The garage plans, barns, outbuilding plans, sheds, and other designs offered by The Garage Plan Shop are pre-drawn stock plans. While they are a great economical option for many wishing to build a new garage or other structure, it is important to understand what these pre-drawn plans include and what other items may be required before construction can begin.

The Basics About Pre-Drawn Stock Plans

Stock garage plans are pre-drawn plans designed to meet the needs of a broad range of people. While they vary greatly in size and style from basic designs to elaborate floor plans with many of today’s most requested features, the construction drawings are standardized to satisfy the needs of a wide variety of contractors and garage owners. This is in contrast to custom-drawn garage plans which are created to satisfy the specific needs of an individual.

Elements of a Typical Pre-Drawn Plan

The information included in stock construction drawings can vary by designer, but the following list outlines the information included in a typical set of stock garage, shed, pool house, or outbuilding plans.

• Coversheet: This sheet is an artist’s rendering of the finished structure. It is not essential for construction, but when available, it provides a visual representation of the finished building. Some designers do not provide a cover sheet with their set of construction drawings.
• Foundation Plan: The foundation sheet presents a detailed drawing of the foundation and provides specific information pertaining to its construction such as dimensions, thickness of foundation walls, locations of columns, construction notes, and other pertinent details.
• Floor Plan(s): The floor plan drawings detail the layout and construction information for each floor of the structure. Window and door sizes and locations, wall sizes, room dimensions, structural details, layout information, and other notes are found on the floor plan page(s).
• Exterior Elevations: The exterior elevations sheet(s) convey what the outside of garage will look like on all four sides. They describe the exterior look and feel of the structure by noting the finish and trim materials and their placement. This includes siding, brick, stucco, stone, window shutters, and other decorative details. The elevations also call out the type of roofing materials needed, roof pitches, and ceiling heights. Door and window sizes may be noted on this sheet.
• Interior Elevations: When relevant, the interior elevations sheet communicates drawings and details about the built-in elements of finished living spaces such as handrails, fireplaces, vanities, built-in niches, moldings, and cabinetry.
• Basic Electric: The basic electrical information calls out the suggested locations of fixtures, outlets, and switches only. When provided, this information may be included on the floor plan or on a separate sheet of the construction drawings.
• Simple Plumbing: The simple plumbing information reflects the locations or placement of bathtubs, showers, sinks, and toilets when applicable. This information is found on the floor plan sheet or on a separate sheet of the stock plans.
• Sections: The building sections of a construction drawing may be found on a separate page of the plan set or they may be scattered throughout the drawings on various pages. They are views of the garage or other structure showing the composition of the foundation, exterior and interior walls, floors, stair details, and roofs. The building sections depict the relationship between levels or floors and specify rooflines and ceiling heights.  
• Details: Construction details can be found throughout the stock plans, or they may be listed on a separate page within the set of drawings. They communicate how smaller elements of the building should be constructed. For example, construction details will indicate the styles and sizes for moldings, the design of handrail spindles, and the look of built-in cabinets or niches.  

NOTE: Not all stock plans offered by The Garage Plan Shop include each element described above. The information provided in a set of construction drawings varies by designer.

Information Not Included in Stock Construction Drawings

Stock plans typically include all the necessary information required to build the garage, barn, pool house, or garage apartment. However, you may need to collect additional information or adjust the plans locally to obtain building permits. Building codes and requirements vary greatly from one city, municipality, or town to the next often mandating that each location throughout the US and Canada have their own building requirements. You may need to contact your local building official or work with another construction professional to obtain additional documents and information necessary to acquire building permits for construction. If you do not know what is needed for permit approval in your area, contact your building department. Most building departments can supply you with a list of all the requirements for construction projects in your local area.

The following is a list of the most commonly needed items for building permits that are not included in the pre-drawn plans we offer.

• Energy Codes
• Local Building Codes
• Building Codes for Specialized Areas
• Engineer’s Stamp or Architect’s Seal
• Site Map
• Truss Layout
• Septic Design
• Finished Electrical Plan
• Finished Plumb Plan
• HVAC Diagram/Information

When building a new garage, barn, pool house or other structure, it is important to start doing your research early and give yourself plenty of time to obtain all the information you will need before you plan to break ground. Some cities, counties, municipalities, and communities will require all the items mentioned above, while others may require just a few of them, or none at all. Talk with your builder or contractor and contact your building official to find out what you need. Do your own research, ask all pertinent questions, and take notes. Collect all the information and items you will need for building permits, and present everything to your building official for permits before construction begins. All the advice mentioned here will help prepare you to build your dream garage with a stock plan.

For more information about pre-drawn plans, be sure to review our FAQs and our resource article, What You Need to Know about Stock Garage Plans.