How To Read Floor Plans in 5 Easy Steps – 2024 Guide

If we have to pick one place where we feel most relaxed, safe, and welcomed, that place would surely be our home. Now, regardless of whether we are searching for a whole new place or have already got one but want to renovate it, or even just to check and get more info about the rooms and whole place in general, floor plans can be of great use here. The purpose of these plans is to help us design furniture layout and wiring system, and one should look at it as a detailed map with various symbols and numbers. Of course, it’s not like just anyone can take these maps and read them, but on the other hand, even if you are entirely new to all this, reading blueprints should not be difficult to learn, especially if there is a detailed guide about floor plans, like the one you can find at foyr.com.

Check the size of the whole house

Source:bankrate.com

The first thing that blueprints can tell us is the size of the whole home, which is important when planning various things, from furnishing the room to choosing the best possible flooring option for each of them. Besides that, we can see the layout of rooms in the house, whether it has an open or closed concept, and where doors, windows, and stairs are located. By looking at it, you will be able to imagine what that new home will look like when it is finished and make some changes if necessary before it is too late and expensive to do that. Overall, by knowing exact numbers in terms of how big the house is, you will understand much better how to look at blueprints. On the other hand, once you know the size of the residence, you will know exactly where certain changes are possible, what can you expect once the house is built, or, in case of some renovations, it will make the understanding of the dynamics and limitations of living spaces much easier.

See the room sizes

Once you get a better grasp of floor plans, you will also get a much better insight into a more precise and detailed part of the plan, and that’s the size, location, and space of the rooms. That’s what makes knowing how to read blueprints so important, as, besides the size of the whole house, it can show us the size of every room, so we can exactly know how they will look and plan how to equip them. Not all the rooms in the house have the same shape, and by understanding the plan, we can visualize them and make a decision about the purpose of each room. Thanks to that, we can choose the one to be the master bedroom, the one for kids, or the one for guests, and plan which furniture we will put into them. Of course, the options are numerous, but the only way to get to this point is by learning what every symbol means, at least those most important ones like walls, stairs, windows, and doors.

Check the fixtures

Besides those simple must-know symbols of the blueprints, it’s also preferable to know more about the fixtures, as several of them might be included in the drawing. Knowing the layout of the rooms in a house is easy by looking at the plan, but, for example, knowing where the bathroom and kitchen are can be a bit challenging if you do not know what to look for. Both of them need to have fittings and fixtures, and they are always included in the plan, so you can exactly know where the sink or toiled will be placed once the house is finished. Thanks to that, you will be able to recognize the bathroom and the kitchen with one simple look at the plan.

Find the compass mark

Source:istockphoto

A small compass mark on the blueprints might look unnecessary and unimportant, but it can tell us a lot if we understand its meaning. The compass is always pointing to the North, and the same is with the compass mark on a floor plan, as it is always located on the north side of it. All of this is crucial to know in order to understand how the house will be located and, what is even more important, how the light will travel from sunrise to sunset. Now, this is highly important for two main reasons, and the first one is about room arrangement, as you would probably want to have more natural light in your living room or kitchen instead of a bedroom. As for the second reason why the light has a significant role, it’s about designing the home decor, choosing whether the windows need shutters or not, how many windows one room should have, and much more. Of course, the majority prefer having as much natural light as possible, as it brightens the whole house. Knowing how much natural light there will help you determine whether there is a need for additional LED lights, for example, in order to get that effect you seek.

Arrangement of furniture in the room

Source:curiodesignstudio.com

Some detailed blueprints can even include the arrangement of furniture in every room in the house, which can be pretty useful, as you can get the whole picture of how the rooms will look. In the first place, it can help us visualize how the house will look when it is finished and become our home, but it can be helpful when it comes to decorating it as well, as we will at least know whether to go with large-scale pieces of furniture, and if so how large, or not. The overall importance of blueprints is much greater than just another piece of paper with some numbers as, besides the detailed info you can get about your home in terms of size and measurements, it can also help you arrange all the things in your home to your taste and preferences. Of course, furniture is easy to move and replace, and you can do it as many times you want without watching the plan, but following it can make things much easier.

Related posts

Uncover related posts that extend the narrative. Our curated selection ensures you never miss out on the broader context. Click, read, and delve deeper into the topics that pique your curiosity.

Recent Posts