Plans That Work
Custom Home Design Built Around the Way You Live
A custom home should fit more than the lot. It should fit the people who are going to live there.
Drafting Smith develops the floor plan and exterior around your property, priorities and the way you want the home to function, then turns the approved design into detailed residential drawings.
Tell us about the property and what you are planning. We will respond within 24 hours.
Custom Residential Design
Start With Your Ideas, Not a Finished Plan
Some clients arrive with a detailed wish list. Others know they want four bedrooms, a better mudroom, a large kitchen and a garage that does not dominate the front of the house.
Both are good starting points.
You can send photos, sketches, plans you like, must-have rooms, exterior styles or examples of features you want to avoid. The purpose of the design process is to sort through those ideas and turn them into a home that works as a whole.
You do not need to speak in architectural terms. You need to tell us what matters to you.
Designed for the Project
More Than Changing a Stock Plan
A custom home is designed around the actual property and the people who will use it.
The Property
Lot dimensions, setbacks, orientation, access, views, neighbouring properties and site conditions influence what makes sense.
How You Live
The way you cook, entertain, work, relax and move through the home should shape the floor plan.
Room Relationships
Good design is not just fitting rooms into a square footage target. It considers which spaces should connect, where privacy matters and how people move through the house.
Natural Light & Views
Window placement and room orientation affect both the interior experience and the relationship between the home and the property.
Exterior Design
The outside is developed with the floor plan, not added after it. Windows, rooflines, garage placement and room locations all affect the final elevation.
Buildability
A good idea still has to make sense when it reaches the contractor. The design should be clear enough to price, review and build.
Your Lot Matters
Design Around the Site
A suburban lot, an established infill property and an acreage create very different opportunities and constraints.
New Subdivisions
Architectural controls, setbacks, garage requirements and exterior guidelines may influence the design from the beginning.
Infill Lots
Tighter lot dimensions, neighbouring homes, access and municipal requirements often need to be considered early.
Acreages & Rural Properties
Larger properties may provide more flexibility, but house placement, views, driveway access, servicing and future development still matter.
Surveys, site plans, grading information or other property documentation may be required depending on the project.
How the Home Works
Design the Inside and Outside Together
A good floor plan considers how the home will actually be used, not simply whether the rooms fit.
We work through decisions such as:
- how the kitchen connects to dining and living areas
- how the garage and mudroom function together
- bedroom privacy and separation
- useful storage rather than leftover storage
- how the main living space connects to the yard or deck
- whether circulation and hallways are using space efficiently
- how the layout can continue to work as needs change
The exterior develops alongside those decisions. Move a window and the elevation changes. Shift the garage and the front of the house changes. Adjust a roofline and it can affect the space below it.
The goal is a home where the plan and exterior feel like they were designed together – because they were.
Choosing the Starting Point
When a Custom Design Makes Sense
A pre-designed house plan can cost less up front and may be a reasonable starting point for some projects.
The trade-off is that it was not designed for your lot, your family or your priorities. It does not know where the best view is, how wide the lot is, where you want the kitchen to face or what local requirements may affect the project.
If you have found a plan you like, send it to us. It can provide useful inspiration, subject to copyright and ownership restrictions. We can review whether the concept suits the property and determine whether it can legally and practically be adapted.
See the Design Take Shape
Review More Than a Floor Plan
Preliminary 3D views can be used during design to help you understand the overall form of the home, rooflines, window placement and exterior proportions.
These are working design views rather than polished marketing renderings. More detailed finished renderings can be requested separately for an additional fee.
Tell Us About the Property & Your Ideas
Send the property information, spaces you need, styles you like and anything you have already collected. Meetings and design reviews are handled by phone, email or online meeting.
Develop the Floor Plan
We work through room relationships, circulation, square footage and how the home needs to function. This is where the biggest layout decisions are made.
Review & Revise
You review the preliminary design and provide feedback. One or two rounds of straightforward revisions are typically included. Larger redesigns or changes outside the agreed scope are billed separately.
Develop the Exterior
As the layout takes shape, we work through rooflines, windows, garage placement and the overall exterior form. Preliminary 3D views may be used to help communicate the design.
Refine the Home as One Design
The floor plan and exterior are reviewed together and adjusted so the home works as a complete design rather than a collection of separate decisions.
Prepare the Detailed Drawings
Once the design is approved, Drafting Smith prepares the applicable residential drawing package. Depending on the project, the plans can be used for permit submission, contractor pricing and construction.
If engineering is required, we can coordinate with the engineer so the applicable information can be incorporated into the plans.
Builder Collaboration
Design With Pricing and Construction in Mind
Drafting Smith works directly with homeowners and home builders.
If a builder is already involved, we can communicate with them while the design is being developed. That can be especially useful when a construction budget is important, because the builder – not Drafting Smith – determines what the home will cost to build.
If you do not have a builder yet, that is fine. The completed drawings can be taken to the builder of your choice or used to obtain pricing from more than one contractor.
For builders, we can assist with custom client designs, new plan development, changes to existing concepts, exterior design and detailed residential drawing packages.
The Next Stage
When the Design Is Ready to Move Forward
Once the design is established, the project moves into detailed residential drafting. Depending on the scope, that may include floor plans, elevations, sections, foundation information, roof plans, construction details and drawings required for municipal review.
If the project requires a building or development permit, Drafting Smith can prepare the applicable residential drawings. The homeowner or builder submits the permit application and the municipality makes the approval decision.
Selected Work
See How Other Designs Came Together
Every home starts with a different property and a different set of priorities.
Keeting Residence
Cochrane, AB – Custom Home Design
The client envisioned a distinctive custom home featuring a built-in garage, striking rooflines, and natural stone accents. The design combines modern architecture with materials and finishes that complement the rugged landscape of the Rocky Mountain foothills.
custom built home
The design we settled on was better than we imagined. My wife had always dreamt of a kitchen like this and I just want to say, you guys really came through!
Raj M. – Homeowner
Custom Home FAQs
Questions About Custom Home Design
Do I need to know exactly what I want before contacting you?
No. A general room list, inspiration photos and a sense of what you like or dislike is enough to start. Part of the design process is organizing those ideas into a workable home.
Can you work from a house plan I found online or already own?
Often, yes, as a starting point. We first need to consider whether the plan can legally be reproduced or modified and whether it actually suits the property and project.
Do you design the exterior too?
Yes. The floor plan and exterior are developed together so changes to one can be considered in the other.
Will I see the home in 3D?
Preliminary 3D views can be used during design to review the overall form and exterior. Detailed finished renderings can be requested separately for an additional fee.
How many revisions are included?
One or two rounds of straightforward revisions are typically included. More significant redesigns or changes outside the agreed scope are billed separately.
Should I choose a builder before the design starts?
You can, but you do not have to. If you already have a builder, we can communicate with them during design. If you do not, the completed drawings can be taken to the builder of your choice or used to obtain multiple quotes.
How long does custom home design take?
There is no single standard timeline. It depends on the size and complexity of the home, how quickly design decisions are made and Drafting Smith’s workload. We discuss the anticipated schedule after reviewing the project.
How much does custom home design cost?
Pricing depends on the size and complexity of the home and the drawing scope. Estimates are free. Once we review the project, we explain the fees and deposit required before work begins.
Have a Home in Mind?
Start With the Property and the Ideas
You do not need a finished floor plan.
Send us the property location, approximate size, anything you know about the lot and the ideas or inspiration you have already collected. We will review the project and let you know what is needed to take the next step.
Estimate requests are reviewed within 24 hours.