More than just a house plan

Is a stock plan enough, or is a place-specific response worth the investment?

The Perch - Not yet built house plan I designed.

I spent time this week designing a backyard cottage (Detached Accessory Dwelling Unit – DADU) for the potential to be selected for the City of Seattle’s Pre-Approved Plan Program. I have many not yet built houses floating around in my head, but it takes time to draft them into Archicad and pull together a presentation. 

As an architect, I have mixed feelings about the pre-approved plan program. On the one hand, anything that lowers barriers to create housing, shortens permitting timelines, and helps homeowners understand what's possible is a step in the right direction. The program offers thoughtfully designed plans from talented architects and provides a valuable starting point for people considering an ADU.

Before starting my own practice, I worked for Ross Chapin Architects, a firm known nationally for its cottage housing and stock plans. For years, I helped homeowners adapt those plans to their properties and navigate the realities of building them. I saw firsthand how a well-designed plan can make good design more accessible.  I even modified one for a home Neil and I built during the recession…the Karina.

But no matter how thoughtfully a plan is drawn, every site is different and has its unique challenges and possibilities. A mature maple too magical not to protect or a view worth framing. A neighboring house that calls for privacy or how the light changes throughout the day. Every site holds its own special potential.

The architectural design fee represents a relatively small portion of the overall investment. The larger costs come during construction, with site work, framing, building systems, and the finishes. It is worth asking whether the building should do more than simply fit on the lot. The plan sets the stage for the entire process and if built well, will last a lifetime.

The best residential architecture is not an object placed on a site. It is in conversation with the site. It responds to sunlight, trees, topography, neighboring homes, and the daily lives of the people who will inhabit it. Architecture begins when it responds to what the site offers.

A house I designed to take advantage of views from every room.

Seattle's pre-approved plans are designed to work on many sites.

Custom architecture is designed to work exceptionally well on one.

Neither approach is inherently right or wrong. For some homeowners, a pre-approved plan may be exactly the right solution. For others, it may be the beginning of a conversation rather than the end of one.

The real opportunity is not choosing between a stock plan and a custom plan. It is understanding what each can offer and deciding how closely you want your future home to reflect the qualities of your place and your life.