Free Home Designs: Gimmick or Great Idea?

I’m a big fan of the Inhabitat blog. They’ve got loads of info on all things green and design-related from the latest in solar handbags to prefab architecture.

A recent sneak peek at their site brought me to their post about Freegreen. It’s a company offering free (yes, that’s right) house plans that range from modern to traditional. Well, the standard stock plan is free, but if you want to customize the final product, you’ll pay a fee. It could be anywhere from $100 for changing a few window locations to a few grand for everything from orienting the plan to the site and adding another story.

I really like the concept (and their suburban loft), but I wonder how effective this online design service is when the construction of a home requires so much coordination and is dependent on many site specific factors. Anyone have an opinion?

Woodland Hills might be a prime candidate for the resourceful individual who wants to try building his/her own home from scratch. There are a fair number of lots for sale, starting at $50,000 and going up from there. Though flat lots are much easier and cheaper to build on, they’re also harder to come by at an affordable price.

For those of you who couldn’t possibly deal with the hassle of construction, here are a few homes in Woodland Hills to consider.

Just Listed: 24106 Victory Blvd./2bd, 2bth/1,152 sq. ft./$400,000

Reduced: 22627 Clarendon St./3bd, 2bth/1,302 sq. ft./$539,000

Bang For The Buck: 5216 Sale Ave./4bd, 4bth/3,666 sq. ft./$180 per sq. ft./$659,900