As a designer, I know that’s completely full o’ crap. It starts long before pretty pictures.  Plus, where the heck is all their STUFF?

To get your home beautiful and your interiors working right, you can't pose for the camera.  A nice floor plan, a great design, a beautiful home?  You need to stop buying the B.S. and use the scroll for paint colors and the latest light fixture. Not for planning your future home!

It starts with a plan and by plan, I mean blueprints.

Blueprints are just a fancy way of saying directions, IKEA directions on steroids. Directions on how to build something, a systematic way of achieving a goal.

They have many names;
C.D.’s - construction documents, kitchen layouts, floor plans, architectural drawings and.... blueprints.

Basically, they are the same. Blueprints need to contain the same information across different architectural, design and construction firms, regardless of who you hire. The requirements from your city, state and local authorities will dictate the contents.

Much of the stuff in there has nothing to do ‘specifically’ with your home, but more with the local codes for building practices and materials in your area. What kind of screws are used?

If you live within ten miles of the ocean, in NYC? You will have special standardized notes about the type of galvanized (?) screws that must be used for framing exterior walls.

Do you care? Me, neither!

But, it’s there to make sure the proper materials are used and someone should be paying attention to that, just not the homeowner. That’s why the contractor and architect make the big bucks, right?

Good news for you! You don’t need to intimately understand the boring stuff you hire other people to do.

I’ve been looking at plans for over 30 years and every time I get a new set, it takes me a few minutes to acclimate myself to that design firm’s way of organizing their projects.

Thankfully, there are standard elements across towns, states and countries that are included in every set that you must have. It just takes a few minutes to figure out the ‘branding’ or formatting for the plans from each designer, contractor, architect or engineering firm. Just a few minutes....

So, what are plans?

pic thanks to @rachelcurrancolleran

A set of papers that is 24” high by 36” wide. That’s a standard set of residential plans around these parts. They are your plan for building your home, from the ground, up.

These days, communication between architects and homeowners often happens by computer, PDF's from AutoCAD files. Unfortunately for the homeowner, these are much more difficult to verify measurements and catch mistakes.

The plans are much smaller. And by small, I mean tiny. The zoom feature doesn’t cut it for specifying materials. Most Contractors will expect a full size set of plans to bid your job and anybody with old eyes can appreciate that.

Pages in a set

The cover sheet
This page of plans is not always included in a set but, it’s a 3-D rendering (that’s a drawing for you who were educated by a zoom screen) of your home’s exterior. These are typically included in Builder packages and if you have a larger project.  For my house, the hours my draftsman would have charged were not worth the picture.  But, if you need more help visualizing the plan BEFORE contractors get involved, get it!

Along the right hand side of each sheet, is the title block.

In that, you’ll find the name of the firm doing the work, owners and address of the property. Some zoning information and the page and section numbers are included, so you’ll be able to refer to other pages in the plans.

In olden days, plans were kept rolled up with this title block exposed to identify the project. This made it easy to grab the job you wanted. Sorry, I digress....

Site plan or the Survey

An aerial picture or drawing of the property where the project is going to be built. Ever see those guys and gals with the tripods and the orange vest on the side of the road? That’s a Surveyor.  They create a 'survey' of the property so the architect can then begin positioning the home or addition on the property.

 

• property dimensions
• elevations
• changes in grade
• obstructions
• trees
• sheds
• driveway
• street locations
• gas
• sewer
• water lines 

and so much more....

It provides valuable information about the property itself. You can properly layout the house in the best spot, for the best view, with the best wind protection and the most privacy. Whatever that location’s needs and special quirks might be, the survey tells the story.

Next up, the “PLANS”
Each level or floor will have it’s own plan or sheet with dimensions or measurements, Plans show the location of walls, doors and windows - the footprint of the house.

These include:
Foundation plan (the cellar or basement plan) first floor, second floor
roof plan (and whatever other floors you may have in between!). In addition, they include symbols and marks for details and sections, which link to other pages with more information.

Elevation Sheet(s)
This is the two-dimensional pictures of the exterior walls of the house. It tells a picture of the aesthetic of the home. Where are the windows? Is it symmetrical? Is the door located near the driveway? 

Details and General Notes Sheet(s)
These include custom details, sprinklers, electrical, plumbing, lighting and any local codes that may need to be addressed. It will also usually include two dimensional details of stairs, foundations or roof connections.

Pay Close attention...

In the notes sheets, you will find the....

Window and Door Schedules and  Materials Lists! 

These are the most important pieces of information for

setting and staying on budget! 

(Besides cutting up the spender's credit cards.)

The schedules list sizes, style and manufacturer information for windows, doors, siding and lots of other big ticket $$ items that your budget will be based on, so make sure it's got

the stuff you want in the sizes you need!

pic thanks to @rachelcurrancolleran

How is a Set Arranged?

A set of plans is laid out like you would start a construction job. The top sheet is going to be the ground and you’re going to build the layers of the house from that.

• foundation
• first floor
• second floor
• roof plan
• walls
• details, details, details

It all comes together in layers.  And that’s exactly how the software that architects and engineers use works!

AutoCAD and Revit are the big ones. But, any of those types of software use ‘layers’ within each project that cover a particular function or trade that needs to be addressed;  a plumbing layer, an electrical layer, lighting layer and floor plan layers.

The software can combine or separate them to look at the details of each floor. The software is amazing, and the information and instructions it provides is far more than what the homeowner needs.

There's a ton of free and paid apps.  Check out this article, 8 of the best free home and interior design tools, apps and software . 

BUT READ BELOW FIRST!

As a homeowner or renovator, you do not need to learn new software to draw and understand floor plans.  Your time is better spent defining what you need and want from the space, shopping for those items and budgeting.  However, if you have tons of free time, have at it.  They do give you some 3D renderings that are cool and other features that let you see flooring options, windows and day and night views.  Either way,

No one is EVER going to care as much as you, so won’t it be great when you know what you’re looking at?  

The more eyes that see and understand your plans, the better. 

Yours, most of all.

I know, I know! Everyone wants to jump in and design and pick the pretty stuff. Do you love this tile? What color countertop for the island? Do I need that sofa in blue or grey?

But, you can’t put lipstick on a pig. I’ve tried.  Any home, regardless of great lighting and a favorable camera angle, budget or location, starts with a good layout.  Get to know yours and you'll thank me. 

Subscribe to my Youtube channel, 

Liz Bianco is My Design Sherpa I'll show you how to draw up a house with nothing more than a pencil, a ruler and some graph paper in no time!  

Get your head right, designs tight and your house will be outta sight.

If you want to design like a pro,
It all starts with a plan....

Best,

Liz