My wife and I are looking to start building a house. I was wondering if there are any good websites/software where you can design it yourself.

We used eplans.com. If you can't find what you want there, there's something wrong.
I made changes to my plan to make it just right. Our builder had no problem with the drawings.

I found mine on eplans too. I was naive to think that I could have the house built just like the plans I ordered, since a new law was passed last year that stiffened the regulations for building in this area. I had to conform to all kinds of coastal windstorm conditions and have the house reconfigured slightly by an engineering firm. Less windows, thicker walls, addition of sheer walls, etc.

The plans I ordered had a few problems, but nothing that couldn't be ironed out. The scale was all off on my first set, and the second set had a few miscalculated dimensions. I also changed a lot of the spec to what you would see in commercial buildings. Some architects just don't understand construction once it leaves paper.

Quoted: We used eplans.com. If you can't find what you want there, there's something wrong. I made changes to my plan to make it just right. Our builder had no problem with the drawings.

Yes he did, he just didn't tell you that in person.

Builders hate that.

"The worst thing you can have on a job site is female homeowner with a set of prints in her hands."

To the OP, good luck with that, do it right the first time, save yourself some grief.

Quoted: Quoted: We used eplans.com. If you can't find what you want there, there's something wrong. I made changes to my plan to make it just right. Our builder had no problem with the drawings. Yes he did, he just didn't tell you that in person. Builders hate that. "The worst thing you can have on a job site is female homeowner with a set of prints in her hands." To the OP, good luck with that, do it right the first time, save yourself some grief.

It's amazing what some architects come up with to "make their mark" on the world. I see it everyday when looking through plans.

Back to the topic. Even though I found my plan on eplans, this is the architect's own site that has some pretty kickass houses if you're into that particular style.
Period Style Homes

The wife and I looked at literally hundreds of plans and never found the "right" one.  What we ended up doing is making notes about what we liked in each plan and the style/type home we were looking for and we then went to an architect.


I'll let you know how it turns out.