Frequently asked questions

To purchase additional identical sets of designed home plans at the unit copy price, your order must be placed within thirty (30) days of the original invoice date. Please quote the invoice number when you re-order.

To build in mirror reverse of the plans shown, indicate that on the order form. One set will be provided in reverse; the balance of the sets will be as illustrated on this site. Check with your local building authority to ensure they will accept plans marked “PLAN TO BE REVERSED.” The lettering and numbering on a reversed set will read backwards.

Our plans are drawn to meet the requirements of varied Canadian conditions and therefore meet or exceed the National Building Code and other provincial codes. Your plan can be built in any region of the country. Minor variations may be needed to meet local building codes.

Regional variation in the cost of labour and materials makes it impossible for us to estimate the cost of building our houses in different parts of the country. You can get a sense of local cost per square foot by consulting builders and real estate agents in your community. The people best able to determine the true cost are the general contractors who will bid on the job. Seek their advice before you commit to a course of action.

With the variety of homes offered by Spectrum Design, you are likely to find a plan that suits you. Plans can also be customized by your choice of siding, decorative detail, trim, colour, and other non-structural alterations. Minor modifications can often be handled by your builder without redrawing the blueprints.

If you decide to revise the plans significantly, we strongly suggest you consult one of our designers to redraw the plans for your needs. An hourly rate is charged for this service.

Most of our plans are drawn with either a full or partial basement foundation. Depending on your climate or regional building practices, you may wish to convert the basement to a slab or crawl space. Most professional contractors and builders can adapt plans to alternate foundation types.

A custom design is often the right solution when an existing plan does not fit the lot or the way you want to live. Call our design consultants to discuss your requirements. There is no cost and no obligation for an estimate on turning your brief into drawings.

We guarantee your satisfaction. Blueprints are not sent on approval and are not returnable for a refund. We will exchange them on the following terms: all sets must be returned in original condition and accompanied by the invoice number, and they will be accepted for exchange up to thirty (30) days from the invoice date.

The resulting credit may be used as payment at the time of re-order for up to twelve (12) months. Re-orders from exchanges are subject to a service charge of $95.

Reproduction of the illustrations or working drawings is prohibited except as allowed by the licence you purchase. The purchaser has the right to build only one structure from the plans purchased, and the plans cannot be resold. Exceptions are permitted only by written authorization. See our Terms of Use for the full licence.

An artist’s rendering of the exterior of the house, drawn in two-point perspective, gives you an idea of how the house may look when built and landscaped. Some example images on this site are generated with artificial intelligence. They illustrate the design; they are not photographs of a finished house.

Drawings at 1/4" scale show the front, rear, and sides of the house and give notes on exterior materials and finishes. Attention is given to brick, stone, or other finish items that make the home distinctive.

Complete at 1/4" scale, these plans show the layout of each floor. Rooms and interior spaces are dimensioned, and keys are provided for the cross-section details given later in the plans. Specific notes for construction are included.

Drawn to 1/4" scale, this sheet shows the foundation layout, floor joist layout, and the measurements and notes required to construct the foundation.

Yes. Cross-sections show how the house is put together, including the foundation, walls, trusses, stairs, and joists. They are a practical guide for construction because they show how the parts of the house fit together.

The plans show typical locations for electrical outlets, switches, lights, smoke detectors, heat ducts, cold-air returns, and notes to aid construction. Your HVAC professional, electrician, and plumber will work with you and the equipment being installed to confirm code compliance.

Our home plans include a standard site plan with open dimensions that the owner or builder can fill in. Many municipalities now require site plans drawn to scale. For a nominal fee, for most plans, we can draw a site plan to scale showing the house on the lot.

To prepare that drawing, send a copy of a legal survey indicating dimensions, bearings, easements, and steep grades, plus the required setback, side yard, and rear yard allowances. Those allowances come from your local municipality or building authority. A land survey company, or sometimes a local realtor, can supply or prepare the survey.

Our plans include a development of the basement for immediate or future construction, which can increase the value of the home.

For an additional charge, we can provide a computerized materials list for most plans. It is an itemized quantity take-off to help with planning, pricing, and coordinating trades.

Building practices and material availability vary by region, so some adjustments may be necessary. Mechanical details for heating, plumbing, and electrical are supplied by local contractors. All dimensions, materials, and specifications must be checked before construction. Report any discrepancy to Spectrum Design before you proceed.

Local building authorities may require an engineer’s report and seal for non-standard conditions such as high snow or wind loads (pre-designed plans are designed to a maximum ground snow load of 40 lbs. per square foot), unusual site conditions, special seismic requirements, or a structure that exceeds the specifications of the applicable building code.

When that review is required, it is the plan buyer’s responsibility. A qualified professional engineer in your area can provide it for an additional fee.

The PDF is provided at its original sheet size. The licence allows you to build the chosen house one time only, and to print the number of copies included in the PDF package you purchased, for your personal use on that project.

To build more than one house, contact us for a multi-use building licence. PDF sets are not available with every house plan. Changes to plans should only be made by qualified professionals. Spectrum Design is not responsible for changes made to plans by others.

You may use the PDF version of a specific home plan for up to 12 months from the time of purchase. The PDF is site-specific and is not to be forwarded to anyone who is not directly working on the site shown on the file.

Attempts to manipulate the file, including whiting out or deleting the lot, block, or plan numbers, will be treated as an attempt to use the PDF to build more than once. Spectrum Design & Drafting Studios Ltd. will treat that as theft of proprietary property and will seek compensation.

Plans are delivered in Adobe PDF, a standard format for sharing drawings. Adobe Reader is free software that lets you view and print PDF documents.

No. Exterior views and other example renderings are illustrations of the design. Some are drawn by hand or in CAD, and some are produced with generative artificial intelligence. They suggest massing, materials, and landscaping. They are not a photograph of a completed house and they are not part of the construction set.

Finishes, colours, furnishings, sky, and the lot around the house in a rendering may differ from what you build. Where an illustration and a working drawing disagree, the drawing governs.