FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

COULD I BUILD ONE OF YOUR DESIGNS AS MY FULL-TIME HOME?

Yes!

Contact your permit office to learn of any special requirements that may be in place for full-time homes in the locality where you’ll build, such as minimum interior area or maximum height restrictions.

HOW WILL MY PLANS ARRIVE ONCE I’VE PURCHASED THEM?

During checkout your payment is confirmed by Shopify’s secure payment portal. Once confirmed you will be emailed a secure download link, to put your Construction Documents package onto the device of your choice, ready for printing.

ARE THE CABINS INSULATED?

Yes, all of our designs are intended to be properly insulated.

Many of our designs feature intentionally exposed structural elements and wood finishes that appear to be not insulated; in fact they are all designed for code-compliant levels of insulation.

CAN ANY DESIGN BE MODIFIED?

Yes!

Our designs are easy to customize to your land and your lifestyle. You’re encouraged to really make it your own by adding or deleting windows or skylights, adjust room sizes, add extra rooms, or all of the above. If there’s a plan that is almost perfect, let’s work together to make it exactly as you’d like.


With this add-on to your purchased stock design, you’ll receive up to *5 hours of redesign, redraw & consultation time with Pete, to answer your questions and get tips and insight as you and he take any of our existing designs and customize it to your specifications.
Be creative, stay flexible, and have fun!

If you would prefer to work with your own engineer or architect to make your changes, we offer the .dwg CAD files for US$400/CA$500. Please contact us for this purchase.

*Drafting time beyond 5 hours, if required, is performed at our usual hourly rate.  

WILL MY CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS INCLUDE AN ENGINEER’S OR ARCHITECT’S STAMP?

No. As is the case with all stock plans, regardless of supplier, our designs are not automatically approved for your site and permit requirements. You are encouraged to have a local structural engineer or architect review the drawings to ensure they comply with your local building codes and the conditions relevant to your site. Your permit office may require an engineer’s review as their standard proceedure.

CAN I BUILD ONE OF YOUR DESIGNS IN A PLACE WITH HEAVY SNOW LOADS?

Yes. If you live in an area that has considerable snowfall, high winds, or earthquakes, having a local engineer review any stock construction plan is a wise step. Engineering may also be required as a matter of course for building permits in your area.

Contact your local permit office to find out what the requirements are in your area. You are responsible for having your construction documants reviewed by an engineer local to you, as they will be up-to-date on any unique requirements for your locality.

I’M PLANNING TO BUILD SOON, AND NEED SOME ADVICE. DO YOU OFFER CONSULTATIONS?

We’re here for you.

Get in touch with us and let us know how we can help.

DO YOUR DESIGNS ADDRESS SUSTAINABILITY AND RESOURCE EFFICIENCY?

Yes, the very nature of building a modest house is a sustainable way of thinking. Combined with better-than-code levels of insulation and lower embodied energy materials, the result is a more comfortable and less costly building.

With today’s higher costs comes a greater need to scrutinize every aspect of a design, to ensure that it can be built very efficiently, with less waste of time and materials while building, and lower operating and maintenance costs into the future.

I’M PLANNING TO BUILD SOON, AND NEED SOME ADVICE. DO YOU OFFER CONSULTATIONS?

Get in touch with us, we're happy to help!

STILL HAVE QUESTIONS?

info@ravenhouse-design.ca