Structural options are buyer-selected modifications that change the physical structure of the home — extended rooms, bonus rooms, bay windows, extended garages, vaulted ceilings, additional bathrooms, and any other upgrade that affects the framing, foundation, or roof. Applying structural options accurately to the base plan is one of the most technically demanding aspects of lot specific drawing production.

Outsource CAD applies structural options for US production builders, modifying floor plans, foundation plans, roof plans, framing notes, and any other affected sheets to reflect the buyer's chosen upgrades accurately and completely.

Common structural options in production housing

The most common structural options that require drawing modifications include room extensions such as extended master bedroom, extended family room, or extended garage, bonus room additions above the garage or over single-storey sections, bay window additions on bedrooms or dining rooms, vaulted or cathedral ceiling treatments, additional bathrooms or bathroom reconfiguration, sunroom or covered porch additions, and modified stair configurations for two-storey plans.

What structural option application involves

Applying a structural option requires identifying all sheets affected by the modification, updating each sheet accurately to reflect the new configuration, checking that dimensions are consistent across all affected sheets, verifying that the foundation plan reflects any changes to the footprint or load paths, updating the roof plan if the option affects the roofline, and running QA checks to confirm no conflicting dimensions or inconsistencies remain in the drawing set.

Options matrix management

Production builders with large plan libraries and extensive options matrices benefit significantly from working with a CAD outsourcing partner who maintains their full plan library and options documentation. Once Outsource CAD has your plan library and options matrix on file, we can apply any option to any house type accurately without you needing to provide detailed instructions for each lot — you simply send the lot number, house type, and options list.

Turnaround

Standard structural option revisions are completed within 24 to 48 hours depending on the number and complexity of options being applied.