The Fine Print
Passive Design Solutions (“PDS”) is a registered business name of 3131891 Nova Scotia Limited, and PDS is the copyright owner of all designs and house plans shown on our website.
All PDS house plans are designed to comply with the Canadian National Building Code. Some provinces and local jurisdictions have additional building codes, zoning requirements, and other regulations that may apply to your project. All Federal, Provincial, and local ordinances, etc., shall be considered as part of the specifications for this design and shall take precedence over anything shown, described, or implied, if and when variances occur.
In Ontario, plan sets require a sign off by a designer with a BCIN number to obtain a building permit in Ontario. This is not included in the PDS packages but can be provided as an option.
The Builder is responsible to check and verify all dimensions on the plan and confirm all municipal zoning and building requirements and report any discrepancies prior to commencing construction.
Plans using a slab-on-grade foundation require engineering calculations stamped by a Professional Engineer licensed in your province.
Manufactured wood structural members, including floor joists, roof trusses, beams, columns, and lintel require design and engineering for local snow loads and building codes, therefore, are not included in the construction drawings of our plan sets. Typically, truss suppliers provide this engineering free of charge. PDS construction drawings assume a depth of floor trusses that may change for local design conditions and affect building dimensions.
Our plan drawing sets do not take into account site conditions such as soil bearing capacity, water tables, depth of bedrock, buried structures, etc.
No person shall use the "Passive Design Solutions" name or logo when publishing any photos or information about our designs without our express written consent.
Copyright
Copyright is the right of an author to make copies of their original work. In Canada, the Copyright Act applies to architectural works. Home designs and drawings are subject to copyright protection in Canada. These original home designs are a product of the knowledge, expertise, skills, and judgment of PDS.
Copying any part of the PDS designs is illegal. Using our designs to redraw, redesign, or modify without purchasing a license is violation of the copyright laws. Unauthorized use of these designs or a derivative work of PDS designs is copyright infringement.
Purchase of a plan set from PDS, provides a non-exclusive right to build a single home. Building more than one home is an infringement of the Copyright Act.
The drawings cannot be reproduced, modified, reused, published, presented or shared in any part or whole without written consent from PDS.
Home plans cannot be copied or reproduced without written permission from PDS. If additional sets are required for estimating or construction, please contact PDS to purchase additional sets or to obtain a letter of permission to make additional copies. It is illegal for print shops to make copies of home designs without written permission from PDS.
Reproducible plans (Vectorworks files, PDF files) sold to builders may include a written license to make modifications to the plans. The license includes permission to make up to 10 sets of the home plans. Only one home can be constructed from the purchase of a plan set, either in original form or as modified, unless permission is otherwise granted.
Everyone has a responsibility to avoid copyright infringement including designers, architects, engineers, homeowners, builders, contractors, developers, and real estate agents. It is the responsibility of the individual to clarify the copyright ownership of the drawing set prior to using them.