Design & Drafting Services
Preliminary Modular Design
There are many design professionals out there who can design a home for you. Here is the process and the things that make us different from hiring someone outside of the modular field.
First off, California Modular Houses, Inc., is a company that specifically is design based. After all of the years that we have been working in this field, we have learned that most clients require or want some changes to the plan before purchasing their home. Sometimes it can be just adding in an island, moving a couple of windows, or changing a tub to a shower. Other times it can be more complex like moving rooms around or even starting a design from scratch whether it’s because of your property size, the local requirements, or there just isn’t a stock plan that meets your needs. We can handle all of these services.
Typically, there is a design fee for this service, unless we are just tweaking a couple of things. The best thing to do is to provide us with a mark-up of either one of our plans or a sketch of what you would like your house to be. It doesn’t have to be to scale or artwork, it just needs to show the approximate dimensions, have clearly labeled rooms, and a list of anything that needs further explanation.
Before any design work is done, we do reach out to the Planning Department to determine any basic requirements there are and see if there is anything we need to watch out for, this saves time later on.
What makes us different is that we fully understand the modular process:
We are able to design something for you that is buildable as a Factory Built Home. Designing a modular home starts with the system itself, then everything is worked around that to meet your specific needs.
Other designers work the other way, then you incur the cost of having to convert it to a modular design.
Since we work with the factory on a daily basis, we know what they expect and what they will build so there won’t be surprises later on.
Other designers incorporate things into a modular plan that can’t be built the way they are drawn and makes the design non-viable.
We know what materials can be obtained and installed in the factory so you can have your home more completed in the factory to minimize your on-site work.
Other designers draw up what they want to and a lot of times that adds more on-site work which ultimately costs you more money.
While the customization of a modular home may increase the cost a little, we know how to do it to keep costs from spiraling out of control.
Other designers can easily say “Oh, you will just have to do this, and this other thing, etc.” and not be concerned with the cost.
Everybody that we design a home for has something that is very important to them. We can counsel you if this is going to add significantly to your budget and then you can make an informed decision. This is your house and your money; you should know this before making a determination on how important something is to you.
Other designers just draw up what they are told, regardless of cost and that is how a lot of homes are drawn up and then the clients have to come to us to redraw it, basically going back to the drawing board to come up with something that fits their budget.
Once you provide to us what you would like to change or design, we can provide you with a contract for Design Services, if that service is required.
After the initial Design is completed, we can provide that to the factory and then provide you with a formal preliminary estimate of the home delivered to you, including tax and transportation.
Drafting & Modular Plan Set
While design and drafting may seem to be similar, they are very different skill sets and it’s rare to be able to get both of those things done in one place. With California Modular Houses, Inc. we will take the preliminary modular design, and turn it into formal drafting plans which will later on be reviewed by the Building Department which has a completely different set of requirements than the Planning Department.
After you are satisfied with the preliminary design, we will begin working on the final drafting. We will provide you with a cost of the Factory Built Home plan set which usually includes the following (unless not required):
Complete Drafting of the Home
Floor plan(s)
Section(s)
Electrical Plan(s)
Plumbing Isometrics
WUI High Fire Specifications (if required)
General Construction Notes
Elevations
Then, with the same contract in place we will also be working with 3rd party consultants to complete the plans for the Factory Built Home, the portion that is being built in the factory. Here are the standard requirements at this stage:
HVAC Design & Calculations
Structurally Engineered Plans & Calculations
Title-24 Energy Calculations
State CalGreen Form
Fire Sprinkler Plans & Calculations (if required)
From there, then your plans are issued to a 3rd party agency who will review the plans for code compliance on behalf of Housing & Community Development at the state level. It is typical to get a round of revisions in this process but it’s faster and then for most items we supersede the local jurisdiction at the Building Department level.
Note: The California Housing and Community Development Department is not to be confused with Housing & Urban Development which is done at the federal level and done only for Manufactured, Mobile & Trailer homes. We do not build Manufactured, Mobile, or Trailer homes, nor do we sell them.
These are the California Building Codes (CBC) that our plans are drafted to meet:
STATE: CALIFORNIA
2025 California Building Administrative Code
2025 California Building Code
2025 California Residential Code
2025 California Electrical Code
2025 California Mechanical Code
2025 California Plumbing Code
2025 California Energy Code
2025 California Fire Code
2025 California Green Building Standards Code
To give you an idea of things, here are some of our stock plans that are on our web-site. Some of them have remained as they are, others have been customized, and others are brand new home designs that we have created. This is just an example, each of these plans has a history. Feel free to contact us by phone or through our web-site and by providing us with a mark-up or more information about your needs, property, budget, and local requirements, we can help to create a strategy to design exactly the home that is right for you.
ADU Stock Prefab Plans: The Hummingbird, The Sandpiper, The Swan.
ADU Customized Modular Plans: The Nighthawk, The Quail, The Plover, The Robin, The Jaeger.
ADU Custom Design Modular Plans: The Teal, The Warbler, The Heron.
Single Story Stock Prefab Plans: The Ripon, The Heron, The Oakdale, The Yountville, The Rocklin.
Single Story Customized Modular Plans: The Sunland, The Clayton, The Montara, The San Marino.
Single Story Custom Design Modular Plans: The Yreka, The Pinole, The Toluca Lake, The Alhambra, The Malibu Lake, The Albany, The Portola, The San Jose, The Madera, The San Mateo, and all of The Hollywood Series of homes.
Usually, modular homes by nature take on a Craftsman or Ranch style and that is the most economical way to go. If you want your home to have a different style, whether it be California Bungalow, Colonial, Southwest, farmhouse, contemporary, mediterranean, etc., we can design exactly what you want.
Your modular home can be completely customized to fit your specific design preferences.
The modular floor plan can be customized to meet your individual needs.
Your modular home can be modified to meet specific family necessities.
Rooms can usually be modified to be larger or smaller.
The layout of the rooms in your prefab home can be modified and customized.
Interior finishes are completely your choice as each home is custom built.
The exterior finishes and facade of your home can be customized for the exact look you require.
