I have found an excellent resource for anyone who wants to get started with custom home building. This is an educational video series well worth your time. While the videos are a little corny, they are comprehensive yet concise. Each video is only about 5 minutes long. They cover all of the basic home building topics that you will need to learn about to build your dream home. It’s a great place to start with all the educational videos in one place.
http://www.dreamhomesource.com/instructional-videos/building-a-new-house-plan.hwx
Don’t want to bother with installing 3D software programs on your computer? Well, I have some other options for you. There are many online design websites that you can go to, create an account, and start designing. However, most of these sites have a monthly user fee associated with them. I will show you two that are free and are still very user friendly.
One of the best national builders, Toll Brothers, has an excellent online design tool. All you have to do is pick your state and then customize a floor plan in a variety of ways. Again, keep in mind that your state may not be available but you can still experiment with many different design options.
http://www.designyourownhome.com/
You can also create a free account at the site below. It has both 2D and 3D options. You can save up to 5 designs, print them, and e-mail them. If you need to do more, you can upgrade to a paid version but the free version should be enough for most users. The site is very easy to use. You can create professional floor plans in just a few minutes and they look great! You can even add furniture to your customized floor plan. Check it out!
http://www.floorplanner.com/