Buzz
House blueprints consist of several sections that detail the construction process of your home. Check out more images of home building.
Sean Ellis/Photographer's Choice/Getty ImagesIf you're not an architect or builder, house plans might feel like a puzzle to solve. The pages are packed with intricate symbols just waiting to be interpreted. But unless you're fluent in the language of architecture, it's hard to understand what the drawings are communicating. And since these plans are for your future home, it's essential to get the meaning behind them.
To provide some historical context, architectural plans used to be known as "blueprints" (and the term is still used by those outside the field). This term originated in the 19th century when plans were printed on blue paper. In 1861, French chemist Alphonse Louis Poitevin discovered that iron gallate could be applied to paper, turning it blue in sunlight. The areas shielded from the sun would remain white. Architects would place their drawings on this treated paper, and the black lines from the original document would block the sunlight, leaving white lines on the copy. After the paper dried, the black lines appeared white on the new sheet, while the rest of the paper stayed blue. This process led to the invention of the first architectural photocopying technique [source: Boston Globe]. Over time, this method was replaced by newer technologies, and today house plans are usually created and reproduced using computers.
What do house plans include?
Familiarize yourself with the symbols for doors, windows, and other essential features.
Peter Dazeley/Photographer's Choice/Getty ImagesHouse plans, also called "drawing sets," provide a contractor with everything they need to construct your dream home from the ground up. These blueprints not only define the layout and exterior appearance of the house, but they also outline essential details like plumbing, electrical systems, and even the materials and finishes that will complete your home.
A typical house plan is divided into several sections, some of which span a single page while others cover multiple pages of the blueprint.
- Cover sheet -- presents an artist's rendition of your house's completed exterior
- Foundation plan -- displays the footprint of your home, including areas needing excavation
- Floor plans -- shows the layout of each floor, with rooms, walls, doors, windows, and additional recommendations for electrical outlets and fixtures
- Interior elevations -- detailed vertical plans for your walls, including designs for built-in cabinets, bookshelves, and other features that the contractor will manage
- Roof plan -- an exterior view illustrating the peaks, slopes, and overall shape of your roof
- Exterior elevations -- views of all four sides of your house, showing precise measurements along with materials and specific details.
- Wall details -- this section reveals what's inside your walls, detailing insulation and specifying the materials used for flooring and roofing.
- Structural plan -- outlines the essential structural components, including trusses and second-floor framing
What can you find within the contents of these sections?
Understanding House Plans
Aside from the artist's depiction of the house's exterior, much of the house plan won't resemble a typical house. Instead, it uses standardized symbols to represent various components of your home. When a builder views house plans, they see doors, windows, walls, and electrical outlets depicted through symbols. Once you learn to recognize these symbols, you'll be able to visualize the house just like a builder does. Here are some fundamental tips for reading house plans:
- House plans are drawn to scale, which means that by multiplying the lengths in the plan by a specific factor, you will get the real-life measurements. There isn’t a single scale used for all house plans, but commonly for site plans, 1 inch equals 20 feet. For foundation, floor plans, and elevations, the scale is typically 1/4 inch equals 1 foot, and for sections and details, it’s 3/8 inch equals 1 foot [source: National Council of Building Designer Certification]. As the plan is to scale, it shows everything in proportion to the actual structure, even though it's much smaller than the real house. For instance, an exterior wall that appears thicker than an interior wall on your plans will actually be thicker in real life. To understand scale, you can take one of the floor plans, measure a room’s actual size, and compare it to rooms in your current home. Imagine how other rooms, hallways, and traffic flow will feel in relation to the room you've measured to better visualize your future home.
- Nearly every element of a house is represented by a standardized symbol in house plans. For example, nine symbols are commonly used for different door types, including French, swinging, bi-fold, and accordion doors [source: eHousePlans.com]. You can search online or consult with your architect or builder to understand these symbols (and check the handy guide above). It's beneficial to familiarize yourself with at least the symbols for doors, windows, and electrical outlets.
- Specifications: Along with the visual layout and room dimensions, house plans also describe how each component is to be constructed and the materials used. The specifications sheet will detail fixtures, appliances, materials, and other preferences. Even if you opt for pre-designed house plans, there is often room for adjustments to the specifications. You might select your wallpaper, paints, fixtures, hardware, and other finishes [source: Byoh.com].
How to Read House Plans: Helpful Tips
Whether you’re reviewing the plans with your architect or browsing house plans online, it's helpful to understand a few things about homes to better interpret the plans and determine if they reflect your ideal house.
For example, did you know that home styles are defined not just by their layout but also by architectural features? A colonial home typically has a central hallway, square rooms on either side, and larger rooms in the back. A ranch home has an "L" shape, one floor, with bedrooms grouped on one side. Victorian homes are marked by elements like fish-scale shingles and bay windows. A Cape Cod home has two upstairs bedrooms with sloped ceilings [source: TheHouseDesigners.com]. By learning about various home styles, you can recognize their features on a house plan, which will help you better visualize the house in your mind.
When reviewing the layout of the house, don’t forget to carefully evaluate the materials and finishes. Weigh your preference for granite countertops and energy-efficient appliances against the size of the house. Small features can quickly add up and push you over budget. Also, as you examine the materials and techniques in the plan, remember that green design can provide long-term benefits, but green techniques may not always be suitable for every climate [source: HomeBuildingSmart.com].
Remember, house plans are flexible – it’s better to make changes on paper before construction begins rather than making costly adjustments later or, even worse, realizing after the house is built that it doesn’t meet your needs. Collaborate with your architect or builder to thoroughly understand your plans, then modify them as necessary. Need more electrical outlets in your home office for modern needs? Add them. Is the site design calling for a mirrored layout? Flip the plan. Have young children that might need pocket doors instead of swinging ones in a narrow hallway? Adjust the design accordingly.
In the end, the perfect home isn’t always the largest or the most glamorous – it’s the one that fits your lifestyle the best. Focus on what matters most to you and ensure those priorities are reflected in your plans.
