One builder, one conversation
We coordinate the architect, the structural engineer, the MEP design, and the interior designer so you have one point of contact through the entire design phase — not five.
Custom Home Design & Floor Plans in Weatherford, TX
A great custom home starts with a great plan. We coordinate the design phase end-to-end so you talk to one builder, not five trades.
Typical Scope3–6 months of design before groundbreaking
Typical RangeDesign & engineering typically 4–8% of total build cost
Owner-OperatedDan Schlaak on every job site, weekly walk-through.
Warranty1-yr workmanship · 2-yr systems · 10-yr structural · in writing.
What it is
Plans drawn for your lot, your family, and your life.
By the time the foundation is poured, ninety percent of the decisions that determine whether you love the house for thirty years have already been made. The kitchen layout. The roof line. Where the primary suite catches the morning sun. How the great room handles a holiday with twenty people in it. You cannot fix a bad plan with great finishes.
That is why we treat design as the most important phase of the build, not the warm-up to it.
It usually takes 3–6 months from your first sit-down to ground-broken. Roughly:
- Discovery. Coffee with you and your spouse. We talk through what you want, your lot, your family, your budget, and the dozen things you know you do not want.
- Schematic design. Our architect (or yours, if you have one) drafts a rough plan. We walk it with you. We revise. We walk it again. Usually 2–4 rounds.
- Design development. Plans get tightened, structural engineering gets added, interior designer comes into the room. We start pricing in earnest.
- Construction documents. Final, permit-ready set of drawings. Specifications written. Allowances set. Contract signed.
How we do it
What this looks like in practice
Drawn for the lot you have
We walk your land before we draw, so the plan respects the trees, the sun line, the prevailing wind, and the views. Stock plans dropped onto a lot they do not fit cost real money to fix.
Value-engineered as we go
We are pricing the plan as it is being drawn, so you are not in love with a $4.2M plan you intended to be $2.8M. Hard numbers stay attached to design decisions all the way through.
Bring your own, if you have one
If you already have a plan you love, we will review it, value-engineer where needed, suggest revisions, and build it. We will never push you into a stock plan you do not love.
Scope of Work
What's included & what's not
What's Included
- On-site discovery walk and transparent scoping conversation
- Architectural design coordination, plans, and county filings
- All structural engineering, permits, and inspections
- Site work, utilities, and finished landscaping coordination
- Open-book budget with weekly cost-to-complete reporting
- Owner-led weekly walk-throughs by Dan Schlaak
- 10-year structural · 2-year systems · 1-year workmanship warranty in writing
Handled by Others
- Furniture, art, and decorative styling
- Smart-home / AV programming (we rough-in conduit & power)
- Pool, spa, or specialty outdoor structures (coordinated through trusted vendors)
- Land purchase or surveying (we will refer you to a trusted partner)
Open Prairie did exactly what they said they would do, on the timeline they said they would do it on, for the budget they quoted at the start. After thirty years building, that is the rarest combination in custom construction.
T. & M. ReynoldsAledo, TX · Verified Google Review
The design phase is where the real custom home is made.
By the time the foundation is poured, ninety percent of the decisions that determine whether you love the house for thirty years have already been made. The kitchen layout. The roof line. Where the primary suite catches the morning sun. How the great room handles a holiday with twenty people in it. You cannot fix a bad plan with great finishes.
That is why we treat design as the most important phase of the build, not the warm-up to it.
How our design process actually runs
It usually takes 3–6 months from your first sit-down to ground-broken. Roughly:
- Discovery. Coffee with you and your spouse. We talk through what you want, your lot, your family, your budget, and the dozen things you know you do not want.
- Schematic design. Our architect (or yours, if you have one) drafts a rough plan. We walk it with you. We revise. We walk it again. Usually 2–4 rounds.
- Design development. Plans get tightened, structural engineering gets added, interior designer comes into the room. We start pricing in earnest.
- Construction documents. Final, permit-ready set of drawings. Specifications written. Allowances set. Contract signed.
Who draws the plan
We work with a small number of vetted local architects and engineers — people we have built with for years and trust to draw something that will actually build cleanly. If you already have an architect you want to use, we work with them too. The point is that someone in this conversation has built a hundred of these, and that someone is at the table from the first sketch.
The cost of design
Custom home design and engineering typically runs 4–8% of total build cost, depending on the complexity of the plan and the level of interior design involvement. We will quote it transparently before any work begins, and you will not see a surprise design bill later.
Plans we draw are tuned to the lot they will sit on — whether that is acreage in Weatherford, a tight infill parcel in Colleyville, or a lakefront slope on Possum Kingdom.
Talk to Dan about Home Design & Floor Plans
Ready to scope your project?
Tell Dan a little about your land and what you're picturing. He'll give you straight answers - no sales rep, no pressure.
Owner-operated Free consultation Replies within 1 business day
Our Process
How a Project Comes Together
Five stages, each with a defined deliverable, a fixed payment, and a written sign-off before we move to the next.
01
Consult & Site Walk
We meet on your land, listen to how you want to live, and walk the buildable envelope, drainage, sun line, and access. Free, no commitment, no follow-up pressure.
02
Design & Engineering
Architect, structural engineer, and Dan working from the same table. Plans, elevations, and an honest cost range tied to your specific lot.
03
Selections & Allowances
Real numbers for real materials. We hand you a binder of selections with locked-in pricing so allowances are not a surprise nine months in.
04
Build
Dan on the job site weekly with the trade leads. Open-book accounting, transparent change orders, and weekly walk-throughs with you.
05
Deliver & Stand Behind
Punch-list-clean closing, all permits closed, full warranty package in your hand. We answer the phone for the life of the home.
Let's Build the Home of Your Dreams
Quality. Craftsmanship. Trust.
Three words that have defined Open Prairie Custom Homes for over thirty years, and the only three you need to look for when choosing the builder for your forever home.