In comparing the higher cost of building today with the lower cost of building yesterday, you should remember that present day houses are more comfortable and convenient than houses of long ago. Old fashioned houses lacked many things to make life comfortable. Planning was not as well understood as it is today and of necessity, there are many other cost factors that have to be added into the modern home.
Whenever possible you should consider the orientation of a home on it’s lot by making sure that sunlight is utilized to the fullest extent. In doing so you can save your client a great deal of money in heating costs in the cold months by considering passive solar heat.
Saving space is the key word for a successful house plan, large or small. Owners should study the plans over and over again. After the rooms are sketched out, go over them carefully and see if you can eliminate any wasted space. A good room arrangement depends more upon your ingenuity to use space wisely than it does on how much money you put into it.
The shape of a house has much to do with the possibilities of planning. Rectangular or near rectangular houses allow for a better arrangement of rooms than a square house. The most economical arrangement has a central living or great room with one hall to access the two or three bedrooms, baths, kitchen, and dining room all enclosed in a rectangle.
Porches and decks are very important and the designer should consider them carefully. The most useful porch is situated, not on the front of the house where privacy is rarely secured, but on one side or in the rear of the house.
An attached garage or carport is always preferable to one build separately since it incorporates into the rectangular home easily and can share the main roof giving an even greater savings in material costs.
My name is Tim Davis and I draw architectural plans for a living. I also teach others how to draw house plans, site plans, mechanical and shop drawings and other types of drafting that I have been trained to do in a virtual classroom on the internet called 101 Info Dot Org at http://101info.org
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( 3 / 69 )There are several methods of building a model of a house or building. When I designed modular homes in the early nineties, they had to be built quickly so that the client could get a better feel for their proposed home. The method I used was to take a one quarter inch scale plan view of the house and paste it to a piece of plywood.
Then I would use the same scale elevation drawings, (exterior views of the home) and paste them to cardboard. Once pasted, I would use felt tip pens and color the different elements of the home. Afterwards, I would cut out the individual views and paste them together using glue over the plan pasted to the plywood. This way the model stays square and accurate.
The roof would be a thicker cardboard. The edges would be taped over with masking tape to simulate the fascia of the roof. I would thence draw a shingle pattern and glue it to the body of the house.
The following step would be to paint the tan colored concrete driveway and walkways, and then paint the green grass on the plan. To do the landscaping, I would use lichen for the shrubs and model trees bought from a hobby shop to finish up the model. The entire process would take less than four or five hours depending on the complexity of the home.
Interior walls are built using the same method if the interior was to be part of the model. In this case the roof wouldn't be glued to the walls. If I wanted to get real fancy, I would take a surgical knife and cut out the window panes so you would be able to see inside the model.
Another method I have used was balsa wood. Of course this method takes a bit more work than the cardboard but the detail would be much greater. Not to mention more time consuming.
About the Author
My name is Tim Davis and I draw architectural plans for a living. I also teach others how to draw house plans, site plans, mechanical and shop drawings and other types of drafting that I have been trained to do in a virtual classroom on the internet called 101 Info Dot Org at http://101info.org
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( 3 / 47 )Have you ever stood and watched a high building being erected in a large city? It is interesting to see the elevator carry a person with materials like sheet rock and metal studs to the upper floors and the crane lift huge steel girders high in the air. But have you ever stopped to wonder how each person knows where to place each particular girder, wall, stair, window, etc.? If you asked one of the supervisors, they might show you the plans that show them where and how each and everything should be placed.
Or how about watching a house grow from a ditch in the ground to a fully finished home for a family. Most likely you will see these builders reading from large pieces of paper containing each element of the proposed home. These are called Architectural Plans.
From ancient days to the present, almost all structures of any type, from a outbuilding to a high rise apartment have been built with a plan. In modern building, the architect or designer plans every detail from the roofing material right down to the floor coverings. They have to show in their drawings exactly how the finished building will look both inside and out. They must indicate the kinds of material that are used and the exact spot where each element needs to be placed. Everything in those building plans must be so clear that any builder, by looking at the drawings and reading the written instructions will know exactly what to do.
In order to make the huge amount of plans required it is many times necessary that the architect or designer hire a number of people known as architectural drafters. From the architects or designers sketches they make the drawings or plans, and in many cases do original designing themselves. A master drafter is in charge of all the others in the drafting room and are considered the architects "right-hand man."
To become an architectural drafter a person may enter an architects office as an apprentice. This is rare these days but still happens from time to time. At first they are given only basic office work to do. After a while they are put to the task of making small tracings and other less important work. Once they have the basics, they are probably then trained to do original drawings on the drafting board or trained to use a CAD (Computer Aided Drafting) program on the computer.
Another method of learning to be an architectural drafter is to enter a vocational school. Here is where the beginner will be given practical work like in an office, and will be exposed to the principles of all kinds of architectural drafting. As a result of this they will be better equipped to enter almost any architectural office and would not be restricted in their choice of a field. There are many fine drafting schools over the internet to choose from also.
