Reading blueprints windows

The elevations specify ridge heights, the positioning of the final grade of the lot, exterior finishes, roof pitches, and other details that are necessary to give the home its exterior architectural styling.

The kitchen and bath elevations show the arrangement and size of each cabinet and any other significant fixtures in the room. These drawings give basic information that can be used to create customized layouts with a cabinet manufacturer. These are included for many interior and exterior conditions that require more specific information for their construction.

They will be specific to the house plan you purchase and will help the home builders understand the finer details. Electrical layouts are sometimes on a separate page to make reading them a little easier. The layout will show locations of light fixtures, fans, outlets, light switches, etc. There is usually a legend on the page, which explains what each symbol represents. There may be such legends for heating systems, door swings, and sizes, or even to specify certain finishes.

Framing drawings are also drawn to scale and outline the layouts of items such as floor joists and trusses, beam locations and other structural requirements. Framing layouts don't get into the details of each stud location in the walls because framing contractors are required to follow certain rules and regulations to ensure that the home meets the required building code specifications.

However, there are often cross sections within the plan pages that outline the general methods of wall construction or floor assembly. A roof layout plan will give you a bird's eye view of the roof which shows the ridges, valleys, and other necessary information. These systems are generally not covered extensively on the blueprints other than the locations of fixtures and main service lines. If you are going to the expense of more complicated heating systems, such as in-floor radiant heat or even an engineered forced-air system, these drawings need to be completed by a heating or plumbing specialist.

Overhead views or floor plan views of the structure don't always provide enough information as to how the home is to be built. Often, cross sections or details will explain certain special conditions more appropriately. A cross section is basically a view of the home as if it were sliced down the center.

This allows you to view the home from the side and understand a little better the relationships of varying floor heights, rafter lengths, and other structural elements. These are the basics to reading house plan blueprints. Keep in mind, however, that what is included in plans will vary according to the designer who drew them.

Now that you know how to read your plan, you must understand the key chronological steps behind turning a blueprint into a house. Blueprints are the way the designer communicates with the builder to construct a house. Knowing these steps along with understanding your floor plan blueprints will make it much easier for you to track and visualize your new house during the building process.

For some homes, there are even 3D floor plans or video walkthroughs available to help take your visualization to the next level! House plans are a very important part of the homebuilding process.

It is crucial to purchase a plan drawn by a home design professional because he or she has a thorough understanding of how homes are built. If there were any terms on this page that you did not understand — or you would like a more thorough description of their meaning — please visit our construction terms glossary. Sign up below for news, tips and offers. We will never share your email address.

To receive your discount, enter the code "NOW50" in the offer code box on the checkout page. Help Center Florida Style. Garage with Apartments. Modern Farmhouse. Small House. Texas Style. Wheelchair Accessible. Identify extension lines. Extension lines are used to precisely define the physical limit of any dimension.

They are drawn as short, solid lines, and can be placed inside or outside of the dimension being defined. Extending from the object outline, they do not actually touch the object lines.

Since dimension lines often have to hover above an object simply because there is no room on the paper, or they would overlap, extension lines allow for more definite end and beginning points. Dimension lines are drawn with the same weight as invisible lines. Locate the leaders. Leaders lines are solid lines ending typically in an arrowhead; these indicate any part or area of a drawing that is associated with a number, letter, note, or other reference.

Desks, bookcases, and other furniture that don't come pre-assembled are a common reference to remember leader lines. In the instruction manual, lead lines are frequently used to define parts i.

Read the break lines. Break lines are used any time a part is removed in order to reveal what lies immediately beneath. In architectural drawings they are often used when a long section of drawing have the same structure; this reduces the drawing size and saves paper. Short break lines are done freehand and resemble a solid, thick sin wave.

Long break lines are long, thin ruler-produced lines interspersed with freehand zig-zags. Part 3. Read books about blueprints. There are a number of general and trade-specific books on reading blueprints, some of which are published by hardware and tool-manufacturing companies and others by government agencies, such as the United States Army. These books are available in hard-copy and e-book formats.

