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"Dreaming about building a new house, but don't know where to start? This site offers practical advice on finding an architect and selecting a floor plan as well as designing your home according to the good-karma principles of feng shui. " (Forbes--click here for full review)

"One of the few home plan sites to offer contemporary architecture" (Forbes--click here for full review)

"Run by the premier organization of architects, this site is the best place to find a good designer to create your dream home from scratch. It offers long lists of member firms organized according to location and specialty. But don't expect to find a lot of links to architects' sites with jazzy images of their work.... The message here is strictly custom -- don't expect to find home plans for sale. The site gives a good overview of what to expect from an architect and the design process, as well as brief information on fees" (Forbes--click here for full review)

"This straight-forward site claims to be a "leading destination" for home building and improvement. But searching the architect services section only yields limited links to home plan sites. Some of these 21 offerings sound enticing, like Coolhouseplans.com, but disappoint with schlocky builder plans. Similarly, "custom design" turns up links to interior decorators, but no architects. More fruitful are the building contractor referrals with connections to helpful sites such as contractornet and contractor-locator" (Forbes--click here for full review)

"This busy site has something for everyone: links to homebuilders and architects, construction books for kids, and "pet peeve" editorials on ugly siding and chimneys. Within this ton of stuff are spotty links to house plan sites" (Forbes--click here for full review)

"If you know the exact number of bedrooms, bathrooms, room locations, square footage and style of your dream house, this site allows you to browse through a variety of designs....But the designs might not be exactly what you are expecting since architecture is not a "must have" criteria " (Forbes--click here for full review)

"From the company that runs Homebuilder.com and Realtor.com, this crowded, everything-for-the-home site is geared to builder fare. But it does offer the opportunity to search for an architect by zipcode and connect to organizational sites such as the Society of American Registered Architects... Buried within the site are helpful pointers on everything from mortgage basics and building codes to choosing an architect and builder" (Forbes--click here for full review)

"One of the few architects to sell home plans over the Internet is Robert Knight... The site's five examples are impressive with photos keyed to large legible plans. Among their nifty spaces are open living rooms with stone chimneys, rooftop decks and wood-paneled bedrooms. But Knight doesn't sell a set of construction drawings to go with his plans, so the site offers little more than an enticement for his design services...Custom designs that blend woodsy charm with clean, modern lines" (Forbes--click here for full review)

"A dozen designs inspired by indigenous American architecture, including tidewater plantations, Greek Revival farmhouses and Creole cottages. Charming elevations and hand-drawn plans. A portfolio of the illustrations costs $20; a study set of elevations and plans runs $125. Blueprints also available" (Forbes--click here for full review)

"This handsome site makes a strong case for building a bungalow. Large elevations, plans and written descriptions reflect the historic authenticity of three of its eight designs. You can buy the catalog for $20 and download an order form for blueprints, which cost $1,000 for three sets of one plan. Links includes a builder site with photos of completed bungalows and there's a movie for more touring" (Forbes--click here for full review)

"This New Hampshire-based company doesn't offer home plans but frames and panels from old timbers that are shipped to the building site. Order the design guide for $10 and you'll get 28 plans, photos and explanations of the design services and building systems" (Forbes--click here for full review)