Post by ogeezer on Jul 5, 2007 8:52:28 GMT -6
Often called "Blueprints" by home designers, architects, general and skill expert contractors, whether the Drawings are stock or original design, there are universal elements common to the complete set of drawings. Craftsmen use them to construct the house. Mortgage Lenders use them to determine home value and loan assessments, as well as ensuring that the home owners ar getting what they will be paying for. Building Inspectors use them to ensure compliance to minimum building code regulations.
A complete set of Drawings will include these universal elements:
Site Plan -- This bird's eye view of your site shows the lot boundaries, the structures on the lot, any existing features, and the compass direction. It should also indicate any required setbacks and topography contours.
Foundation Plan -- This drawing shows layout and dimensions of slab-on-grade, basement or crawlspace walls depending on what best fits your site plan. It indicates how the underpinning structure of your house is supported by the earth below it.
Floor Plan -- This drawing shows the room layout of your home. It's the most user-friendly page of the Drawings because it indicates room use, doors, windows, fixtures, cabinets and built-ins. Most of the construction details originate from the room layout of your home.
Framing Plan -- This drawing ususally is not provided in the blueprints as it is a redundant reprint of the floor plan. As such it is an oversimplified floor plan showing just the walls. Besides that, the joists, trusses and beams are usually depicted so the structural aspect of the building is revealed when prefabricated wall sections or truss assemblies are incorporated in the building process. However, some designers and architects will include it, particularly if prefabricated components are being used in the construction.
Roof Plan -- This drawing is a bird's eye view (overhead) of the entire roof system, including ridges, hips, valleys, rakes and eaves. It may also indicate where gutters and downspouts are located.
Mechanical Plan -- This drawing is an oversimplified floor plan showing the location of electrical, plumbing and HVAC details. If the house is complicated, a different sheet is dedicated to each trade specialty (electrical, plumbing, heat & air) separately.
Elevations -- This drawing shows the front, side and rear exteriors of the house. This drawing of the house provides a flat, straight-on view so you can see the siding, windows, doors, and the entire outside of the building from ground floor to roof ridge.
Cross-sections -- This drawing shows all the hidden details of the house by cutting an imaginary line through the middle of the structure so the interior of the walls, floors, ceilings and roof can be examined. This view shows all the major elements of your house's construction.
Details -- This drawing highlights specific areas of construction where details need to be shown in order for the building crew to join together the structure. Specific areas, such as foundation connections, door assemblies, and window installations, are presented in greater detail.
Schedules -- These charts appear on the drawings, listing doors, windows, fixtures, and hardware. Under each category, there's an indication as to where each item is located within the building, accompanied by the manufacturer's make, model, and size. Sometimes, schedules are contained in a written itenerary, known as the "Specifications" which also becomes a components of the complete set of Drawings.
For the homeowner, a complete set of Drawings is the only thing they have to see what their finished home will look like before construction begins, while providing them of the complexities of the home and details incorporated into it during the building process.
A complete set of Drawings will include these universal elements:
Site Plan -- This bird's eye view of your site shows the lot boundaries, the structures on the lot, any existing features, and the compass direction. It should also indicate any required setbacks and topography contours.
Foundation Plan -- This drawing shows layout and dimensions of slab-on-grade, basement or crawlspace walls depending on what best fits your site plan. It indicates how the underpinning structure of your house is supported by the earth below it.
Floor Plan -- This drawing shows the room layout of your home. It's the most user-friendly page of the Drawings because it indicates room use, doors, windows, fixtures, cabinets and built-ins. Most of the construction details originate from the room layout of your home.
Framing Plan -- This drawing ususally is not provided in the blueprints as it is a redundant reprint of the floor plan. As such it is an oversimplified floor plan showing just the walls. Besides that, the joists, trusses and beams are usually depicted so the structural aspect of the building is revealed when prefabricated wall sections or truss assemblies are incorporated in the building process. However, some designers and architects will include it, particularly if prefabricated components are being used in the construction.
Roof Plan -- This drawing is a bird's eye view (overhead) of the entire roof system, including ridges, hips, valleys, rakes and eaves. It may also indicate where gutters and downspouts are located.
Mechanical Plan -- This drawing is an oversimplified floor plan showing the location of electrical, plumbing and HVAC details. If the house is complicated, a different sheet is dedicated to each trade specialty (electrical, plumbing, heat & air) separately.
Elevations -- This drawing shows the front, side and rear exteriors of the house. This drawing of the house provides a flat, straight-on view so you can see the siding, windows, doors, and the entire outside of the building from ground floor to roof ridge.
Cross-sections -- This drawing shows all the hidden details of the house by cutting an imaginary line through the middle of the structure so the interior of the walls, floors, ceilings and roof can be examined. This view shows all the major elements of your house's construction.
Details -- This drawing highlights specific areas of construction where details need to be shown in order for the building crew to join together the structure. Specific areas, such as foundation connections, door assemblies, and window installations, are presented in greater detail.
Schedules -- These charts appear on the drawings, listing doors, windows, fixtures, and hardware. Under each category, there's an indication as to where each item is located within the building, accompanied by the manufacturer's make, model, and size. Sometimes, schedules are contained in a written itenerary, known as the "Specifications" which also becomes a components of the complete set of Drawings.
For the homeowner, a complete set of Drawings is the only thing they have to see what their finished home will look like before construction begins, while providing them of the complexities of the home and details incorporated into it during the building process.