Architectural drawings can look overwhelming at first glance, but once you understand the basics, you can read them confidently. This guide is for homeowners, not architects.
Types of Drawings
A standard house plan package includes: Floor Plan (top-down view), Elevation (front/side view), Section (cross-section), and Detail Drawings (specific features).
Understanding Scale
All architectural drawings are drawn to scale. Common scales are 1:50 or 1:100. This means 1cm on paper equals 50cm or 100cm in real life.
Reading the Floor Plan
The floor plan shows rooms, walls, doors, windows, and dimensions from a bird's eye view. Solid thick lines are walls. Thin lines with gaps are doors (the arc shows the swing direction). Small lines across walls are windows.
Dimensions
Dimensions are usually in feet and inches or millimetres. Always check which unit is used. Room sizes like 12'x10' mean 12 feet wide by 10 feet deep.
North Arrow
Every floor plan has a North arrow. This tells you the orientation of the house relative to the sun and is essential for vastu compliance.
Common Symbols
- WC / WB = Water Closet / Wash Basin
- CP = Coat Peg
- UP/DN = Up / Down (for stairs)
- FFL = Finished Floor Level
