What’s included?

All Evening Studios drawing sets are construction-ready. The typical plan set includes floor plans, foundation and roof plans, reflected ceiling plans, exterior building elevations, building sections, wall sections, enlarged kitchen and bathroom plans, interior elevations and door & window schedules. Additionally, each drawing set contains plan and section details that illustrate logical and elegant construction assemblies.

Can I use an Evening Studios plan set to get a building permit?

All Evening Studios plans are designed to International Residential Code standards. Most municipalities have adopted these standards as a baseline for their codes and as a result your Evening Studios Plans may be permit-ready at the time of purchase. That said, many municipalities have developed requirements specific to that jurisdiction and so a local building professional (engineer, architect, builder) should be used to verify compliance, or modify plans for compliance as needed. 

How much does it cost to build one of these?

The answer varies widely depending on a number of factors. These include:

• Site specifics. Topography, soil, seismic and snow requirements, etc. all factor into the cost of construction.

• Cost of labor. Labor costs vary depending on region, types of construction, current economics and whether or not owners are performing any work themselves

• Finishes and fixtures. The quality of items like cladding, paint, electrical and plumbing fixtures, millwork and appliances all factor into construction costs.

These items are in addition to the cost of land, permitting, design fees and other pre-construction costs that might factor into a budget.  

As a general rule, however, national per square foot averages for new home construction can range from between $80-$500 and up. Small houses tend to cost more per square foot because economies of scale are greater on larger construction projects and because all of the same systems like mechanical, electrical and plumbing are required for a residence no matter its size.

We recommend contacting builders in your area to learn more about local construction costs and to discuss factors that are specific to your site.  

Can I build this in any state (or anywhere)?

Yes! One of the great advantages of small houses is that their small footprints make them inherently adaptable to most building sites. Also, Evening Studios products are designed to meet and exceed the energy requirements of most jurisdictions. 

It is recommended that a local building professional (engineer, architect, builder) be contacted to verify compliance, or modify plans for compliance as needed.

Can I build as many of these as I want?

Evening Studios allows for only a single house to be constructed per purchase of a plan set. We have put a great deal of effort into all of our products and this intellectual property is the core of our business.  We do offer reduced rates for multiple plan sets per order. Please inquire at hello@eveningstudios.com for more information.  

Can these plans be modified or adjusted to suit my specific needs?

Yes! While Evening Studios plans are carefully designed to function well ‘straight out of the box’, we recognize that every site and owner is unique and we are happy to work with you to tailor the designs to suit your specific needs. Whether used as an accessory dwelling unit in a dense urban environment or as a country getaway, it is important to be thoughtful about marrying your new home to its site with careful consideration for views, circulation and sustainability goals. Also, we can work with you to modify spaces, finishes or other details to make your new home exactly what is desired. 

Can I choose different materials, colors, etc?

Of course! The finishes and materials shown in our plans are recommendations specific to each design but the purchaser is free to tailor the project to their own tastes and needs. Consideration should be taken for changes to any materials or other features that might compromise building performance, be it structural or sustainable. In such case, it is recommended that a local building professional (engineer, architect, builder) be contacted to verify compliance with local building codes.

OK. I purchase an Evening Studios plan set, what’s the next step? 

That depends on where you are in the process. Many purchasers already have land available to build on. Assuming this is your situation, a good first step is to have a local builder review the plans in detail and visit the building site to provide a cost estimate and assessment of the project’s compliance with local codes. It may be determined, either by your builder or your jurisdiction’s permitting office (many permitting offices will provide a free review of plans) that the plans require an engineer or architect to review and/or modify and stamp the drawings. Many design professionals offer this service for a modest fee. Modifications might include resizing of structural members or specification of construction details to be compliant with local hurricane, snow or seismic related building code requirements. At this point your plans should be ready to have permitted through your jurisdiction’s permitting office.

After your project is permitted, you can begin the construction process. Any time during this process, Evening Studios is happy to answer questions that you or your consultants might have about our plans.

Are your plans ADA-compliant?

Most of our plans are not specifically designed to be ADA-compliant but all can be adapted to accommodate accessibility needs through the use of access ramps or slab-on-grade construction as well as widened doorways, enlarged spaces or specific fixtures. 

What does net-zero mean?

Net-zero refers to a building that consumes no more energy than it produces on site. In other words, a net-zero building has an annual power and gas bill of $0.00. Simple as that.

A net-zero building can be achieved through a variety of strategies and features, one of the most significant, and simple, being a smaller building footprint. Obviously, the less square footage there is to heat, cool and light, the lower the energy consumption. High insulation values, air-tight construction, efficient systems and appliances and smart lifestyle choices all further contribute to reducing a building’s energy consumption. 

But building efficiency is just the first step. It is the addition of an energy production system that allows a building to move beyond mere efficiency and become a net-zero home. The most common form of on-site energy harvesting is solar panels, also called photovoltaic panels, or PV’s. Assuming a house is built to be highly energy efficient and enough PV’s are installed for optimum efficiency, a building can achieve net-zero status. 

Taking the net-zero concept a step further, a net-positive building produces more energy than it consumes. Many energy companies have policies that pay consumers back for surplus energy produced. At Evening Studios, we envision a future in which the public are no longer just consumers, but are actually producers of energy, contributing energy to large scale smart grid systems.

Evening Studios plans are designed to be net-zero and net-positive ready. Small building footprints, smart construction detailing and roof areas designed specifically for solar panels all are conscious design decisions that contribute to a net-zero and net-positive option.  

Questions?

If you have additional questions about our products or need advice on the construction process, please contact us! We are happy to assist. Please direct all inquiries to hello@eveningstudios.com.