Your plans, drawn by the team that builds them.
Southcoast is a design & build firm. We draw permit-ready construction plans in-house, at a flat price set by square footage and published on this page. Build with us and your design is half price.
Two rates. No hourly billing, no percentage of the build.
Custom homes, spec homes, detached ADUs, cottages and garages with living space above. Priced on the living area of the new home.
| Project | Design only | Build with us |
|---|---|---|
| 600 sq ft cottage ADU | $1,500 | $750 |
| 900 sq ft detached ADU | $1,800 | $900 |
| 1,800 sq ft ranch | $3,600 | $1,800 |
| 2,400 sq ft colonial | $4,800 | $2,400 |
| 3,000 sq ft custom home | $6,000 | $3,000 |
Second stories, primary-suite wings, attached ADUs and in-law additions. Priced on the new space only. Includes measuring your existing house and drawing two sets: existing conditions and proposed.
| Project | Design only | Build with us |
|---|---|---|
| 400 sq ft primary suite | $2,500 | $1,250 |
| 900 sq ft attached ADU | $2,700 | $1,350 |
| 1,200 sq ft second story | $3,600 | $1,800 |
| 1,600 sq ft whole-home addition | $4,800 | $2,400 |
Square footage is the heated living area on every finished floor, measured to the outside of the framing. Garages, unfinished basements, porches and decks are drawn at no added charge.
Build with us and the design is half price.
Sign a construction contract with Southcoast within 12 months of receiving your plan set and we credit half of the design fee toward it. Because the people drawing your plans are the people pricing and building them, the plans come with a firm contract price, and what you see on paper is what gets built.
The plans are yours either way. If you take them to another builder, they go with you.
A complete, permit-ready plan set.
- Floor plans for every level, fully dimensioned
- Foundation plan
- Four exterior elevations
- Building cross-section and typical wall section
- Roof plan and framing notes
- Window and door schedule
- Electrical and lighting layout
- Kitchen and bath layouts
- Massachusetts Residential Code (10th Edition) and energy code notes
- A color exterior rendering
- Additions: existing-conditions plans and elevations, plus proposed
- Files in PDF and CAD format, yours to keep
From site walk to permit set.
Site walk
We walk the property with you, measure what is there and talk through how you want to live in the space. No charge.
First layout
Floor plans and a front elevation, so you can react to the layout before anything is detailed.
Two revision rounds
Move walls, swap rooms, change windows. Two full rounds are included in your design fee.
Permit set & price
The finished plan set for your building permit, delivered with our firm construction price.
Good to know.
Do I need a licensed architect?
No. In Massachusetts, plans for one- and two-family homes and their additions do not have to be prepared by a registered architect. Where a beam, footing or other structural element goes beyond what the code’s tables cover, our structural engineer reviews and stamps that part.
What is not included?
Structural engineering stamps when the town requires them, a certified plot plan or survey, septic design, and energy (HERS) modeling are arranged through our engineering and survey partners and billed at their cost. Truss and engineered beam design come from our lumber supplier at no charge. Building permit fees are paid to the town.
What if I want more than two rounds of changes?
Additional revisions are billed at $75 per hour. We tell you the hours before we start.
How do I pay?
Half when you sign the design agreement, half when the permit set is delivered. If you then sign a construction contract with us within 12 months, half of the design fee comes off your contract price. We accept payment by check.
I already have plans. Can you still build it?
Yes. Bring your own plans and we will price and build from them, or we can update them for code and your changes.
Ready to see your project on paper?
Tell us about your lot, your house and what you want to add. We will set up a site walk and get your design started.