I'm trying to design a house, any ideas on where to start?

I've a couple of years until I'll start building, but its always fun to design. Any good online progams would help, or good ideas for a house in the North East

I'm trying to design a house, any ideas on where to start?
Don't waste your time if you are unfamiliar with the building code, especially if you are hand-drafting. But here's my answer:





1. site plan (make sure your house fits on the land selected; stay away from rights of way and setbacks)


2. foundation page (includes plumbing drops and footers)


3. floor plan (includes door swings, cabinet locations, types of flooring, plumbing locations, air handler and condenser locations, attic access locations, etc.)


4. exterior elevations (all sides)


5. roof plan


6. truss plan (you can also hire a prefab truss company to do this as long as your engineer signs off on it)


7. interior elevations and details (for fancy interior features such as fireplaces or niches)


8. electrical plan (includes low voltage too - that is cable, phone, security, etc)


9. structural notes (you can get these from your engineer that signs off on the structural soundness of your plan. They typically have 3-4 pages of standard structural notes).





Computer programs are costly and require training to properly use (i.e. CAD). I've got experience in residential construction and I hand-drafted mine by working at night and weekends. It took me about five months to draw it out. I didn't do the site plan, truss plan or structural notes myself.
Reply:Go to Home depot there is an array of magazines of house plans which you can choose and order ready made plans or get ideas , good place to start...
Reply:There is an inexpensive design program called punch. Get it at your local building center.