Our Services

Custom House Plans

Monte Smith, designer for Smithome Designs, will custom design a house plan for the client. He will begin the process using your initial ideas, or create a new plan by combining ideas, reflecting your building site, style of home, lifestyle, and budget. A meeting will be initiated to review the steps required in completing a design. Please click on the “Custom Home Designs” button for information about the design process steps. We may be contacted during construction to consult with your builder if needed. Smithome will also design homes for builders’ speculative and or custom design purposes, and will offer the design/build storefront for builders wishing to design and build with their customer. Construction services will not be offered to that homebuyer by any other builder that builds with Smithome design other than the builder who commits their customer to Monte Smith Designs.

Buy a Stock Plan

Stock plans can be accessed by clicking on the ‘Search Plans’ button on this website, or by visiting us at the Smithome office. Please check footprint information noted on each design to make sure your selected plan will fit on your specific lot. If you are unsure, please feel free to fax or mail a copy of your lot perimeters, and Smithome will verify whether the plan is fit on your lot, or if modifications need to be made.
When you have made your plan selection, a payment of $660 must be paid by way of a check or credit card. After payment is received, six (6) sets of plans will be copied and delivered to your location.

Modifications

Modifications can be made to available stock plans. To make modifications, please contact Monte Smith at (808) 688-6400 or via e-mail at monte@smithome.com, and he will provide a price quote for the modifications. Before any modifications begin, stock plans should be purchased.
Once a modification price is negotiated, the aforementioned $660 payment for the house plan should be paid. The price quote for all modifications will be paid after preliminary design changes are approved. After payment for modification is received, the plans will be completed and mailed out. If additional changes need to be made after issuance of the first set of plans, a second set containing these modifications will be sent for approval. No more than two (2) sets of preliminary designs are included in the initial price quote. When approval for modifications is received, Smithome Designs will complete all construction drawings and will make six (6) copies of completed plans that will then be delivered to your location. .Typical modifications that can be made to stock plans include simple elevation changes, garage sizes, door locations, a flip plan, minor non-structural changes, such as areas of brick, stucco, siding, or stone exterior design criteria, or increases or decreases in square footage of living area and/or room sizes.   

Philosophy and Perspective

Monte Smith’s idea of designing a home is to combine the most efficient use of materials and space, while maintaining the highest level of energy efficiency possible. In addition, he strives to create a style that falls within the design perimeters of existing types of designs, while following examples of designers such as Frank Lloyd Wright, who established the credo, “form follows function”.
Monte encourages his clients to take every opportunity to challenge his creativity by incorporating the latest innovations into a home design. The overall beauty of a home is enhanced by certain design elements that allow for the uninterrupted flow of light, creating a warm and comfortable atmosphere that can transform a mere house into the home of your dreams. These elements represent the “form” that Frank Lloyd Wright transformed into works of art. Designs by Monte Smith strive to achieve that same level of artistry, with graceful lines in the exterior treatment of eves, windows, and roof lines, each of which will add depth and beauty to the overall appearance of the home. Inside features will give warmth and depth to all living spaces, through the use of open rooms, high ceilings and oversized windows to allow increased sunlight.
Creating a custom home design requires both art and skill. Monte will design a home to fit your individual building site, your lifestyle needs and your building budget. Remember, “Creativity makes a difference”.

NEW DESIGN INFORMATION

Smithome Designs will create a home plan that will fit your lifestyle, home site dimensions, elevation style, or whatever other aspects your home building wish list contains, including budget.

Smithome is a design/build company that is located in Hawaii, and the Montgomery County, Lake Conroe area north of Houston Texas,
The typical cost of a new home designs starts at $1.10 cents per total square foot drawn. Design cost will vary according to the complexity of design and for additional design pages created, whether for foundations, basements, or interior and exterior details drawn. The process will begin with an initial meeting between Monte Smith Designs and the client to review plan ideas, as well as all steps that must be followed in the design process. The initial meeting will include a quote for cost per square footage that will eventually be charged to the project. The preliminary process is initiated with a $800 down payment that will go toward the ending balance that is due after total cost. Now the design phase is allowed to begin, and further contract prices will be quoted, with payment breakdowns in increments of work to be completed.

Steps

1. Preliminary Design
A preliminary meeting will take place to discuss design ideas, sketches, or from a Smithome stock plan. These plans can contain any layout of your dream home, as well as any creative ideas the customer chooses to incorporate. Monte will then take these ideas and create the basic design concept. A survey of the lot and location of the home will need to be provided before the building begins. After the down payment is met, the process can begin. Monte will draw up a schematic floor plan, to scale, with design ideas for the front elevation that will be reviewed at a subsequent meeting. Once the preliminary designs have been accepted and approved, the next stage will start, after a second payment is received.

2. Elevations and Electrical
After approval of preliminary designs, suggested electrical pages and all elevations are drawn and reviewed for approval.

3. Final Construction Drawings
After approval of all floor plans, elevations and suggested electrical, Monte will draw a complete set of construction plans that will include detailed floor plans, elevations, suggested electrical, foundation footprints, and the plat of the house as it will set on the property, showing driveway and sidewalks. The building contractor and all trades can use this final set in the building of the home.

4. Foundation
After floor plans and elevations are complete, the foundation footprint will be reviewed by a structural engineer for design details. The customer will then need to provide a soil report. An engineer will design details to be included in the foundation design, based on the floor plan and soil report. Monte will draw design details for construction with an engineer, providing his stamp on the foundation design, which will be an additional charge.