How to Read a Floor Plan: A Beginner’s Guide

Upon first glance, floor plans can be intimidating, especially for people who have never been through the process. However, these drawings are an essential element of creating and understanding your dream home. It’s important to thoroughly read a floor plan to empower your creative vision and build your confidence in the final product. In our beginner’s guide, we will demystify floor plans and provide you with a foolproof step-by-step method.

1. Understand the Key Components

On a floor plan, every room should be labeled clearly to represent its space and placement within the home, such as living rooms, kitchens, bathrooms and more. Dimensions and measurements of each room will also be marked, as well as symbols and notations for smaller elements of the home, such as doors, stairs, windows and appliances. 

2. Consider Scale, Sizes and Proportions

A floor plan is drawn to scale, which means its written measurements should correspond with the measurements of the final product. Compass directions should be noted on the plans. These will help you envision how light will travel through the house; which rooms will get morning sun, a sunset view and so on. 

3. Imagine the Layout and Flow

Examine how the rooms on the plan flow into one another, and where the house’s main entry points are located. Which rooms connect, and for what purpose? What is convenient about the locations of these rooms? What, if anything, do you wish was different? Think about how guests might move through the rooms and how you and your family will spend time in different areas at various times of the day. Do any areas feel cramped or way too big? Talk your concerns over with the designer or builder. 

4. Pay Attention to Doors and Windows

Understanding the locations of doors and windows will be vital in your floor plan, as these openings determine how ventilation and natural light will enter the home. Having windows on two sides of a room can make it feel larger and more luxurious, but some utilitarian spaces, like bathrooms, can get by with a single window. Do you like how the placement of windows and doors looks from all sides of the home? Will there be enough wall space to place furniture the way you want? 

5. Note Any Special Features

Now, look at the house’s additional components like fireplaces, built-in shelving, kitchen islands and anything else. Note the placement of these elements and how they tie into the overall aesthetic of the home. Floor plans use a variety of symbols to denote common objects like stairs, bathroom fixtures and overhead lights. If there are any symbols you don’t understand, talk to your designer or builder. 

Don’t Be Intimidated When You Read a Floor Plan

Reading a floor plan can be a challenge and can take practice, but it’s nothing you can’t conquer. Reading one thoroughly and completely with a sense of understanding can help you make informed decisions about your new home, and take control of your creative vision. 

As you read a floor plan, you’ll see the bare bones of your new home: It’s the first step to an exciting new chapter in your life, so welcome it with open arms. Get started with your home building project by requesting information about our unique master-planned community. We at Rivers Pointe Estates wish you happy planning!