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Go into any bookstore or search on words “Stock House Plans ^[5]” and you will find thousands of them, mostly junk. Perhaps 50% of are stolen and just about all of them get twisted and stretched before they actually get built. But for decades, a few architects have seen them as a way to democratize design ^[6], to make good designs available at a lower price to a larger audience. Now, when clients have less money and architects are reliving that joke of a decade ago (What do you say to an architect with a job? “I’ll have fries with that.”), perhaps it’s time for talented architects to take the stock plan business seriously.

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Stock plans aren’t a new idea; Frank Lloyd Wright thought they would bring his houses to a wider audience. Life Magazine promoted them for years, hiring great architects like Robert Stern and Hugh Newell Jacobson. More on their background at TreeHugger: Good Architects Selling Good Plans is a Good Thing ^[6].

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Interloop Architecture ^[8] of Houston, Texas made the plans for this office and residence available through Hometta, which Delivers Good Designs For Smaller Homes Off the Rack ^[7].

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Houseplans.com offers new designs like the Flexahouse by Nick Noyes ^[9], but also classics from great architects like the late William Turnbull, ^[10] who worked with Charles Moore on Sea Ranch.

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FreeGreen turns the entire stock plan business on its head by giving away the plans. Like much on the internet, it isn’t a bad idea because so many get stolen anyways. At least this way they make money from customization and from specifying products from advertisers. More at TreeHugger: Free Green Turns House Design Business On Its Head ^[11] and How Much Should Design Cost? ^[12]

FreeGreen is also building The chain of Eco-Homes in Greensburg ^[13]. More here: Meadowlark House by Steven Learner Wins Chain of Eco-Homes Competition ^[14]

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Some architects do it on their own and sell them directly; Greg Lavardera at LamiDesign has been doing it for years and built a career out of it. More at TreeHugger: Click Your Way to Greg Lavardera’s Modern Stock Plans ^[15] and 6040 House by LaMiDesign ^[16]

It isn’t done enough, but really, Good Architects Selling Good Plans is a Good Thing. ^[6]