subject: An Introduction To Home Plan And Blue Print Reading [print this page] Its time to build your new homeIts time to build your new home. Now that your construction professional has been picked out, your design has been chosen and your lot has been purchased, it is time to begin. You finally get to begin your exciting project.
You go visit your architect, and he hands you a great big roll of plans. Or blue prints. It can be an overwhelming site at first. An ability to read them is going to be necessary however, if you ever want to have your dream home built. And understand what they are talking about.
Basically, your home plans are like a map. A map of what your house is going to look like. And more importantly, a map of where every thing is going to go.
This includes your doors, windows, walls, HVAC systems, plumbing electrical and more. It is a lot of information, so it can seem overwhelming.
Eventually however, everything will fall into place, as long as you look at only a small portion at a time. You will quickly begin to understand whatt your plans are trying to illustrate. You may not be an expert, but you will be able to talk to your contractor about them.
Scale is one of the first things you need to understand about reading plans. For obvious reasons, the plans are not drawn at the actual size of your house. In order to make your plans usuable, they are reduced in size. This means they have been scaled.
In the case of blueprints, the most common scale is 1/4". For every one foot of house, your plans show 1/4". 1/4" isn't the only scale used, the scale can be increased in order to show greater detail. For example, a larger scale will be used to show finish details.
Just like a map, blue prints use different symbols to illustrate different features. Every component in your home ranging from doors and windows to HVAC and plumbing will have a different symbol.
In order to understand what your plans are trying to show, you need to familiarize yourself with these symbols. Most plans use a set of symbols, that are universtal and are fairly obvious. Items like windows or doors will have a symbol that is pretty obvious.
Your library will be an easy source for the common universal symbols. Ask your architect about any symbols that are not standard, or look on the plans. Often, there is a legend right on the blue prints.
There are many different variations of plans in your set of blue prints. Elevations and floor plans are by far the most common.
The floor plans show a top down look at your home. They look like you are looking at your house from up above. The most common floor plans show a top down look, with the top cut off at 4 feet.
It is possible to show items that are outside of the 4 foot cutoff, but those will be drawn with a dotted line.
Elevation plans are the next most common. An elevation illustrates your home as if you were looking directly at it. There are normally at least 4 elevations included, one for each side of the house.
In addition, your set of plans will include details, HVAC, electrical and plumbing diagrams.
It can be pretty confusing trying to understand your blue prints when you first see them. But take them one at a time and imagine them as a map.
Study up on the symbols that are present on your plans, so you will be able to discuss the plans with your architect and contractor. Your architect and contractor are there to help. Ask them if you have any questions.
One of the most exciting things you will ever do, is build your own home. Turn your plans into exactly the dream home you want, by learning to read them correctly.