There is an ever increasing need for drafters. Even if the weather or season is unfit for building, there is always need of drafters in designing and planning buildings. There are thousands of buildings and homes built every year and each of them requires a certain number of drafters.
About the Author
My name is Tim Davis and I draw architectural plans for a living. I also teach others how to draw house plans, site plans, mechanical and shop drawings and other types of drafting that I have been trained to do in a virtual classroom on the internet called 101 Info Dot Org at http://101info.org
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( 3 / 42 )If the architects were to choose between the computer generated drafting and the plain old pen and pencil drafting, most of them will probably choose the latter. The drafting table is the architect's workplace; his/her shrine. Even with the recent advancements in technology which have totally eased up the process of drafting, many people still hold onto the conventional drafting table methods.
The drafted tables are generally supported by steel structures. The steel table has the advantage over the oak wood table as it is more portable and gives the same strength. The top surface of the table consists of a layer of fiberboard that is tightly packed. This layer is then laminated by formica sheets to give it a glazed feel. Screws are used to attach the top surface to the metallic frame and if the table requires to be transported the screwed top surface can very easily be unscrewed.
The basic advantage of the steel frame is that mechanical linkages and contraptions can be fixed in the frame of the table. This way the height and angle of the top surface of the drafting table can be adjusted according to user requirements. A clutch controls the position of the surface board. This clutch is in turn controlled by a foot paddle.
A heavy lead counterweight averts the top surface from springing up straight and causing danger to the user if the foot paddle were to be suddenly released. But if you want this safety measure to keep working properly, appropriate maintenance steps should be taken regarding the clutch and the linkages incorporated in the table frame.
The drafting table surface is covered with the help of a board cover. It is a thin vinyl sheet meant to give the surface its glossy smooth feel. It also helps in providing a favorable surface for drafting with the help of a pen and a pencil. This way the compasses and dividers, used in drafting, do not sabotage the wooden surface of the board.
To avoid new drawings from looking unclean due to accumulation of graphite on the surface of the table, the top surface needs to be cleaned in a regular manner. The pencils are held by a strip of aluminum that can be found at the bottom edge of the drafted table. Sometimes steel trays are attached to the table. Some tables have a purpose built tray that holds the pencils and pens even when the top surface is being adjusted on the table.
Drafting equipment such as the parallel rulers may be attached to the table. The parallel ruler runs parallel to the top of the board for the complete width of the table. They can be adjusted along the length. Such instrument is pre calibrated and serve the purpose of helping the draftsman with his/her measurements. Simple projectors, with a few adjustments, can be made into multi- touch tables using materials easily available from the hardware store.
Some of the drafting tables are motorized. This reduces their portability. But they are more convenient as adjustments can be made using a pushbutton. General cost of these tables is US $120 and more.
In the contemporary world and so much to choose from, purchasing a PERFECT drafting table can be a REAL challenge. For FREE tips and info on portable drafting table, visit: Drafting Table blog.
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( 3.1 / 103 )Structural drafting standards are based on the best practices and on engineering codes set up by The American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) and The American Standards Institute (ANSI). Structural drawing practices refer to a style or quality of a drawing provided by the individual drafter to the job. It is characterized by crisp black line work, lettering, consistency, and uniformity. The production of precise detail drawings is an art and real engineering accomplishment.
The actual concept of a structural framework should be provided on the architect/engineer's design drawings. These drawings are converted into detail drawings to provide necessary instructions for the shop fabrication and assembly installation of the different structural members. Through the shop drawings the CAD draftsman pass on all technical information required for the shop to fabricate the structural components.
To prepare required drawings with accuracy, the draftsman must have a comprehensive knowledge of the standard engineering specifications, better understanding of the shop fabrication and field erection process, and should have necessary skills for structural drafting. Hence, it is obvious that the structural drafter develop optimum drawing skills.
Drawing Numbers:
All structural drawings must be marked using the standard designation. Usually, drawings are numbered consecutively with a letter "S" (S1, S2, etc.)
Drawing Scales:
The standard unit for structural dimensions is feet. Usually, the scale is marked as feet and inches. Any scale based on an "Architect's Scale" can be utilized for structural drawings.
Titles:
All things on a drawing must have a title such as a plan view, elevation, section, detail, note column, etc. Titles are mentioned bold enough to catch the viewers' eye. To give prominence, the titles are underlined. Single line, a double line, or a combination of thin and thick lines can be used for underlining.
Dimensioning:
The style of dimensioning in structural drafting is the same style used in common architectural drawings. The dimension line is a continuous, unbroken line with the dimension figure placed above the line. Its obvious that to not place the dimension figure below the dimension line.
About the Author
Should you have any queries or need more information on structural drafting standards, please feel free to contact us. Email us at info@outsourcestructuraldrafting.com
Visit us at http://www.outsourcestructuraldrafting.com/ to get more information.
Richard Bose is structural engineer at OSD - an established Structural Engineering consultants offering full services such as structural design analysis, structural drafting and shop drawings services at affordable rates. Email us info@outsourcestructuraldrafting.com
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