Can you modify a house plan? Changes, cost and the quickest route
A stock house plan can be changed: a bedroom, the kitchen, the garage, the openings, even the whole plan flipped. Which changes you can make, what they cost and which route fits yours.
By Jovan Milivojević, founder and lead designerPublished 4 min read
Yes. A stock house plan can be modified: a bedroom, the kitchen, the garage or the openings to the garden. At Morava Modern, changes to a design start from $99, with a free quote within 3 business days, and the Studio Set includes one round of changes in its price. Here is which route fits which change.
Can you modify a stock house plan?
Yes, as long as the change goes back into the drawings. A modification is redrawn by the studio that drew the design, so the plans, elevations, sections and schedules all agree again. Marking changes on a PDF and leaving the rest to the build leaves the set out of step with the house.
There are three routes, from the smallest change to the largest:
- The Studio Set, for modest changes made before delivery.
- A modification quote, for changes beyond that, on any set.
- Custom design, when the change becomes a new house.
Which changes can you make?
Changes fall into a handful of groups:
- Rooms: an extra bedroom, a study instead of a guest room, a larger primary suite.
- Kitchen and living: a different kitchen layout, an island, a pantry, an open or closed kitchen.
- Garage: one car or two, attached or separate, or no garage at all.
- Openings: wider glazing to the garden, a different front door, windows moved for a view.
- Finishes and facade: render instead of stone, timber cladding, a different roof covering.
- Orientation: the whole plan flipped for a slope, a view or a street that runs the other way.
How much does it cost to modify a house plan?
Changes to one of our designs start from $99, and every request gets a free quote within 3 business days. The price follows the work: moving a window costs less than adding a bedroom, because a new room changes the plans, elevations, sections and schedules together.
For modest changes, the Studio Set is the simpler route. Its price includes one round of changes before delivery (about 12 hours of design time) and up to 6 hours of Q&A for your builder over 12 months. For a compact design, the Studio Set is $919 against $769 for the Complete Set; every size band is on the pricing page.
Studio Set or a modification quote: which do you need?
Choose the Studio Set when the changes fit about 12 hours of design time: layout adjustments, openings and finishes. Ask for a modification quote when they don't: a new room, a different garage, a level added or removed. If you're unsure, describe the changes and ask; the quote tells you which route is cheaper for your list.
Can you flip a house plan?
Yes. A reversed, mirror-image set flips the drawings left to right, for a slope, a view or a street that runs the other way. It is included in the Studio Set on request and available as an add-on with the other sets.
Can you modify the plans yourself?
With the Complete Set's editable DWG files, your architect or drafter can make changes for your project. The DWG files are the starting point for that work, so nobody redraws the house from a PDF. If you would rather the studio that drew the design makes them, ask for a quote.
How do you ask for changes?
Start from the drawings:
- Choose the design closest to what you want, from the house plans.
- Study it. The Study Set gives you the PDF floor plans to mark up, and its full price counts toward the Complete or Studio Set within 12 months.
- List the changes, room by room, with a sketch or marked-up PDF if you have one.
- Get a free quote within 3 business days, with the price for your list.
- Receive the updated set as PDF and editable DWG files.
When is custom design the better route?
When the list of changes touches most rooms, or your plot needs a different relationship to the ground, a new design is often faster and clearer than a heavily changed one. Custom design starts from your plot and brief, and it is priced per project with a fixed quote within 2 business days. For lots with a strong fall, house plans for sloping lots shows which designs adapt well and which ground calls for a new design.
Which designs are easiest to adapt?
Simple forms take changes most easily. Elise is two offset volumes under low hipped roofs, 180 m² (1,938 ft²) over two levels. Hearth keeps three bedrooms, the living space and a two-car garage under one broad hipped roof on a single level. Harmonia puts three bedrooms on 1.5 levels under one roof. What's included in a set of house plans shows what you receive with each set.
Found a design that's almost right? Tell us what to change and get a free quote within 3 business days.
