CONSTRUCTION PLANS

• CONSTRUCTION PLANS (BLUEPRINTS) ARE 2-DIMENSIONAL ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS THAT EXPLAIN

THE DETAILS OF A PROJECT. THEY PROVIDE A UNIQUE VISUAL REPRESENTATION OF WHAT EXACTLY NEEDS
TO BE BUILT. INFORMATION SUCH AS DIMENSIONS, PARTS, PLACEMENT, AND MATERIALS FOR EACH
PROJECT CAN ALL BE FOUND IN CONSTRUCTION DRAWINGS TO ASSURE THE PROJECT IS COMPLETED
CORRECTLY.
• WITH THE CONTINUED ADVANCEMENT OF TECHNOLOGY THROUGHOUT THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY,
DIGITAL PLANS ARE BECOMING INCREASINGLY POPULAR DUE TO EASE OF MAKING EDITS AND SHARING
PLANS AMONG CONSTRUCTION TEAM MEMBERS.
• REGARDLESS OF HOW THE PLANS ARE PRESENTED, THE IMPORTANCE OF UNDERSTANDING
CONSTRUCTION DRAWINGS REMAINS A TOP PRIORITY.
• FROM RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION JOBS TO LARGE COMMERCIAL PROJECTS, CONSTRUCTION PLANS
ARE REQUIRED TO ESTIMATE YOUR COSTS FOR MATERIALS AND LABOR, OBTAIN YOUR PERMITS,
ESTABLISH A CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULE, AND COMPLETE THE PROJECT IN A TIMELY MANNER.
• EVERY PROJECT IS UNIQUE, THEREFORE HOW YOU INTERPRET THE INFORMATION IS CRITICAL. IT IS A LOT
LIKE HAVING YOUR OWN LANGUAGE AS A CONSTRUCTION WORKER. YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND
EVERYTHING ON THE CONSTRUCTION PLAN (BLUEPRINT) TO COMPLETE THE PROJECT UNDER BUDGET
AND AHEAD OF SCHEDULE.
WHAT IS INCLUDED IN A SET OF CONSTRUCTION PLANS?

• WHEN LEARNING HOW TO READ CONSTRUCTION PLANS, IT IS ESSENTIAL TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS

CONTAINED WITHIN TYPICAL CONSTRUCTION PLANS. MOST INCLUDE A COVER PAGE, TIME BLOCK, KEY
NOTES, GENERAL NOTES, REVISION BLOCK, DRAWING SCALE AND A LEGEND.

• IT IS CRUCIAL THAT YOU READ EVERYTHING AND UNDERSTAND IT BEFORE YOU ESTIMATE OR START THE
CONSTRUCTION PROJECT!
WHAT ARE THE SIX TYPES OF CONSTRUCTION DRAWINGS?

• PLANS.
• INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR ELEVATIONS.
• BUILDING AND WALL SECTIONS.
• INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR DETAILS.
• SCHEDULES AND ROOM FINISHES.
• FRAMING AND UTILITY PLANS.
WHAT IS A PLAN?
• A PLAN (FLOOR PLAN, REMODELING PLAN, ROOM PLAN) IS A SCALED DRAWING OF A BUILDING, ROOM OR
HOME AS VIEWED FROM ABOVE. IT WILL SHOW PLACEMENT OF ROOMS, DOORS, WINDOWS, MAJOR
FIXTURES AND APPLIANCES, ETC. IT CAN BE USED TO CALCULATE SQUARE FOOTAGE OR AS THE GUIDE IN
PLANNING, CHOOSING SPECIFIC CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS, AND GUIDING YOUR CONTRACTOR IN
ESTIMATING THE COST OF YOUR PROJECT. THE “PLAN VIEW” IS THE TYPICAL ARCHITECTURAL DRAWING
WE ALL SEE..WITH EACH ROOM SHOWN FROM THE TOP VIEW LOOKING DOWN ON THE HOME WITH THE
ROOF REMOVED.HOUSE FLOOR PLAN OR “WHITE PRINT”
WHAT IS BLUEPRINTS?
• BLUEPRINTS ARE FAR MORE DETAILED AND TECHNICAL PLANS FOR YOUR REMODEL OR OTHER
CONSTRUCTION PROJECT. THE NAME ‘BLUEPRINT’ IS DERIVED FROM THE MATERIAL AND THE COATING
USED TO PRODUCE THESE PLANS IN THE PAST. THE RESULT OF THE PRINTING PROCESS WAS THE LINES
WERE WHITE WITH A BLUE BACKGROUND. MORE RECENTLY BLUEPRINTS SMELLED OF AMMONIA WHICH
WAS PART OF THE BLUEPRINT PRINTING PROCESS. TODAY LASER AND INKJET PRINTING TECHNOLOGIES
HAVE ENABLED ARCHITECTS AND HOME DESIGNERS TO CREATE THESE DRAWINGS WITHOUT USE OF THE
OLD “BLUEPRINT” PRINTING PROCESSES AND THE BLUEPRINT NAME IS A HOLD OVER FROM THE PAST.
BLUEPRINTS ARE USUALLY DRAWN IN EITHER 18 X 24″ OR 24 X 36″. A COMPLETE SET OF BLUEPRINTS
WILL INCLUDE A FLOOR PLAN, ELEVATION DRAWINGS OF EACH SIDE OF THE STRUCTURE, BASEMENT OR
FOUNDATION PLAN, INCLUDING FOOTINGS AND BEARING WALLS, A COMPLETE ELECTRICAL LAYOUT, A
FRAMING PLAN, DRAWINGS OF ALL PLUMBING AND MECHANICAL SYSTEMS, CROSS SECTION DRAWINGS
OF STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS, A ROOF PLAN, AND A PLOT PLAN.
• A FLOOR PLAN CAN BE A BLUEPRINT OR PRINTED ON WHITE PAPER WITH A MODERN PRINTER. A FLOOR
PLAN IS A VIEW OF A BUILDING – FROM DIRECTLY ABOVE WHILE A BLUE PRINT IS A TYPE OF DRAWING –
SPECIFICALLY THE CHEMICALS USED TO CREATE A DRAWING – DRAWING CAN BE ARCHITECTURAL OR
ENGINEERING.
• BLUEPRINTS, DRAWINGS AND PLANS ARE JUST A FEW DIFFERENT NAMES FOR THE SAME THING – THE
DIFFERENT DRAWINGS THAT SHOW WHAT A BUILDING LOOKS LIKE FROM THE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE SO IT
CAN BE CONSTRUCTED. A BLUEPRINT IS A DESCRIPTION OF A WAY OF PRINTING AND DUPLICATING
DRAWINGS THAT WAS USED YEARS AGO. BLUEPRINTS, DRAWINGS AND PLANS ARE TYPICALLY LASER OR
INKJET PRINTED THESE DAYS – BUT ALSO PLOTTERS ARE USED.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN “ROOF PLAN” AND “ROOF FRAMING PLAN”?

• A ROOF PLAN IS A PLAN VIEW OF THE ROOF WITH THE EXTERIOR ROOFING IN PLACE – LIKE YOU WOULD
SEE IF YOU WERE IN AN AIRPLANE ABOVE THE HOUSE. THE PURPOSE OF THE ROOF PLAN IS TO SEE HOW
THE WATER WILL DRAIN DURING A RAIN STORM AND VERIFY LOCATIONS OF VENTS, ETC THE PERFORATE
THE ROOF. A ROOF FRAMING PLAN SHOWS THE STRUCTURE OF THE WHAT IS HOLDING UP THE ROOF –
WHAT IS UNDER THE “SKIN” OF THE ROOF.