Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. You can make the modifications or we can make them for you.

You may make modifications to our stock plans by simply marking up the master drawings you receive and then make copies of them. The cost to do this is the price of the plan. You may move a window or add a door to a standard plan with very little effort and no additional cost. Many changes can be made by just changing a number. Many features may be eliminated by crossing them out. Items can be moved or duplicated with a simple arrow. We consider this the same as just purchasing one of our stock plans for the stock plan price our money back guarantee applies to all our stock plans.

We can make modifications to our plans for you. The cost for us to modify or create a plan is calculated by the quantity and or complexity of the features you want us to make. We encourage you to make simple modifications to save the cost of a custom plan. We consider any change to an existing plan a custom plan. Typical custom plans are priced between a few hundred and several hundred. Although our custom plans are very successful a custom plan is not part of our money back guarantee. The price of a custom plan is considered the drafting cost for the changes you request. Please call or email for an exact price on a custom plan.

We have a money back Guarantee. When you order one of our Pre-designed plans, we guarantee that you will be able to use these documents to build your project or we will issue a full refund of the price of the plans. Study or use these plans for 3 full months and if they are not useful to you, return the complete unused package and your refund will be processed the very next day. There is no refund for custom plans because a custom plan requires labor to create, so the retainer is spent by the time the preliminary plans are provided to the customer.

Cad Northwest will not share, rent, sell, or otherwise disclose any of your personal data. We value your privacy and security.

We do not store credit card or other payment information. We retain name and email addresses of those who have downloaded free plans. We use this information for periodic mailings. You can unsubscribe at any time. We retain contact information of those that have purchased plans.

We can be reached via email at cadnw@zzz.com or at Cad Northwest Custom Home Design, 22685 SW Conifer Dr., Sherwood, OR 97140, or you can contact us by telephone at (503) 625-6330. Please bring to our attention any instance where you feel these policies have been violated.

The cost to build depends on many factors. We have seen our cabin plans constructed for between $80 and $125 per square foot of living space. The class of finish will influence the cost greatly as will added living space. We encourage you to use our Free Plan or purchase one that is closer to your requirements and present the plans to several builders for bids. That is the best way to determine finished cost. We also encourage customers to shop for materials. We have had customers purchase an entire truss package for less than the cost to purchase the lumber to construct them.

We design to the national codes which are adopted in most states. We are currently complying with IRC 2009 prescriptive code for seismic D1 and below and wind speed of 110 mph. The codes continually change and we are frequently updating the plans to insure compliance. A few states have created their own code requirements. California is the most difficult state in which to obtain a building permit. Many California counties are unique in their requirements. Some areas in California and Florida require engineered plans. We do not provide engineering.

We send our Plan Package which includes the master drawing or drawings which are printed on 24" x 36" translucent bond paper, a materials list (with most of the wood, concrete, and steel), beam calculations (not available in California), an invoice, an instruction sheet for use of the drawings and and a letter, all packaged in a 3" x 3" x 25" cardboard box. The drawing has all the views required which includes all elevations, detailed floor plans at 1/4" = 1´ scale, roof plan and foundation plans at 1/4" = 1", cross sections and miscellaneous details, and notes and specifications. Shed plans are Emailed to your Email address and you print them on your printer. A paper version of our shed plans is available for an additional cost.

No. We do not provide engineering. Some times your planning department will specify that the plans need to be stamped by a registered architect or structural engineer. When they see the completeness of our plans and realize that we have conformed to the national prescriptive code they may decide that a stamp from an engineer is not required. There are a small number of areas that will require additional engineering by an engineer licensed in your state to obtain a permit. It will still be less expensive to purchase our plans and pay for additional engineering than to have plans prepared by an engineer or architect.

All cabin plans have been designed to handle up to 50 pounds per square foot of live roof load. It requires a recalculation of all roof members to increase the live load for any one of our plans. On the contrary, A truss roof plan will meet most increased live roof loads because the truss design is performed by the truss manufacturer to meet the individual live load requirement of your area. To find out whether a plan has been designed with a truss roof, check the specifications on the details page of any plan.

Yes. A materials list is free and a standard part of each plan package. Most plans have the free materials list available right on the web page. The materials list details all major lumber, concrete, roofing, siding, and steel brackets. It is missing nails, windows, doors, and other miscellaneous components. The purpose of the materials list is to allow a supplier to provide a cost of materials for planning purposes and to allow a basic materials package to be ordered. The actual materials with vary from the list due to individual builder practices, local area driven substitutions, or customer contingencies. We do not warrantee the accuracy of the materials list. The customer should verify the materials list before purchasing the material.

No. Our plans are suitable for a builder with some experience. Many first time builders have used our plans to successfully construct their building. The plans are meant to allow a building permit, to obtain bids from builders, and to build. There are many do it your-self books that show step by step every phase of building. We have not attempted to duplicate their information. Our drawings are the plan for the building but not instructions for the technique.

One. We provide the master drawing on 24" x 36" vellum and permission to make as many copies as you need for your project. We do not charge for additional copies. Typically a copy will cost about $1.30 in your area. This also allows you to make minor changes to the plan before making copies. Your planning department may require one to five copies. You will want copies for contractors.  Shed plans are Emailed and you print as many copies as you need.

Yes. We do have other plans not shown on this site. However, plans that our not on our site do not get updated on a regular bases like our listed stock plans.

Yes. We provide AutoCad DWG files on request for an additional $99. This allows experienced drafters to make changes to our plans.

Just call (503) 625-6330 and provide PayPal, Visa or Mastercard information. You can order online by clicking the "Order Now" button on the plan sales drawing. You may also send a check or money order to Cad Northwest at 22685 SW Conifer Dr.  Sherwood OR 97140.  Please include the plan number and your phone number, and return address.

We send pre-designed plans out by priority mail the next working day.  They normally take 2 to 4 days depending on your location. We can Express mail pre-designed plans overnight for an additional $65. We can Email pre-designed plans in Adobe Acrobat format the same day. The plans are formatted for 24" x 36" paper so that you will need to take the files to a blueprint shop for printing. Custom plans require an average of three weeks to complete. We first send an eMail preliminary and wait for feedback. Corrections take a few more days and the plans are mailed when approved by the customer.