Floor Plans And Elevations: Two Of The Most Important Architectural Drawings

Floor Plans And Elevations: Two Of The Most Important Architectural Drawings

When you are building a house there are two architectural drawings that you will come across: floor plans and elevations.

Floor plans

These are 2D drawings that give you a picture of how the completed structure will look like once complete. The floor plan includes drawings of every floor, plumbing and other fixtures. To give you a clearer picture of how the house will look like, there are some floor plans that have furniture.

We can say that looking at a floor plan is like looking your house from the top without the roof on.

For you to understand how the house will look like once complete you have to understand the drawing. You should note that the house is drawn at the scale of 1:100. The cool thing is that if you don’t understand the drawing, the architect will come in handy in helping you in understanding it better.

Elevations

They are used in representing the exterior view of the house from all four sides: front, back and two sides.

A good elevation should show the following:

• All the proposed and already existing buildings
• Wall, posts and their heights
• Elevations, dimensions and sections of each floor level that is relevant to the proposed structures
• Location and size of footings and other structural components
• Connections, framings, downs and any other structural details
• If the house in question is an extension, it should show how it relates to the already existing structure.
• In some cases elevations show balconies, doors, windows and front porch

The standard elevations are drawn at a scale of 1: 100, but the architect can always customize them according to you needs. For example, the professional can use a ratio of 1: 200 and any other.

In addition to the elevation giving you a clear picture of the exterior look of your house, it’s also required by the local authorities that use it in giving you the building permits. The authorities inspect the drawings and ensure that they are in line with the building regulations.

Conclusion

These are two of the most important architectural drawings that you will come across whether you are constructing a residential or commercial building. As mentioned, your local authorities must go through them for you to be given a go ahead to continue with house construction.

Due to this, you should ensure that the drawings are drawn by an architect who understands the local building codes.