Overview
Floor plans show the external and internal walls of a house, all the rooms in the house, their orientation and all the wall openings. In this unit we will study designing and laying out simple floor plans. You will also learn to draw working drawings of floor plans applying standard symbols and diagrams.
Learning Objectives:
After completing this unit, you will be able to:
Discuss the considerations important for designing a floor plan
Design simple floor plan layouts
Draw sketches for them
Draw working floor plans
Section 1 – Floor plan layout and design
When designing a floor plan the following considerations are important:
Orientation:
Sun and wind: Position the house to capture cooling trade winds, typically blowing from east to northeast. Minimize west-facing walls to avoid harsh afternoon sun.
Views: Maximize ocean or scenic vistas by strategically placing living areas and bedrooms.
Room Relationships/Flow/Traffic:
Traffic flow: Embrace open-concept living to promote airflow and a connection between indoor and outdoor spaces. Ensure a logical flow between rooms to avoid congestion.
Minimize Hallways: Utilize strategically placed doors and built-ins to reduce wasted space in hallways.
High Traffic vs. Quiet Areas: Separate high-traffic areas like kitchens from bedrooms and other private areas to create a peaceful space separate.
Wall Positioning:
Structural Integrity: Place load-bearing walls strategically to support the structure, especially important in areas prone to hurricanes.
Space Utilization: Position walls to create efficient and usable spaces, avoiding unnecessary partitions that can obstruct airflow and light.
Privacy: Consider strategic wall placement for privacy between bedrooms and bathrooms, while maintaining openness in living areas.
Wall Openings:
Large Windows and Doors: Incorporate plenty of windows and doors on the east and north sides to capture cooling breezes.
Types of windows: Utilize louvered windows and doors for adjustable ventilation and natural light control. Large windows and sliding doors are common to blur the lines between indoor and outdoor spaces.
Ventilation:
Passive Ventilation: Design the house to promote airflow naturally through strategically placed windows, doors, and high ceilings.
Mechanical Ventilation: Supplement natural ventilation with strategically placed ceiling fans or HVAC systems.
Privacy:
Courtyards and Balconies: Incorporate interior courtyards or screened balconies for private outdoor areas.
Sound Insulation: Use soundproofing materials to enhance privacy between rooms, particularly in multi-family homes or guest accommodations. In Dominica 4” block wall partitions and well-sealed doors, windows and ceilings usually provide adequate sound Isolation.
Strategic Landscaping: Use landscaping with tall plants or fencing to create privacy barriers.
Plumbing:
Minimize Pipe Runs: Plan plumbing efficiently to minimize pipe runs and potential leaks. Grouping wet areas (kitchen, bathrooms, laundry) together to minimize plumbing costs and improve efficiency.
Accessibility: Ensure plumbing fixtures are easily accessible for maintenance and repairs. Consider rainwater harvesting systems to supplement water supply.
Conventions for Room Sizes:
Trends and organic conventions: Consider norms and trends within the region that you are building for. For example Caribbean homes often feature expansive outdoor living areas, such as verandas, patios, and balconies. These spaces are designed to take advantage of the pleasant climate and are often used as extensions of the indoor living areas. Another example is a lack of foyers (mudrooms) as Caribbean people prefer to use this space for living areas. These trends are shifting, and new homeowners may wish to incorporate more modern styles.
Local Building Codes: Always adhere to local building codes regarding minimum room sizes.
Budget:
Prioritize Needs: Focus on features that are most important to the client, like a large kitchen for entertaining guests, and find creative solutions to save on less crucial aspects.
Local Materials: Consider using locally available and sustainable materials for construction, which can be cost-effective.
How to Design and sketch a floor plan
Understanding Site Orientation
Research the direction of the sun and prevailing winds in the Caribbean region. Typically, the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, and the prevailing winds come from the northeast.
Draw a North Arrow on your paper to indicate the direction of north. This will help you orient your floor plan correctly.
Mark the Sun Path by sketching an arc from east to west to show where the sun will travel throughout the day.
Indicate Wind Direction with arrows pointing from the northeast. This will help you plan the placement of windows and openings for natural ventilation.
Room Allocation and Rough Placement
Make a List of the rooms you want in your Caribbean home. Common rooms include:
Living Room
Kitchen
Dining Area
Bedrooms
Bathrooms
Outdoor Area (like a veranda or patio)
Consider Caribbean Trends:
Draw Basic Shapes for each room on your graph paper. Use simple rectangles or squares and leave enough space for hallways and circulation.
