Comparison of Online Resources for Home Plans

When looking for the perfect plan for your dream house, it's easy to be overwhelmed by all of the options available. There are literally thousands. A Google search will reveal that the number of web sites present is pretty vast, too. Fortunately, as you start to delve into the inner workings of each web site, you will find that there are differences to each one that make some more suited to use in your search in others.

The first that jumped out at me was the Dream Home Source web site (www.dreamhomesource.com). Featuring more than 18,000 designs, Dream Home Source has a very rich search function. The user may input the exact range of square footage he is considering, but then has the luxury of using "drop down" selectors to create of range of bedrooms and bathrooms desired. Another exciting function is the list of features desired. The user can check as many as he'd like. If the search doesn't provide enough options, then he can go back and uncheck one or two. The features listed cover numerous areas from location of master bedroom, location of laundry room, exterior style, and vaulted ceilings.

Once the list is compiled, the user can sort it by several different options including popularity or size. And once at the individual plan listing, the user is offered to search for similar plans or other plans by the same designer. Finally, the user is presented with an average cost to build. Although the cost details are pretty vague, being given as a low, medium and high average, a ballpark figure is incredibly helpful when weighing one plans details against another's.

Almost as big a presence as on the web as the Dream Home site, was E-Plans (www.eplans.com). It has virtually the same search functions, however does have fewer features to be checked as desired. E-Plans does not offer the cross reference by designer or to similar plans. Another drawback is its size of data. E-Plans, about two-thirds of Dream Home's size, has just under 11,000 plans available. Nonetheless, E-Plans is very user friendly and is another great starting point for the prospective custom home customer.