Custom Home Design Services
Max Fulbright Designs offers full custom home design starting at $2.00 per heated square foot. Max personally interviews each client, listens to your wish list, and creates a home design unique to your family, lot, and budget. The process includes preliminary floor plans, multiple revision rounds, exterior elevations, and a complete construction document set. Custom designs can be completed in person or remotely — we've designed homes for clients in all 50 states and Canada.
How Much Does Custom Home Design Cost?
Simple, predictable pricing based on the size of your home. A 2,000 SF design costs $4,000. A 3,000 SF design costs $6,000. No hidden fees.
How Does the Custom Design Process Work?
From your wish list to construction-ready documents in five collaborative steps.
Initial Consultation
We start with a thorough interview — by phone, email, or in person. Max listens to your wish list, lifestyle needs, lot conditions, budget range, and preferred style. We encourage you to share inspiration photos, sketches, and anything that helps us understand your vision. This conversation is free and no-obligation.
Preliminary Floor Plans
Based on your input, Max creates preliminary floor plans to scale using CAD software. These are fully dimensioned layouts showing room sizes, flow, and overall structure. We email them for your review. This is where the design starts to take shape — and where your feedback matters most.
Revision & Refinement
We revise the preliminary drawings based on your feedback. Rooms get resized, layouts get adjusted, and features get added or removed. This back-and-forth continues until you approve the floor plan. Most designs go through 2—4 rounds of revision. There's no rush — we want it right.
Exterior Elevations
Once the floor plan is approved, Max develops the exterior elevations — front, rear, and side views showing rooflines, window placement, materials, and architectural details. We email these for review and refine until the home looks exactly how you envisioned it.
Final Construction Documents
The approved design is developed into a complete construction document set: dimensioned floor plans, elevations, foundation plan, roof framing plan, wall sections, and materials list. Final plans are delivered via email in PDF format, ready to print and build.
Custom Design vs. Plan Modifications
Not sure which service is right? Here's a clear comparison.
$350 — $2,500
Start with an existing plan and make targeted changes. Best when a plan is already 70%+ what you want.
- Change room sizes or count
- Switch foundation type
- Alter exterior style
- Add/remove porches
- Adjust garage configuration
$2.00 / heated SF
Designed from scratch for your family, lot, and vision. Best when nothing in our collection fits or you want something completely unique.
- Designed around your specific lot
- Personal interview with Max
- Multiple revision rounds included
- Merges ideas from multiple plans
- Complete construction documents
Why Choose Max Fulbright Designs for Custom Design?
Custom design from a team that has actually built what they draw.
Builder-Designer, Not Just a Draftsman
Max has 35+ years of hands-on construction experience. When he draws a room, he's already thinking about how it frames, where the beams sit, and how the plumbing runs. That means fewer problems during construction.
Personal Attention
Max personally interviews each custom design client and leads the design process. This isn't handed off to a junior drafter — the founder designs your home.
Works Remotely Nationwide
Most custom designs are completed via phone and email. We've designed homes in Texas, Maine, Canada, and everywhere in between. Distance is not a limitation.
Merges Multiple Inspirations
Love the exterior of one plan and the floor plan of another? We can merge elements from multiple designs into a single custom home. This is one of the most popular ways to start.
Buildable Designs
Every custom home is designed with the builder in mind — practical framing, efficient material use, and details that translate from paper to jobsite. We've built 500+ homes; we design what works.
Complete Construction Documents
Your custom design includes the same professional document set as our standard plans: floor plans, elevations, foundation, roof framing, wall sections, and materials list.
Real Families. Real Custom Homes.
"Max took the time to really listen — we had sketches on napkins and a bunch of ideas from different plans we liked. He pulled it all together into something that's uniquely ours. The process was smooth, the revisions were fast, and the final drawings were exactly what we needed to break ground."
"We had a tricky sloped lot and needed a design that worked with the land — not against it. Max designed a walk-out basement plan that fit perfectly. His construction background showed in every detail. Our builder said it was one of the cleanest plan sets he'd worked with in years."
"I was skeptical about doing this remotely — we're in Texas and Max is in Georgia. But it worked perfectly. Email, phone calls, and PDF revisions. We never felt out of the loop. The home we built is exactly what we dreamed about for 10 years. Worth every penny."
Tell Us About Your Dream Home
Share your wish list, inspiration, lot details, and budget range. The more detail you provide, the more accurate our initial consultation will be. This inquiry is free and no-obligation.
“I’ve learned over 35 years that the best custom homes start with the best conversations. Tell me about the land, the views, how your family lives, what rooms matter most — and I’ll design a home that fits all of it. No two families are alike, and no two custom designs should be either.”
— Max Fulbright, Founder
Custom Design Inquiry
Custom home design from Max Fulbright Designs costs $2.00 per heated square foot. For example, a 2,000 square foot custom home design would cost $4,000 total, and a 3,000 square foot home would cost $6,000. This fee covers the entire process from initial consultation through final construction documents. Payment is split into three installments.
The total design fee is divided into three equal payments: one-third as a deposit to begin work, one-third when preliminary drawings are approved, and one-third when final construction documents are completed. For a 2,500 SF home ($5,000 total), each payment would be approximately $1,667.
Most custom designs take 6—12 weeks from initial consultation to final construction documents. The timeline depends on the complexity of the design and how quickly you provide feedback during revision rounds. Simple designs with minimal revisions can be completed faster; complex multi-story homes with detailed features may take longer.
No. We work with customers nationwide. While we're happy to meet in person with local clients in the Georgia area, most of our custom design work is completed remotely via phone, email, and digital file sharing. We've recently completed custom designs for clients in Texas, Maine, and Canada.
The final set includes complete dimensioned floor plans for all levels, front/rear/side exterior elevations, foundation plan, roof framing plan, wall sections with construction details, and a materials list. Plans are delivered as high-resolution PDFs that can be printed at any local print shop. You are licensed to print as many copies as needed to build one home.
Yes. If you find an exterior elevation you like on one plan and a floor plan layout you like on another, we can often merge elements from multiple designs into a single custom plan. This is one of the most popular ways clients start the custom design process.
Plan modifications start with an existing plan and make specific changes — resizing rooms, changing foundations, adding porches. Custom design starts from scratch based entirely on your wish list, lot, and lifestyle. Modifications are typically $350—$2,500 and take 3—4 weeks. Custom designs cost $2.00/SF and take 6—12 weeks. If an existing plan is 70%+ what you want, modification is usually the better value.
Yes. Custom design is ideal for challenging lots — steep slopes, narrow widths, unusual setbacks, or specific view orientations. Share your survey or lot dimensions during the initial consultation and Max will design the home specifically for your property.
Ready to Design Something Truly Yours?
Or start with our existing plans — if one is close, a modification might be all you need. Either way, we'll help you get it right.