building materials recommended)
- Schematic electrical (showing lights, switches and outlets)
- Schematic framing plans (showing floor framing, roof framing and beams)
- Garage or Carport
- Custom Energy Specs. (Read more.)
- Under the Tell Me More about the Review Set, you can see an example set of drawings; however, with Construction Prints, the plans are updated to the current in-house checklist, do not have the Not For Construction, and include the Custom Energy Specs.
- One hour of technical support with the architect by email or phone
Miscellaneous Details
- Order Construction Prints through the Pricing tab on any house plan.
- After an order is placed, reply to the email received to advise of the requested information Sun Plans will need to prepare the Custom Energy Specs.
- Allow 5 business days for updating the design to the Sun Plans in-house checklist and preparation of the the Custom Energy Specs. (Shipping then takes another 3-7 days.)
- With PDF's, unlimited copies of the Construction Prints can be printed locally so long as they are used for building one home. PDF's are handy for sending to builders, mortgage companies, appraisers, home energy raters, and others who may be assisting with the planning and construction of the home such as the builder's subcontractors. Some building inspection departments require PDF.
Rick is in the lighting business and reviews construction prints in his work.
They are wonderful! If you saw most of the drawings and specifications I see, you would wonder how anything got built properly...It is just nice to see a true professional who does the job correctly and takes pride in her work. In my 34 years of working with Architects you are hands down the best I have had the privilege to work with. - Rick
A client sent a set of Construction Prints (designed for stick construction) to a SIP company to have them converted to SIPs. This is what they told the home owners:
I also wanted to take this opportunity to confirm your selection of Sun Plans Inc. We receive many sets of drawings each day that are interested in comparing SIPs. The drawings submitted by Sun Plans Inc. were high quality and very easy for us to work from. - Steve, SIPS of the South
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CAD Files
CAD files are the most flexible type of construction drawings since they can be modified and sent electronically. While the house design is intended to save the home owner energy, the CAD files are designed to save the energy of design professionals by making adaptations proceed faster should it be desired to have someone other than Sun Plans make the changes. The PDF files that are a part of the order allow for printing unlimited Construction Prints even if no changes are made. CAD files are intended to be used by professionals experienced in residential design.
CAD Files Include:
- CAD files of the Construction Drawings (see below for options)
- PDF file of the Construction Prints (see Construction Prints)
- PDF file of Custom Energy Specs
- PDF file of Copyright Release to allow the house to be modified and changed to build one house
- Under the Tell Me More about the Review Set, you can see an example set of drawings; however, with Construction Prints and CAD Files, the plans are updated to the current in-house checklist, do not have the Not For Construction, and include the Custom Energy Specs.
- One hour of technical support. This can include review by the Sun Plans' architect on proposed changes prior to preparing Custom Energy Specs. If the customer sends a list of proposed changes immediately after placing the order, the architect can review them for energy implications and try to address them in the Custom Energy Specs.
CAD File Details
- Order CAD files through the Pricing tab on any house plan.
- After an order is placed, reply to the email received to advise of the requested information Sun Plans will need to prepare the Custom Energy Specs.
- Allow 5 business days for to allow for updating the design to the Sun Plans in-house checklist and preparation of the the Custom Energy Specs.
- With the CAD files, many changes can be made to the design.
- With PDF's (part of the CAD file order), unlimited copies of the Construction Prints can be printed locally so long as they are used for building one home. PDF's are handy for sending to builders, mortgage companies, appraisers, home energy raters, and others who may be assisting with the planning and construction of the home such as the builder's subcontractors. Some building inspection departments require PDF.
- If consulting on changes is desired before the order is placed, then Adapt-A-SunPlan Consulting and Review Service is the process to take.
- The design professional may expand the house a couple of feet, change the exterior materials, move a bathroom, or rearrange interior walls and doors.
- The structural engineer may want to add engineering information such as rebar sizes and specific connections suitable for the local codes, soils, winds, snow or seismic activity.
- The builder may find it easier to perform take offs and layouts with this electronic version of construction prints.
