What’s included in a Site Plan
Boundaries: The boundary is the measurement and angles of lines that defines a piece of real estate. These are measured by using coordinates of a line with their distance from one point to the other. For instance if a lines coordinates are N32d15’32”E ~ 325.0’, it means the line is started in a north easterly section that is angled thirty two degrees, fifteen minutes, thirty two seconds by a distance of three hundred twenty five feet. After all the boundary lines are complete it should represent a closed area.
Building Footprint: This is the representation or drawing of the perimeter of the structure that is to be built on the property. This will include porches, and decks attached to the house.
Setbacks and Easements: Setbacks are the lines where local municipalities have ordered that a structure cannot cross and easements are where utilities like sewer or power lines cross the properties area.
Roadways: These are the roads that are touching the property. If no road is accessible from the land a right of way must exist so that the owner can have access to their property.
Driveways and Walkways: These show where vehicle access, parking and foot access are located in relation to the house.
Utility Locations: This is where access to services like water, power, sewer, or septic tanks are shown on the drawings.
Topography: A representation of the surface features of a piece of property, indicating their relative positions and heights of the ground.
About the Author
Tim Davis is a seasoned drafter and teacher who has developed a class on drawing site plans at http://siteplans.8m.com/ This course is part of his classes on how to draw complete house plans at http://houseplandrafting101.com which can be taken separately or together.
Other Places Where This Article Is Featured:
* http://ezinearticles.com/?What-is-a-Sit ... id=3452451
* http://draftingservice.us/homes/surveyi ... -plan.html
* http://pcimunity.blogspot.com/2009/12/w ... -plan.html
[ add comment ] ( 3 views ) | permalink |
( 3 / 128 )To begin there are some things you will need to know. Depending on how much detail your builder and building inspector require, the minimum set of plans should include the floor plan, exterior elevations, foundation or basement plan, and a roof plan drawn to scale.
A scale is nothing more than a shrunken ruler so that 1' -0" (12 inches) would be 1/4 inch long on your drawing. Here then is an example. If we use the scale and draw an eight foot (8') line. In reality the line is only Two inches (2") long on the paper.
What's in a set of house plans:
There's a Floor Plan that's a view of a house you would see if you took a knife and sliced the house to see the walls, windows, doors, etc. from the top, middle way down the walls. This is also called a dimensional plan. Typically all floor plans are drawn at the scale of one quarter inch equals one foot and zero inches. (1/4" = 1'- 0") It should include all the measurements of the walls, windows, and door locations, door and window sizes, stair locations, room labels, locations of exposed beams, cased opening sizes and locations, bathroom layout showing sink vanity, tub or shower, and toilet, kitchen cabinets with appliances & sink fixtures, and construction notes.
Many floor plans include the electrical symbols telling us where the receptacles, light switches, light fixtures, ceiling fans, cable connections, telephone jacks, and meter base are located in the house. These can be included in the dimensional plan but many drafters place it on a separate drawing page.
The Exterior Elevations or views include all four (4) aspects of the house. They are the front, left, rear, & right drawn also at one quarter inch equals one foot and zero inches (1/4" = 1' - 0") scale. Then there are some plans that have the front elevation drawn at 1/4" scale and then the left, rear & right at one eight inch equals one foot and zero inches. (1/8" = 1' - 0") On these views you find notes about what type of siding or veneer, the roof pitch (angles) of the various roofs, grade locations, finished floor & ceiling locations, and a roof plan showing the house from the top view. The roof plan is usually drawn at 1/8" = 1' - 0" scale or 1/16" = 1' - 0" to save space on the drawing.
The Foundation or Basement Plan is the same type as the floor plan showing wall types, footing sizes, floor joist or truss locations, support beams, pilasters or piers, and ventilation vents & openings. The foundation or basement plan is also a dimensional type drawing. Most of these plans are drawn at the scale of 1/4" = 1'- 0".
If the plan is more detailed, then we would see sectional details showing total breakdown of the materials used to construct the home and how they are put together, HVAC (heating and air conditioning) plan, plumbing plan, and cabinet elevations. Even more involved plans would show the types of mouldings, pediments, & trims in greater detail as well.
Tim Davis is a veteran Architectural Designer who teaches a full course in Residential Drafting at http://houseplandrafting101.com. He also teaches students how to read and understand blueprints at http://blueprints.8m.com.
[ add comment ] ( 9 views ) | permalink |
( 3 / 237 )If you have never had a new home built, it can be a daunting task. In order to start the process you need to know what's involved. I'm hoping this article can give you at least an idea of what's involved.
1. When selecting the right property for your home you'll need to make yourself a check list of what you are wanting in a lot. If you don't choose the right location, it could ruin the entire experience.
2. Spend as much time as possible in the design stage of your home. Sit with your spouse and create a dream sheet or sketch of what you're wanting. Make sure there are enough bathrooms for your family and special area's for things like crafts and hobbies. Bedroom locations and sizes are very important also. Consider what areas of the house will be used for the entire family. Is there an adequate Family Room, Kitchen and Dining area? One major aspect of a home that is overlooked is storage. Make sure this also is one of your considerations.
