What Is A House Plan?
When buying or renting a house, your agent might have shown you a 2D drawing of that house. It is a top view of the house that shows the entrance, living room, bedroom, kitchen, etc. Moreover, it shows the North direction, sizes of the rooms, doors and window locations, etc. Little you know, it is a house plan.
Importance Of A House Plan
A house plan has multiple uses, from planning to construction to buying/selling. A good house plan assists in the following-1. Provides Flexibility In Design
A house plan is often modified for cost optimization, utility issues, or improving productivity. The suggested changes are before the construction. Hence, saving the rework and money wastage.2. Basis Of Design
A house plan is the blueprint of the house. It is the basis for detailed designing of the house, sections, elevations, etc. The measurements, direction, spatial arrangement, and amenities are tentatively marked.3. Resource Planning
4. Material Planning
The construction material tentative requirement for the house may be estimated based on thumb rules and rough calculations.5. Builds Confidence In Buyer
When buying or renting a house, a house plan shows a clear picture of the house without the visit. Images can be deceptive, but a house plan doesn’t lie.
Steps to Draw a House Plan
The below listed 7 step process enables you to make a house plan in no time. You can make a plan on paper or software.1. Define The Requirements
This is the crucial step when it comes to making a house plan. Bring all the stakeholders to a table and discuss their expectations from the house. Decide the required features and amenities with the stakeholders. The features may include the following-No. of Floors: The number of floors required for a house determines the plan’s requirement. A building made for apartments has more floors than the nuclear family use building.
Bedrooms: The required number of bedrooms should be known before drawing a house plan. A master bedroom is the largest bedroom in the house and is limited to 1 on each floor.
Living room: A living room is a place for general activities, entertaining guests, gatherings, etc. A living room is generally connected to the main entrance and has a toilet nearby.
Kitchen: A kitchen is limited to 1 on each floor. It has the facility to wash and store the utensils. Provision for storing food items and a refrigerator is also there.
Dining Hall: A dining hall connects to the kitchen. It hosts a dining table and chairs.
Bathroom: The bathroom can be isolated and also attached to the bedroom. A master bathroom is the largest sized bathroom in the house.
Toilets: Nowadays toilet is often attached to the bathroom to save space and cost.
Store Room: A storeroom for storing lesser-used goods may be provided where the space is available.
Pooja Room: A pooja room is often a small room provided with an altar.
Garage: The garage houses the cars.
Open Space: The open to sky spaces are a requirement at some houses.
Basement: A basement is often made as a hall with little built up. It can also be used as a garage.
Balcony: The balcony provides extra space beyond the built-up area.
2. Know Your Plot
Now you have collected the requirements of the house, and you know the number of floors, bedrooms, bathrooms, toilets, kitchens, etc. It is time to check the plot of the house. Here is what you should check in the plot-Direction: All the house plans refer to the North direction. You can use a compass for direction determination.
Location: Look for the road. Plan the entrance towards the road-facing side of the plot. For plots on corners, there is an option to provide house entrance in any of the two perpendicular directions. Similarly, a plot having roads on two opposite sides also have an option for two house entrances.
Open Sides: The plot may be surrounded by buildings on the sides. Therefore, you should be careful when deciding the location of windows, ventilators, balconies, and open spaces in your house.
Plot Shape: The plot shape is essential for the design. A rectangular and square-shaped plot is more desirable as it has a lower cost of construction. Moreover, they are Vastu compliant as well.
Area and measurements: Measure the plot sides and calculate the plot area. You can take the expert help for this, or you can measure the same with tape.
3. Decide The Scale
The fieldwork has been completed with the previous step. It is the time to bring the imagination to the paper. The scale of a drawing is the ratio of drawing measurements to the actual measurements. It helps you in proportioning the space accurately. For example, if you choose a scale of 1:100, you will draw a line of 1 cm on paper for the actual line length of 100 cm. In another example, if your plot size is 40′ x 25′ and the scale is 1:100. The house plan dimension shall be 4.8″ x 3″. A scale between 1:20 to 1:100 is suitable for most of the house plans.4. Mark The Plot Boundary
Use the following steps to create a plot outline.- Convert the field measurements of the plot into the drawing measurements using scale.
- Draw the plot boundary on the paper. Make sure the angle between the boundary lines is the same as per the actual.
- Mark the North direction.
- Mark the road and nearby landmarks (if any).
5. Draw Partitions
Now you need to draw the partitions. Mark the plots with boundary. This step creates the internal structure of the house.- Tentatively mark the single line partitions of bedrooms, living room, kitchen, dining room, bathrooms, open space etc.
- Check if the plan includes all of the required features.
- Detail the wall thickness and measure the room sizes. Re-adjust the sizes if any space seems out of proportion.
- Look out for the balconies beyond the ground floor. The balconies should not extend beyond the plot boundary.
6. Include Amenities
- Draw the house features like a washbasin, kitchen sink, bathroom utilities, etc.
- Place the furniture.
- Mark the facilities with notations.
- Draw the doors, windows, and ventilators.
Standard Room Sizes
Decide the room sizes, with the standard sizes mentioned below.1. Master Bedroom
| Size | Dimension (ft) |
| Large | 16 x 24 |
| Medium | 14 x 20 |
| Small | 12 x 14 |
2. Standard Bedroom
| Size | Dimension (ft) |
| Large | 14 x 16 |
| Medium | 12 x 12 |
| Small | 10 x 10 |
3. Living Room
| Size | Dimension (ft) |
| Large | 22 x 28 |
| Medium | 16 x 20 |
| Small | 12 x 18 |
4. Master Bathroom
| Size | Dimension (ft) |
| Large | 10 x 16 |
| Medium | 8 x 12 |
| Small | 6 x 9 |
5. Standard Bathroom
| Size | Dimension (ft) |
| Large | 8 x 12 |
| Medium | 7 x 10 |
| Small | 6 x 9 |
6. Standard Kitchen
| Size | Dimension (ft) |
| Large | 12 x 20 |
| Medium | 10 x 16 |
| Small | 5 x 10 |
Types Of Building Plans Used In Construction
Types Of Drawings Used In Construction
How To Calculate Land Area Or Plot Area
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