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Introduction
- This e-article is about how to layout home floor plan designs
Pics To Ponder
Comment: This custom home designer most often splits up really complex floor plan designs into 2 sheets, in order to keep down the clutter and potential confusion from a welter of dimension statements crowding for space on a heavily annotated floor plan.
Floor Plan, Dimensioned, Plan View
Floor Plan, Annotated, Plan View
Comment: In these plan views (scaled in ARCH D 36 linear inches x 24 linear inches) – one for dimensions, one for annotations – note the keys to abbreviations and spaces both interior and exterior, the legend, the banner explanations, cross-references particularly in the second sheet, among other important design elements.
The How-To of Home Floor Plan Designs
- Floor plans shall be
- by level, including
- basement
- crawlspace
- attic
- dimensioned
- on the exterior
- running uninterruptedly from outside faces of perimeter sole plates or mudsills at each articulation
- from perimeter outsides of face to on-centers of perimeter elements and features including but not limited to
- on the interior
- running from outside face of perimeter sole plate or mudsills to
- on-centers for all interior features and elements, including but not limited to
- presented with framing members drawn to true and not nominal
Comment: Sticking to on-center dimension statements at other than perimeter inflections and termini takes the guesswork out of application. Most notably, framers'll do what they've been used to doing to space rough openings for doors and windows, etc. Won't do you a bit ‘o good to dimension the rough opening, just tell ‘em where's the centerpoint, door callout for size, and depict style.
Additionally, unless they're working with engineered lumber there's no telling exactly the widths of each and every member – in tightly designed spaces with several walls between perimeters, small variations in member's widths can add up to trouble; however, each and every one of ‘em has a centerpoint. Finally, on-centers responsibly oblige the designer to compensate for spacing to accommodate builds, especially wall builds, for finish clad and substrates.
Comment: It's ok to conventionally color-in walls, just make the coloring light enough so that a reader can clearly observe that a dimension runs from outside edge or on-center. AG uses lightest gray.
- riddled with significant cross-references within the plan set
- labeled space-by-space, including hallway and closets
- Floor plans shall indicate
- window
- sites and
- travel with
- cross-reference to Window Schedule
- door
- sites and
- swing with
- cross-reference to Door Schedule
- ladder site(s)
- stairs
- steps
- attic access site(s)
- whirlpool motor access site(s)
- built-in features
- cabinets extents
- counters
- shelves by number
- desks
- interior floor level elevations
- plumbing fixture sites
- kitchen and laundry appliance sites
- guidelines aligning levels, usually
- two per level
- set at widest, shared, perimeter articulation
- floor drains
- wall lets for
- knee walls
- design intentions in uncertain conditions, e.g.,
- alert to adjustments if exterior finish clad varies from indicated design [for example, once in a long while, a custom home plan leaves this shop with the clients still unsure about faux versus true masonry finish clad]
- interior space latitude or goal when roof framing might be trussed or sawn
- arch major and minor axes
Comment: In laundries, please attend to adequate spacing for behind-appliance lets, notably for conduits; and, these days, make sure there's adequate depth, as well, for much larger [read: deeper] machines' footprints.
- utility site(s)
- entrances
- mechanicals
- panelboard site(s)
- fireplace site(s)
- Floor Plan size and scale
- clients appreciate ARCH D (36"x24") more than any other sheet, for size
- for scale, much of Before The Architect's work is with larger homes – 8,000 square feet and up; hence, for floor plan-related presentation, 3/16":1' works better than the more common 1/4":1', in order to layout well on ARCH D
- works better for sprawling footprints, too
- works better for heavily annotated sheets, e.g., Foundation Plan – at least this custom home designer's version
- Framing considerations
- uncommon framing, particularly in regard these days, to highly amended walls, shall be detailed elsewhere by section in elevation with cross-reference at the site of application on the Floor Plan
- in order to key both designer and suppliers and builders, indicated expected direction of ceiling joist by arrows in-line to stringing direction
- identify members whose specifications shall be done by others, e.g., trusses and beams
- special framing considerations, e.g.,
- finish dimension
- change in floor level elevation
- ceiling
- height
- style
- fold line
- exposed or apparently exposed members
- concentrated and point loads shall be identified not only
- by site or area, but also
- by expected loads – especially dead loads
Comment: In regard to dead loads, this custom home designer imagines the excessive. To begin, the sum of all loads is presented as dead load only. Then, for example, the bath tub is porcelain, full of water, and in it are 2 three hundred pounders getting frisky; the pool table is of the heaviest materials, has only four corner legs, and one of the three hundred pounders from the who's-got-the-soap scintillation finally got back to business, now is dressed-up and stretched out atop the table for a daring bank shot. If the designer doesn't do this proactive thinking, odds are that no one else will.
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