3. Take your sketches or dream sheet to a qualified Architect, Designer or Home Drafter and see what ideas they may have that you have missed. Then hire the one you feel most comfortable in dealing with. It will be their job to make sure your home meets building codes and requirements and flows the way you intend it to.
4. Interview as many contractors as possible. Check their references and ask to see some of their completed jobs. Once you decide on a contractor, make sure that you have one special set of plans for you and your contractor to sign off on. As construction proceeds and changes are made, note them on that special set of plans and both of you initial the change so that when the job is complete, it will be reflected on the set of drawings so there are no surprises. Try not to take possession of the new home until all is complete and you are satisfied with the craftsmanship.
5. If you have to go through a plan review with a HMO or building inspector, either your designer or contractor can handle this for you. It's probably best to have to one who drew the plans handle this process as whatever changes that have to be made with the plans won't have to pass through a middle man.
About the Author
Tim Davis is a fully trained Architectural Designer with 20+ years experience. His home design website is at http://customhouseplans.8m.com. He's also webmaster of the Building Trades and Real Estate Articles Directory at http://draftingservice.us/homes/
[ add comment ] ( 5 views ) | permalink | related link |
( 2.8 / 196 )Ok, so you've purchased a piece of property and have a home plan and want to figure out the cost of building it. So what next? Maybe you are looking to get a job with a building contractor and material lists will be one of the things you'll need to know how to do. Well, here in a nut shell is how some of it's done. Most all that you need is a good understanding of math and a little patients.
For instance, let's say you want to know how many 2 inch x 4 inch studs are going into the walls. If you look at the details of your plans, you'll find out how far your studs are spaced. Most are at 16 inches on center. If this be the case, then say you have a 10 foot wall. There is 12 inches in a foot so simple math would tell you that there is 120 inches in 10 feet. Divide 120 inches by 16 inches and you come up with 7 and 1/2 or 7.5. Meaning you have seven and one half studs in the wall. Round that off to 8 and you have it.
How about the bottom and top plates? These are 2 inch x 4 inch pieces of lumber too. Looking at your drawing section you find that you have 1 - 2 inch x 4 inch bottom plate and 2 - 2 inch x 4 inch top plates. So you have 3 - 2 inch x 4 inch plates and the wall is 10 feet long so you will need 30 feet of 2 inch x 4 inch lumber.
Are you seeing how it works so far? Good! Lets take it to the next step. How about floor decking? If your room is 10 foot wide by 10 feet long that is 100 square feet. Right? You multiply the width by the depth. Sheets of plywood come in 4 foot by 8 feet sheets which makes 32 square feet. Divide 100 square feet by 32 square feet and you have 3 and 1/8th sheets or 4 sheets.
The same could be done for the exterior wall sheathing which is either OSB (particle board) or plywood. Lets say you have a 32 foot exterior wall that is 8 feet tall. The OSB or plywood comes as you know in 4 feet by 8 foot sheets. You could either divide the square footage of the wall, but we already know the wall is 8 feet high, or divide 32 feet which is the length of the wall by 4 feet, and you would come up with 8 sheets.
Of course the process involves counting windows and doors and their sizes, cabinet sizes and quantities, Light fixtures, plumbing fixtures, roof trusses and coverings, etc. And I know these were actually simple illustrations and it can be more complex, but this is the general method of material take-off.
My name is Tim Davis and I draw architectural plans for a living. I also teach Architectural Blueprint Reading at http://blueprints.8m.com
[ add comment ] ( 8 views ) | permalink |
( 2.9 / 191 )Especially if you are appraising a newer home, the possibilities are good that an architectural plan is available for the home. If so, you need to know what you are looking at. In this article, I plan to break down the basic sheets usually found in a set of house blueprints.
The Floor Plan
This is the page that lets you know what the layout of the house looks like. A house plan is basically a drawing that depicts the house if it were cut with a knife on a horizontal plane allowing you to look past the roof down into the rooms. There should be over all dimensions, room names, fixture labels, door and window sizes and styles, etc. Sometimes these plans include an electrical floor plan which is the floor plan with the electrical fixture locations.
The Elevations
You will probably find a sheet with all the exterior views of the home also which are called elevations. These will probably have the types of siding, roof pitches (angles), shutter types, grade heights (ground levels), trim types, and so on.
Foundation or Basement Plan
If the plan is complete there should be either a foundation or basement plan. If so, you can find out what the house was built on and what types of joists or trusses are supporting it.
HVAC and Plumbing Plan
This plan is particularly handy as you can see how the duct work is layed out for the Heating and air conditioning. You will also be able to tell what type of plumbing pipes have been used and what sizes.
Sectional Drawing and Special Details
A sectional drawing is where we cut an imaginary line vertically through the house to expose the elements that create the structure. With these drawings you can tell any special materials or methods were used in the construction of the home.
About the Author
My name is Tim Davis and I draw architectural plans for a living. I also teach Architectural Blueprint Reading at http://blueprints.8m.com
[ add comment ] ( 6 views ) | permalink |
( 2.9 / 171 )
Calendar
