Thursday, December 27, 2012
The floor plan is the heart of constructional drawings. From the type of house to the size of the house, a floor plan reveals area, structure, stair location, door and window locations, room layout and so much more. Floor plans can be confusing at first glance, so here are a few pointers to help you understand what you’re seeing.
For starters, look at the floor plan as a whole. The floor plan is drawn from a perspective view, which means that it’s as if the roof has been lifted off and you’re looking down into the house from a bird’s eye view.
Next, locate the front entrance to the house. Visualize opening the front door and walking through the house. Follow the flow down the halls and walk spaces. Go to each room on the floor plan. The living area, kitchen, dining area, bathrooms and bedrooms are all marked, as well as any special rooms such as the utility room or office, like this example shown of the Manhattan Expanded floor plan. Below the room label is the room dimensions. It is listed in feet and inches with the width first and the length second.
Doors and windows are two of the most important elements shown on a floor plan. Each door and window is given a location and size. Windows are shown with three parallel lines in a wall and doors are typically shown as a straight line perpendicular to a wall and an arc that connects this line to the wall. The great thing about showing a door like this is that you’ll know which side has the hinges and which room the door opens into. This is good to keep in mind as you think about furniture placement.
The next thing to look for is ceiling height. Some plans will have the ceiling dimensions on the plan itself, underneath the room dimensions. Other plans will have symbols on them. For example, in the Cavanaugh II floor plan, the master bedroom has a double trey ceiling marked with two squares of dotted lines. Other plans, like the Monroe plan, have vaulted ceilings marked by crossed dotted lines.
If you would like more information on our catalog of floor plans, contact a Ball Homes Specialist today!
FAQs
Below the room label is the room dimensions. It is listed in feet and inches with the width first and the length second. Doors and windows are two of the most important elements shown on a floor plan. Each door and window is given a location and size.
How do you read floor plan numbers? ›
Understanding room dimensions
Let's use plan 1-3-674 as an example. As far as reading room dimensions, let's say a room reads 10'-0” x 11'-6”, shown in red below. The first number, 10'-0”, is the width of the room left to right. The second number, 11'-6”, is the depth of the room, front to back.
How to analyze floor plans? ›
8 Key Elements To Read A Floor Plan:
- The Compass Mark. A sign of a compass on the floor plan will point to the north. ...
- Size and Measurements. ...
- Walls. ...
- Window and door placement. ...
- Ceiling Beams. ...
- Furniture placement. ...
- Stairs. ...
- Bedroom, Kitchen, and Bathroom.
Here's how you can read construction plans like a pro in five steps.
- Read the Title Block.
- Go Over the Plan Legend.
- Inspect the Drawings.
- Determine Orientation.
- Look for Any Notes Added.
- Conclusion.
How to read blueprints in 5 steps
- Review the title and cover page. When you first examine a blueprint, the title and cover page give you the preliminary information required to make sense of the rest of the plans. ...
- Find the key. ...
- Determine the scale. ...
- Read any additional notes. ...
- Decide which drawings you need first.
In the construction industry, a blueprint that has been scaled down uses a small measurement to depict a bigger measurement. For example, a ratio of 1:8 means that the measurements of the drawing are eight times smaller than the real-life measurements.
How to explain a floor plan? ›
A floor plan is a bird's eye view diagram of a home or property. Its purpose is to illustrate the design of the property and it therefore includes structural and design details such as walls, windows, doors and stairs as well as fixed kitchen appliances and bathroom fittings.
How do you judge a floor plan? ›
7 Steps to Evaluating a Home Floor Plan
- The Layout is Key. Take your time walking through your home and noting what doesn't work overall. ...
- Think About Your Lifestyle. ...
- Look to the Future. ...
- Focus on Storage. ...
- Include Outdoor Living. ...
- Make Space for the Features You Want. ...
- Maximize Natural Light.
Here are a few tips on how to measure and draw a floor plan to scale.
- Determine the Level of Accuracy Required. ...
- Start by Measuring the Perimeter. ...
- Measure Doors and Windows. ...
- Measure Other Features. ...
- Measuring for Elevation Drawings. ...
- Drawing a Floor Plan to Scale.
Floor plan symbols represent the size and location of structural elements like walls, doors, windows, and stairs, as well as mechanical elements like plumbing and HVAC systems.
Double doors are indicated with a symbol like a letter M, with the two curved arcs meeting at the centre.
How do you measure floor area on a plan? ›
If your room is square or rectangular (as above), calculating the floor area is very simple. Measure the width (A) and the length (B) of the room and multiply the two measurements together. For example the room above is 4.25m x 5.25m = 22.31m2.
How do you calculate floor plan scale? ›
Take measurements of the room's walls, windows, doors, and built-in features using a tape measure. Convert your measurements to a smaller scale using a scale ruler or graph paper. For example, your scale could be ¼” = 1' (¼ in. = 1 ft.)
How to calculate house plan measurements? ›
Measure the length and width, in feet, of each room. Then, multiply the length by the width to calculate that room's square footage. For example: If a bedroom is 12 feet by 20 feet, it is 240 square feet (12 x 20 = 240). For each room, write the total square footage in the corresponding space on your sketch.
