ᐅ Building Plans for a Prefabricated House as a Template – Could This Cause Issues?

We are currently in the detailed preliminary planning phase before consulting an architect soon.

At the moment, we are wondering if there could be any legal issues if we use prefab house manufacturer plans as inspiration. For example, we really like the exterior dimensions, layout, etc. We would only want to change a few small details such as the arrangement and size of the windows and doors.

Legally, the plans are apparently protected as stated in the printed material...

The question is, what exactly can be protected in such a design? If we only change a small portion, it wouldn’t be an exact copy anymore, or am I mistaken?

Even if we were to implement it exactly as is, the chance that the prefab company would ever find out seems low, doesn’t it?

Pandora’s box…

If it’s a well-designed “standard” floor plan, who would even need to prove that I didn’t customize it myself? Also, just because it says in the catalog that it’s protected doesn’t necessarily mean that it is legally protected.
However, I would really be interested in the opinion of an expert here, as my sense of what’s right doesn’t always align with the applicable law 😉

You can copy as much as you want – but why do you go to an architect and then want to present your "stolen" designs to them? What is the architect supposed to do? Applaud?

However, legally, no one can come after you for that.

The architect should not gossip but complete the plans I need for the building permit / planning permission, including the requested additional services. Also, as mentioned, small changes will be made, and I would like to have the architect’s opinion on those.

That's a lot of money to throw away – usually, a good architect doesn’t (willingly) do something like that. You should give them freedom and only define the general framework.