- Home Energy Raters or HVAC subs creating duct work layouts can increase the speed and accuracy of their services.
Info for the Design Professional
- The CAD Files are designed to be used by an experienced residential design professional
- The standard method of preparing the CAD files is in AutoCAD 2000 DWG file type, with the files split into separate files. Approximately 95% of CAD file orders are prepared in this format. (Sun Plans can export to any version of AutoCAD between version 12 (released in 1992) and 2021, but 2000 is the default as that seems to be the most common one that design professionals can use including those with older versions of the software. It is not uncommon for other design professionals to use very old versions of AutoCAD.
- Can't use any of these CAD File types, but still want the local design professional to copy and redraw the design with changes? The Copyright Release that comes only with CAD Files allow for this. (Please see Copyright.)
- Special requests for all-in-one CAD files, DXF or AEC (DataCAD) files can be honored if advised within one business day of the order.
- Split CAD Files are divided into separate files - cover sheet, foundation, first floor, second floor, elevations, section, kitchen, wall detail, and detached garage as applicable. More than one of the printed sheet may be in each file. For instance, the fp1elect and fp1framing will also be in the fp1 file, but these are recommended to be printed separately as shown in the PDF files that come with the CAD Files.
- More questions? Have the design professional contact us.
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Mirror Reverse
Similar to the Mirror Reverse feature for each house plan, mirror reversing Construction Prints and CAD Files flips the house plan on the north-south axis. However, the Mirror Reverse custom service also reverses the text and numbers so that they are no longer backwards. The drawings will be "right reading". It takes some time to check for overlapping text and numbers, but it is a worthwhile service considering the errors that can be made by the builders and their subs if they otherwise tried to reverse the home during construction.
In rectangular plans designed with one long wall designed to face south, the south and north sides will still face the same compass direction, but the east and west walls are reversed. In angled plans designed to sit at a 45 degree angle to south, the mirror line is from the northern-most corner to the southern-most corner which is a diagonal line across the house. What was the northwest wall would then become the northeast wall, and what was the southwest wall would then become the southeast wall.
Instances of when reversing might help include when the home owners want the entry on the east rather than the west. Or maybe a bedroom on the west is desired instead of the east-facing bedroom if light is not wanted from the sunrise. There are hundreds of reasons for mirror reversing a house along the north-south axis. Sometimes the architect suggests it during the Review and Consulting phase of any custom services based on the home owners' site or other particulars.
A local design professional can also do the reversing with the CAD Files.
Mirror Reverse is a not available for the lower-priced Study Plans and Review Sets.
The Garden Delight has a north wrap-around front porch large enough for family reunions and music jamming! One end is spacious enough for hammocks. Plenty of rocking chairs fit in the middle. The west end leads to the side, family entry where fresh vegetables can be brought in from the garden. Below in the sunroom, spring plants can sprout near the hot tub that overlooks the southeast part of the property. The numerous outdoor living areas around this compact floor plan are for those who like being outside more than in. Wrap the porch on the east side to connect to the southern living area.
First Floor
The central foyer splits the two north, cool bedrooms and leads immediately into the center of the home. The living areas are on the south as are the stairs that lead down to the sunny daylight basement. With no traffic circulation through the living area, there is no square footage wasted for walking paths which allows more room for furniture. East-facing windows balance the light in the living area and allow for views to the east. The master bathroom on the east will also brighten as the sun rises.
The smaller of the two bedrooms connects to a bath that is shared with the laundry making it easy to clean up after a messy day of gardening. Each bedroom has a walk-in closet and bath.
On the north side of the kitchen is a large pantry. The kitchen island is for food prep and eating. With no appliances on the island, it can remain uncluttered. The kitchen sink looks out to the south and an opening into the stairwell provides a peak of the setting sun through the west window above the stairs.
The southwest deck is perfect for grilling. The family foyer is between it and the front porch creating a place for the family to drop off boots, coats and backpacks.
