design with FRANK

What design with FRANK does

Design with FRANK is a privately held residential design platform founded in 2021 and headquartered in New York, with operational roots in Columbia, Missouri. The company sells architect-designed house plan templates as digital downloads to individual homeowners, DIY builders, ADU developers, and short-term rental investors across the United States. Its catalog comprises more than 25 distinct plan templates ranging from a 512 sqft micro steel-frame ADU cabin to a 2,545 sqft Nordic barndominium, encompassing cabins, farmhouses, ranches, barndominiums, and dogtrot homes. Plans are sold in two tiers — Study Plans (9-15 sheet preliminary packages starting at $99) and Building Plans (17-30 sheet construction-ready packages with CAD and SketchUp files) — and incorporate passive solar design, double-stud insulation, natural ventilation, and high-performance building envelope specifications compliant with International Residential Code.

The business operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce model exclusively through its own website, with no resellers or third-party marketplaces. Go-to-market is content-led: a 30+ article Building Guide blog, a YouTube channel, Instagram, Pinterest, and an email newsletter drive organic discovery, supplemented by featured-project case studies. Revenue is generated through one-time digital license purchases, in-house design customization services (minor and moderate plan modifications delivered via Zoom), and a full-service residential design offering for select clients. The company has secured building permits for its plans in 21+ US states and has customer builds documented from Vermont to Oregon and from Maine to Missouri, plus Ontario, Canada.

The company is led by co-founders Chloe Fan (CEO; Bachelor of Architecture from The Cooper Union on full scholarship; designer of nearly 100 homes over four years; recipient of the Cooper Union Excellence in Architecture Award, BLT Design and Build Award, and Kyoto Design 100 Award) and Gabriel Munnich (CTO; licensed architect in Missouri and Maine; international project background including JFK Airport Planning, the Grand Canal Museum in China, the San Gennaro Museum in Naples, and a school complex in Le Bourget, Paris). The firm has participated in two disclosed funding rounds (2021 seed led by Lair East Labs and Redbud VC; 2022 follow-on with JAD Capital, Lair East Labs, and Sunstone Management). Headcount is reported as 1-10, and the firm appears to operate as a lean, founder-led design studio rather than a venture-backed scale-up.

Name

design with FRANK

Legal name

Design With Frank

Website

https://designwithfrank.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Design with FRANK is a US e-commerce platform founded in 2021 that sells architect-designed residential house plan templates as digital downloads to individual homeowners, DIY builders, ADU developers, and short-term rental investors nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Residential Architectural House Plans

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Residential Remodelers (236118)

SIC

General Bldg Contractors - Residential Bldgs (1520)

akta.pro primary industry

Urban Planning & Master Planning (BPAHAKAD)

Keywords

• Residential house plans
• Architectural design services
• Home building plans
• ADU design plans
• Floor plan templates

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. House Plan Downloads: One-time purchase digital downloads of architectural house plans in PDF format, with two package tiers: Study Plans (9-15 sheets, preliminary design review) and Building Plans (17-30 sheets plus CAD/SketchUp files for construction). Customers can also purchase minor/moderate design customizations from the in-house team. The company provides a single-use building license with each blueprint package purchase.
2. Design Customization Services: In-house design team offers minor and moderate design modifications to existing floor plans, including foundation changes, layout adjustments, and material customization consultations via Zoom calls. Price quoted based on specific needs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

design with FRANK is a home design consultancy that sells architect-designed residential house plan templates as digital downloads. Its catalog spans micro-cabins, ADUs, vacation cabins, farmhouses, barndominiums, and multi-bedroom homes, with optional in-house design customization and consultation services for individual homeowners and DIY builders.

Product overview

Design with FRANK is a home design consultancy offering a platform of architect-designed house plan templates, building guides, and educational content to make homebuilding accessible. The core offering consists of digital house plan downloads available as either Study Plans (preliminary 9-15 sheet packages for early planning and quotes) or Building Plans (comprehensive 17-30 sheet construction-ready packages with CAD/SketchUp files). The product portfolio includes over 25 distinct house plan templates ranging from 512 sqft micro-cabins to 2,545 sqft multi-bedroom homes, encompassing styles such as modern cabins, barndominiums, farmhouses, ranches, ADUs, and vacation homes. Add-on services include in-house design customization via Zoom consultation and full-service residential design for select clients. The company also provides free Building Guide educational content and YouTube video education to support homeowners through the construction process.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architect-Designed House Plan Templates Catalog of architect-designed residential house plan templates delivered as digital PDF downloads, spanning 512 sqft micro-cabins through 2,545 sqft multi-bedroom homes across styles such as modern cabins, barndominiums, farmhouses, ranches, ADUs, and vacation homes. Plans are IRC-compliant and include a single-use building license. Customers include individual homeowners, DIY builders, and short-term rental hosts.
• Design Studio Customization Services In-house design team service for minor and moderate modifications to existing floor plans, including foundation changes, layout adjustments, and material customization, delivered via Zoom consultation. Output can be exported in SketchUp or other 3D formats for local engineers and architects.
• Full-Service Residential Design Comprehensive custom residential design service from concept to construction for select clients, engaged by email inquiry. Covers complete custom home design and build oversight.
• Consultation Call with Chloe One-on-one consultation call with lead designer Chloe Fan to discuss house plan options, customization needs, and design direction.

Quantifiable outcome

• Energy savings through passive solar design with south-facing windows and covered deck thermal buffer
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Houseplans.com: Largest online marketplace for pre-designed house plans with thousands of designs from multiple residential architects. Directly competes with Design with FRANK on plan selection, e-commerce purchase, and digital delivery — the closest 1:1 comparable in business model.
• Architectural Designs: Long-standing house plan marketplace selling architect-designed plans across styles and sizes with study/construction package tiers similar to Design with FRANK's Study Plans / Building Plans structure. Competes for the same DIY homebuilder search traffic.
• Donald A. Gardner Architects: Residential architecture firm selling a large catalog of home plans directly through its website with plan customization services. Closely comparable in operating an architect-led brand plus customization offering.
• Visbeen Architects: Residential architecture firm known for luxury and high-end custom home designs, selling plans online. Overlaps with Design with FRANK's modern, design-forward aesthetic and customization services.
• The House Designers: Online catalog of home plans from multiple designers, offering customizable plans with construction documents. Directly comparable e-commerce model and target customer (individual homebuilders shopping by plan).
• Mark Stewart Home Designs: Specialized designer of modern farmhouse and craftsman-style home plans sold directly online. Comparable in offering a curated, designer-branded catalog rather than a marketplace model.
• Frank Betz Associates: Residential design firm with extensive online catalog of house plans sold direct-to-consumer. Comparable in scale of catalog and direct e-commerce delivery of construction drawings.
• Dream Home Source: House plan marketplace with a large catalog of designs from residential architects, offering plan modifications and CAD packages. Competes on the same online blueprint purchase motion.
• ePlans.com: House plan marketplace with modification services and a broad catalog. Directly comparable e-commerce plan-purchase motion with customization upsell.

Emerging players

• Havenly: Online interior design platform offering designer-led services at accessible price points. Adjacent rather than direct — competes for the same homeowner's design budget but on interior finishes rather than architectural plans.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@design-with-frank
• Instagraminstagram.com/designwithfrank
• Pinterestpinterest.com/designwithfrank
• Facebookfacebook.com/desighwithFRANK

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about design with FRANK