Many do-it-yourselfers know the joy of poring over house plan books. Part frugality and part hobby, the process provides infinite hours of enjoyment studying the placement of staircases and laundry rooms, and debating the need for formal dining rooms or soaking tubs in the master bath. The Internet has elevated house-plan ogling to a science, with hundreds of sites offering tens of thousands of plans, searchable by square footage, foundation type, number of bedrooms, baths and garage bays, architectural style, lot size and much more. When it's time to move past the daydream phase into actually buying plans, there are a few things buyers need to know. The first is that they can't be returned, so you need to be ready to buy when you click the "order" button. Before you spend hundreds of dollars on a set of stock plans, make a trip to your local city or county building department. Ask if they'll issue a building permit from stock plans or if you need a seal from a local architect. You also need to know if they'll allow you to make minor changes to the plans in the field or if the house must be built exactly as the plans are drawn. You also need to find out about easements and setback requirements on your lot. Unfortunately, this is the step that people skip far too often, says Linda Reimer, president of Design Basics, a stock house-plan provider. "They fall in love with a plan," she says. "It's such an emotional thing. Then they call us back and say it won't fit on their lot." It's also important to understand exactly what you're buying. Many people think they're paying for a stack of papers that show various segments of the house's construction, including the framing, the electrical system and the plumbing. You get the stack of papers, all right, but you're actually buying a construction license to build the copyrighted plan and the right to modify it. Dan Ramsey, author of "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Building Your Own Home," says that buying stock plans can dramatically cut the cost of designing your own home. An architect may charge 2 percent to 3 percent of the project's value for a full set of plans — that's $5,000 to $7,500 for a $250,000 house. Stock plans typically can be ordered for as little as $300, with the average running between $500 and $1,000. Not all stock plan services are created equally. Ramsey recommends asking for a free or low-cost sample package that you can take to a local builder or architect for an opinion on the quality of the design. "The right stock plans can save you thousands of dollars," he says. "The wrong ones can waste thousands in building costs." Reimer says her company is accustomed to requests for major changes. Most people get attached to a basic floor plan and the exterior appearance (which builders call the elevation), Reimer says. From there, pretty much everything is fair game for revisions. "I'm talking about a total redraw of the kitchen, the bath, stretching the house, things that change the roof line," she says. "We red-line everything and it looks like a big bloody mess." That level of change doesn't come cheap, she says. Expect fees ranging from $500 to $1,500 from a plan provider with an in-house design department, but at that point, you truly have a custom home. When choosing a stock plan provider, start with a company that offers an array of plans, Reimer says. Check the dates on the plans to see when they were drawn. The most-reputable providers are always adding new plans that reflect the latest trends in home-building. They'll also have on-site customer service and technical support to walk you through the construction process. That's important because as many as half the people who buy stock plans are do-it-yourselfers who intend to build the house themselves or act as their own general contractor. "I always get a kick out of the guy who calls up and says, 'I built a couple sheds; I want to try to build this house,' " Cadenhead says. "I say, 'OK, what's your name?' because I'm going to hear from this guy a lot." Many do-it-yourselfers know the joy of poring over house plan books. Part frugality and part hobby, the process provides infinite hours of enjoyment studying the placement of staircases and laundry rooms, and debating the need for formal dining rooms or soaking tubs in the master bath. The Internet has elevated house-plan ogling to a science, with hundreds of sites offering tens of thousands of plans, searchable by square footage, foundation type, number of bedrooms, baths and garage bays, architectural style, lot size and much more. When it's time to move past the daydream phase into actually buying plans, there are a few things buyers need to know. The first is that they can't be returned, so you need to be ready to buy when you click the "order" button. Before you spend hundreds of dollars on a set of stock plans, make a trip to your local city or county building department. Ask if they'll issue a building permit from stock plans or if you need a seal from a local architect. You also need to know if they'll allow you to make minor changes to the plans in the field or if the house must be built exactly as the plans are drawn. You also need to find out about easements and setback requirements on your lot. Unfortunately, this is the step that people skip far too often, says Linda Reimer, president of Design Basics, a stock house-plan provider. "They fall in love with a plan," she says. "It's such an emotional thing. Then they call us back and say it won't fit on their lot." It's also important to understand exactly what you're buying. Many people think they're paying for a stack of papers that show various segments of the house's construction, including the framing, the electrical system and the plumbing. You get the stack of papers, all right, but you're actually buying a construction license to build the copyrighted plan and the right to modify it. Dan Ramsey, author of "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Building Your Own Home," says that buying stock plans can dramatically cut the cost of designing your own home. An architect may charge 2 percent to 3 percent of the project's value for a full set of plans — that's $5,000 to $7,500 for a $250,000 house. Stock plans typically can be ordered for as little as $300, with the average running between $500 and $1,000. Not all stock plan services are created equally. Ramsey recommends asking for a free or low-cost sample package that you can take to a local builder or architect for an opinion on the quality of the design. "The right stock plans can save you thousands of dollars," he says. "The wrong ones can waste thousands in building costs." Reimer says her company is accustomed to requests for major changes. Most people get attached to a basic floor plan and the exterior appearance (which builders call the elevation), Reimer says. From there, pretty much everything is fair game for revisions. "I'm talking about a total redraw of the kitchen, the bath, stretching the house, things that change the roof line," she says. "We red-line everything and it looks like a big bloody mess." That level of change doesn't come cheap, she says. Expect fees ranging from $500 to $1,500 from a plan provider with an in-house design department, but at that point, you truly have a custom home. When choosing a stock plan provider, start with a company that offers an array of plans, Reimer says. Check the dates on the plans to see when they were drawn. The most-reputable providers are always adding new plans that reflect the latest trends in home-building. They'll also have on-site customer service and technical support to walk you through the construction process. That's important because as many as half the people who buy stock plans are do-it-yourselfers who intend to build the house themselves or act as their own general contractor. "I always get a kick out of the guy who calls up and says, 'I built a couple sheds; I want to try to build this house,' " Cadenhead says. "I say, 'OK, what's your name?' because I'm going to hear from this guy a lot." ..