If you're interested primarily in architectural drawings, be sure to specify that in your searches. It's also possible to find blueprint lessons for maritime, civil, and engineering work in addition to many other fields.

Watch instructional videos. Videos are available in DVD format and as streaming Internet video. Many of the video tutorials available on popular viral streaming sites are uploaded by people with practical experience in construction and architecture.

However some are presented by amateurs. Be sure to use discretion in self-learning online. Compare what you've learned to more formal academic sources that are also online. Youtube learning is a good place to start in your self-education because they can provide a more basic and grounding understanding, before you move into denser, more complex academic sources.

Take classes in reading blueprints. Blueprinting-reading classes are available at local trade schools and community colleges, as well as online. Universities teach many of the classes available online, but you can also learn from less expensive, specialized companies that only teach blueprint reading. Consider your budget when deciding which is right for you. Although learning online is convenient, you will definitely benefit from going to a community college, trade school, or University class.

With an experienced teacher you can ask questions, bring in your work for review and receive consultation. Learn to read blueprints online.

In addition to providing access to classes and instructional videos, the Internet also offers a number of Web sites with information on reading blueprints. Although you won't receive any formal certification, all the resources you need to learn complex blueprint reading is available online.

Read papers published by universities and experienced specialists so you can understand the language of architecture, and to make sure you're getting correct information. Balance this by reading and watching the materials produced by people who've experimented and self-taught. Be aware that they could potentially be presenting incorrect information, but also learn from their mistakes and experiences. Did you know you can get expert answers for this article?

Unlock expert answers by supporting wikiHow. Mark Spelman Construction Professional. Mark Spelman. Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer. Not Helpful 1 Helpful Not Helpful 3 Helpful Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. By using this service, some information may be shared with YouTube.

When first learning how to read blueprints, take your time reading them. Look over individual words and symbols to understand their purposes before moving on to other parts of the blueprint.

You may want to highlight individual parts as you figure out their meanings. Helpful 27 Not Helpful You Might Also Like How to. How to. About This Article. Co-authored by:. Co-authors: Updated: June 1, Italiano: Imparare a Leggere le Planimetrie. Nederlands: Bouwtekeningen leren lezen. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read , times. This article is good, and I want more documents to guide me how to read blueprints well. More reader stories Hide reader stories.

Did this article help you? Cookies make wikiHow better. For instance, the notes can clarify exactly to what point on a wall dimensions should be measured. Every symbol on the legend is drawn to the same scale as the rest of the floor plan. In order to fit all the information about a layer of a building onto a page, construction drawings and architectural drawings are drawn so that a small increment of measurement represents a larger increment.

The symbols are also drawn to scale so you will get an accurate idea of how elements of a room are configured in the space. The scale is always shown on the same page as the drawing, either under the title or below an individual drawing.

You can also download a simple printable version from Archtoolbox. While elevations and sections are both vertical representations of a design concept, the section view reveals details of the construction of walls and the thickness and height of beams and other support. Working all together, these three types of drawings will give you the full picture of the structure of the house.

These documents show a listing of materials and products necessary for the structure, and the order of installation. Typical schedules include doors and windows and room finish schedules. In general, an architect will send the architectural drawings to an engineer, who plans the structural prints to work with the architectural plans.

The structural prints are sent back to the architect to review. All parties should sign off before they are sent to the builder to execute. MT Copeland offers video-based online classes that give you a foundation in construction fundamentals with real-world applications. Classes include professionally produced videos taught by practicing craftspeople, and supplementary downloads like quizzes, blueprints, and other materials to help you master the skills.

He learned to build and weld while working on the farm with his grandad, and after earning a degree in Welding and Materials Engineering, he spent the next 10 years working in the heavy construction building everything from robots to ships to offshore oil rigs before transitioning to residential construction.

After spending a couple of years working with industry leading builders in Austin, Jordan and his wife Veronica struck out on their own to form Smith House Co. Smith House Co. Eight types of construction drawings used in commercial construction. In this article 1 What kinds of drawings does a set of blueprints include? Share: Facebook Twitter Email. Explore Classes.