Placing living areas (living room, kitchen, dining) towards the north and east sides to catch the morning light and cool breezes however placing bedrooms towards the north and east sides allows them to be cool and well ventilated in the late afternoon to evenings.
Ensure the outdoor area is accessible from the main living spaces.
Refining the Layout for Flow and Traffic
Connect the Rooms with lines to represent hallways or pathways. Ensure there is a smooth flow from one room to another.
Plan Wall Openings:
Mark doors and windows in appropriate places to maximize light and ventilation. Consider intake and exhaust when placing windows. Be sure to indicate which direction doors open and the size of all doors and windows. A key may be used to label door and window specifications.
Place windows on the northeast and southeast sides to catch the breezes.
Check Traffic Flow by imagining how people will move through the house. Adjust room placements if necessary to avoid awkward pathways.
Determining Room Sizes and Applying a Scale
Decide on a Scale for your floor plan. A common scale is 1/4 inch = 1 foot (or 1 cm = 1 meter).
Measure and Draw Room Sizes:
Adjust the Shapes you drew earlier to match these measurements using your chosen scale.
Finalizing the Sketch
Add Details:
Draw in built-in furniture like kitchen cabinets, bathroom fixtures, and closets.
Include essential details like stairs, if applicable.
Optional Furniture Placement:
Sketch in furniture like sofas, beds, and tables to see how they fit in the rooms.
Label Each Room clearly with its name (e.g., Living Room, Bedroom 1, etc.).
Indicate all necessary dimensions and place all necessary annotations.
Title the drawing and indicate the scale.
Drawing Working Floor Plans
A floor plan is a precise architectural drawing that illustrates a horizontal cross-section of a building, typically observed from an elevation of approximately 4 feet (1.2 meters) above the finished floor level. This vantage point simulates an overhead view of the floor layout, essentially showing the arrangement of walls, rooms, doors, windows, and other fixed architectural elements. Floor plans are meticulously drawn to scale, enabling accurate measurement of spatial dimensions and facilitating the strategic placement of furniture and fixtures. These drawings are not merely top-down views; they represent the spatial arrangement at a specific elevation, providing critical information for architects, builders, and stakeholders involved in the design and construction process.
Step-by-Step Guide
Initial Assessment
Review Completeness: Examine the initial sketch to ensure it includes all necessary components such as walls, doors, windows, and other architectural elements.
Verify Components: Make sure that all critical elements are present and correctly positioned within the layout.
Scaling and Dimensioning
Determine Scale: Establish the scale of the drawing. A common scale for residential plans is 1/4" = 1'.
Use Scale Ruler: Verify that all elements are proportionally accurate using a scale ruler, ensuring consistency across the plan.
Set Scale in CAD Software: Set your CAD software to the appropriate scale or load a drawing file from a template for the chosen scale.
Drawing Walls
Exterior Walls: Start with the exterior walls. Make sure to apply the correct wall width. Two lines should be used to represent each wall (One line for each wall face). When drawing block walls, the screed width must be added to the block sizes.
Interior Walls: Draw interior walls next, ensuring they are scaled and properly connected to exterior walls. Interior walls are drawn similarly to external walls however their width will usually be smaller.
Adding Doors and Windows
Doors: Indicate doors with a straight line for the door itself and an arc to show the direction of opening. You may choose to include the door frames in the depictions of doors. Whether or not you include the door frame the wall opening for the door should be wide enough to accommodate the door and door frame. E.g. If the door is 30” wide and the door frame is 1 ½” wide on each side the wall opening should be 33” wide (30” + 1 ½” + 1 ½”)
Windows: Represent windows with a break in the wall line, using parallel lines to depict the window structure. All window openings should be measured according to the size of the window to be placed in each area.
Room Labels and Dimensions
Label Rooms: Clearly label each room with its name and function (e.g., Kitchen, Bedroom, Bathroom).
Include Dimensions: Specify the sizes of rooms and distances between key elements to provide precise measurements.
Detailing
Stairs: Optionally, add stairs by indicating the direction of ascent and the number of steps.
Furniture Symbols: Place furniture symbols within rooms to provide a sense of space and function.
Final Review
Double-Check Measurements: Review all measurements and labels for accuracy.
Architectural Conventions: Ensure the plan adheres to all architectural standards and is ready for construction use.
Floor Plan Example
