Latest Stories

Plan Collection
Designing Homes to Withstand Wind, Water, and Wildfire

With the media filled with news of wildfires, hurricanes, and damaging floods, it should be no surprise that weather proofing a newly built home is on the mind of many a new and potential homeowner. Learn what materials and building techniques will help protect your home against the elements.

Plan Collection
Home Building Trends: A Report from the 2018 International Builders’ Show

From home automation technology, energy-efficient innovations, multi-generational design concepts, and lighting styles to trends in cultured-stone and wood decor, mix-and-match doors, kitchen appliances, door locks, and tiles, the 2018 International Builders’ Show showcased amazing and exciting ideas that may shape the future of the building industry.

Plan Collection
The New American Home 2018 Features 21st Century Design and Technology in Tuscan Style

The main attraction of the International Builders’ Show, The New American Home 2018 is a stunning contemporary Tuscan home built on a 65,000-square-foot property just outside Orlando. The home showcases state-of-the-art building technologies, open spaces that highlight outdoor living, and spectacular views of Lake Apopka.

Plan Collection
Home Photo Contest: Win a $300 Visa Gift Card

Did you purchase plans from The Plan Collection? Have you built your amazing new home and wish everyone could see it? Now they can with our first photo contest! Submit a photo of your home and share it with friends and family for a chance to win a $300 Visa gift card!

Plan Collection
Tips for Choosing the Best Foundation for Your New House Plan

Part of building the best possible house from home plans is making sure it’s built on a solid foundation that will support your structure and serve your purposes. But different homes in various parts of the country will require different types of foundations. We’ll help you make the best foundation decisions.

Plan Collection
Top Trends in House Plan Design for 2018

Will the open floor plan continue to be in demand? Or will more formal spaces be on the horizon? What about farmhouses and exposed beams? With 2018 looming, residential architects and house designers weigh in on the top trends that may be “must-haves” for new and potential homeowners.

Plan Collection
2017’s Top 10 Most Expensive Christmas Gifts in Real Estate – And Affordable House Plan Alternatives

Imagine walking amid waterfalls and lakes in Texas ... hosting a ball in the Grand Salon of a Bel Air mansion … savoring fine wine in a Tuscan villa … or enjoying London on the roof terrace of a Regency townhouse. Dreams can come true. But there are intriguing simple pleasures within your reach.

Plan Collection
Breakthroughs in VR Technology Make It Affordable and Accessible for House Plans

You’ve probably heard of high-end virtual reality experiences like the $1,000+ Oculus Rift. However, breakthroughs in really good VR have made it affordable to most consumers – and The Plan Collection has introduced the first VR videos of ready-made house plans. Now, users can virtually walk through their future home.

Plan Collection
What to Build if You Have a Large or Multigenerational Family

Have four or more kids at home? Moving Grandma and Grandpa in with the rest of the family? Have a grown child who has decided to boomerang? Consider building a multigenerational or large home, which can give you the versatility you need to live with everyone under one roof.

Plan Collection
Design Ideas to Put a New Spin on the Timeless Eat-in Kitchen

As the kitchen continues to be a focus of architectural and interior design ideas, the eat-in kitchen has been “reinvented” as THE place for casual dining. With modern families’ busier lifestyles, an eat-in kitchen – where everyone can gather while meals are being prepared and then eat – is convenient and practical.