How can you understand house plans?

Architectural plans contain very useful information that can help you understand the details of your new home.
Buying a house is an important decision. Coming with a new stage in life, acquiring a home takes time and dedication as well as at least some knowledge so that, in practice, you can choose the best new home for you.
This story almost always begins with the so-called architectural plans. These documents are simply a graphic representation of a future reality that will be someone’s home, similar to an instruction manual. They are a roadmap for professionals that can also serve a powerful tool for future owners. Having a clear comprehension of the plans will help you to understand the details of the project before you ever actually see it physically.
From the layout of the home to the materials it will be built with, including its location and the appliances it will include, the information found in the plans will help you visualize the final result. Have you heard of structural plans? Does the location plan sound familiar to you? Do you know what a floor plan includes? Every project is different, but we’ll give you the basic idea so that understanding the plans for your future home will be a cake walk.

What is a location plan?

Constructions plans are key to any building project, although, in practice, you don’t need to be a professional to understand them. In fact, there are normally just two fundamental documents that are used as references: the location plan and the floor plan (which we will deal with later).
The first, that is, the location plan, will help you locate your future home in relation to the property. The location plan is basically a general view of the area (municipality, city, property, etc.) where the home will be built. With just a simple glance, the location plan will allow you to locate the house in relation to nearby features (highways, streets, parks, etc.).
However, along with the location plan, there is usually a more detailed site plan that shows the exact location where the project will be built, along with information such as street names, surrounding buildings, or similar features.
The location plan and the site plan, and, in general, all the architectural plans that you will be using, use a scale to represent locations and sizes. This information should be shown on the different documents since it, among other things, will allow you to correctly understand the plans.

What does a floor plan include?

Similar to the way a location plan helps to understand where a house will be built, a floor plan shows how the house itself or its interior spaces will be laid out. It is a scaled, graphic representation that will let you see how people will move within the space and decide if the area suits its purpose.
Architectural plans show important features such as the location of walls, the placement and size of doors and windows, the location of the different rooms, etc. The level of detail will depend, in part, on the project’s progress and its characteristics, although understanding floor plans is not especially complicated.
If the house consists of more than one floor, each of them will be shown on a different floor plan. However, these house plans show even more information that you will find very useful (beyond the layout of the house), like the distances between walls, cabinets, the width of doors and windows, different elevations (that is, measurements from ground level to different features), and even furniture.

Other house plans that may interest you

Structural plans, for example, are essential for experts since they include many details regarding the actual construction of the house. Measurements, footing dimensions, materials, columns, beams, etc. Structural elements are featured in these documents, and they are primarily used by experts in order to properly build the house.
Mechanical plans, meanwhile, refer to electrical, sanitary, potable water supply, heating and similar installations, and each of these use their own symbols within the plans. You may even have access to plans showing details and finishes that, in practice, will allow you to understand details about the floors, doors, furniture, etc.
So, are you ready to understand plans like a professional? If you still have doubts, the best recommendation we can give you is to ask the professionals. Before making a decision that you are not sure about, check with the experts and let them use their knowledge to help you make the best choice.