Daylight Basement
The bottom of the U-shaped stairs is near the root cellar for quick access to produce. The nearby kitchenette is perfect for a garden kitchen. Two bedrooms on the east end share a large wheelchair-friendly bathroom with the central office or living area. Renters or guests will love the privacy and self-sufficiency of this lower level. The sunroom can be opened as necessary to the home when there is not too much moisture. Those on both levels will enjoy the hot tub that can be accessed from outside and heated with solar water from the roof above.
Detached Garage
The two-vehicle garage with a workshop and/or greenhouse space is recommended to be placed to the northwest of the main house. A covered walkway can connect to the side porch.
Construction Info
The first floor and basement both have 8' ceilings for economical construction, but the main living areas also have slightly vaulted ceilings created with scissors roof trusses. The foundation is poured in place concrete with interior insulation. The first floor walls are 6", but can be thicker. The total south glass of the living areas of both floors averages 7% with the extra thermal mass of the basement tempering the first floor with 9% south glass since the two spaces are open to each other.
Modification Ideas
Since these may affect energy performance and structural integrity, they should only be undertaken with professional assistance.
- Screen in part of the front or side porch
- Remove the sunroom for cost savings
- Add a laundry room in the basement
Construction Drawings
For this plan, the following are included with Construction Prints and CAD Files:
- Schematic Site Plan
- Daylight Basement Foundation Plan
- First Floor Plan
- Exterior Elevations
- Building Section
- Kitchen Elevations
- Typical Wall Detail
- Schematic Framing Plans
- Schematic Electrical Plans
- Detached Garage Plan
Comments and Photos
Garden Delight was designed for Leslie and George who also needed a lower level for others who stay with them on a regular basis.
"Everyone that visits is just amazed and loves how the house looks, loves the windows and all the light, and asks about the design of it, lol they ask if I designed it myself as it is "unique" I guess. Also, my husband always comments on how well it "flows" and that seems to be a common observation of guests too. The spaces are all just right for our needs and the root cellar especially has been so so wonderful. I thought at first it was bigger than I needed, but no, it is just right and I can do so much with that space relating to our ongoing "food factory" activities. Just canned 9 quarts of tomato juice today from the last of the tomatoes I picked a week ago before the frosts started hitting. Donnie loves the front porch and goes outside to sit in the swivel rocker fairly often with his lap dog.
"Sonny Ridgeway, builder, doesn't even do email. He is retired but doing a project per year or so.
"I know they used closed cell foam in the wall. I don't know about the exterior foam insulation, maybe; everything has been so hectic I didn't keep up with all the details on some things like that. I do know the house is VERY quiet inside, you can't hear even loud equipment going on outside. It was amazing when he put the insulation in how quiet it got in there.
"It has been very nice inside without air conditioning up until about a week ago when we had the party. There is wonderful ventilation with the windows open. It was pretty warm in the winter too once the windows and insulation were in, I have a picture of a thermometer somewhere in that construction album of how warm it was in the living room area with no heat on a cold day, even before the siding and caulking were done.
"Summer was no problem, just running the AC set at 78 upstairs worked fine, and the basement was really cool. Sept Oct the same, never got too hot. Now (mid-November) that it has gotten cold at night, but sunny and warm in the day and we aren't running the air conditioning anymore, it has been really really warm upstairs some sunny days. So we can open the windows and cool things off, but then we want to hold in some of the heat for night time, so I wasn't sure how exactly to handle it, if we should open them for a few hours or try to keep them shut to absorb the heat or what. It was down in the high 20's last night outside, but the house never got below 72 and the heat never had to come on, then today zoom! up to 80 to 82 fairly quickly. Today we managed to just keep the windows shut and it was just a little uncomfortable, not that bad. Anyway, we weren't sure how to handle this time of year with opening the windows, etc--and of course it is a good problem to have! We are just amazed at how warm the house is! I absolutely love it!
(Debbie suggested for those extra sunny winter days to maybe add a small in-line fan to pull the hot air from the first floor down to the basement which has a lot of thermal mass. )
"love love love the house! Thanks" - Leslie
And thanks to Leslie for the lively photos taken during one of their the front porch jam sessions.
