Whether you’re renovating an existing structure or are setting up a knockdown-rebuild of a house, knowing how to find floor plans for your house is a critical part of the planning process and something that should be accomplished well before you begin any work whatsoever. 

 

No matter what type of home design you have, any building will always have a floor plan somewhere and knowing where you might find the floor plans of a house will save you time, money and a headache. Read on to learn where to start looking for a basic floor plan of a house.

What is a Floor Plan?

Before you dive into the search for a house’s floor plans, you should know exactly what you’re looking for. A floor plan is an architectural drawing typically printed (or hand drawn, if the house is old enough) on a large sheet of drafting paper.

 

Floor plans will be made for each storey of the home and will feature most, if not all of the following things:

• Doorways and windows will be marked, including the swing direction of doors. Doorways of different widths will be marked as such or drawn as a scaled down version of their actual measurements.

• Walls will be marked and drawn as straight lines.

• Major furnishings could also be placed on the floor plan, as well as their location in the room.

• The location of stairs will be marked on each level as appropriate.

• The area of each room will be marked in square metres.

• Details of various finishes to be used on internal surfaces (for example, oak cabinetry and a maple dining table).

• Details of locations of kitchen and bathroom fixtures like sinks, bathtubs and showers.

• Symbols for electrical items like ovens, heaters or other large electrical appliances.

Why Do You Need a Floor Plan?

If you’re planning on a knockdown-rebuild, presenting a new set of floor plans for a house to a contractor will provide them with most, if not all, of the information that they need to begin sourcing materials for the project. Deciding to renovate an existing structure to save the character of a home is admirable, but not always practical or possible, that’s why it’s important to know how to create a floor plan of your house to provide as accurate a picture of your desired new home as possible to your contractor. 

 

Not only does having floor plans of a house help your contracted builder, but it also helps your architect, electrician, plumber and every other worker on your new build. In general, the more information you can provide, like a floor plan of a house with measurements, the better your custom home will look when finished.

 

But what if you’re not starting from scratch? What if you’ve decided to renovate an existing structure? How do you get a floor plan of a house that’s already standing? 

How To Find Your Home’s Floor Plans

No matter if you’re looking for a floor plan for a two-bedroom house or a simple bungalow, locating the floor plan and elevation of a house is a key first step to any renovation project. Here’s how to find a floor plan for my house and what to do if you can’t.

Check Everywhere

Let’s say you’ve just bought a fixer-upper of a dwelling and are unsure of just about anything but the price was too good to turn down. Check every nook and cranny of the home. Check every folder and drawer in the home: most floor plans are made in sizes of 18” x 24” or 24” x 36”, therefore they are most commonly found in a rolled-up mailing tube. Look inside closet spaces, or anywhere large enough to house a mailing tube of that size.

Check Online

Before you head down to your local council’s office, it’s worth checking out realestate.com.au, where most listed homes that were for sale or have recently sold will have their floor plans available to download as a PDF file. Simply print that PDF as a large-scale print (as many copies as you need to provide to various contractors, and one for yourself) and you’ll be in business.

 

If you cannot get a floor plan of your house through the site, it’s time to move on to in-person searches.

 

Ask Your Real Estate Agent

If your existing home is going to be the site of your knockdown-rebuild, but your floor plans have gone missing, reach out to the real estate agent that sold you the house to begin with. They will likely have a copy available to you.

Visit Your Local Council Offices

Your local council offices or planning permissions office may be your best bet if your home was purchased in a private sale or is a family inheritance and floor plans aren’t readily available. Your local council office will likely have an older floor plan document from when planning permission was last requested for the original build or a large-scale renovation.

The Original Architect

If the local council isn’t able to be of much help, your last resort may be to try and locate the original architects of your house, or at least the home that perhaps once stood where your new house will stand. Even if the original firm no longer exists, their parent firm may have a record of your house floor plans.

What About Creating My Own Floor Plans?

If all else fails, it is possible to create a floor plan of your house by yourself, although before you hand it off to any construction company, those plans should be checked and rechecked by a professional architect. There are several steps to creating your own floor plans, these are as follows:

• Determine the total area of your home.

• Use computer-aided design (CAD) software to draw out your floor plan with scale measurements of walls, windows and doors. You can also use a pencil, ruler and graph paper if CAD software is not easily available or affordable.

• Add architectural features such as furnishings and fixtures like bathroom sinks, kitchen sinks, bathtubs, showers and appliances.

 

Before you start using CAD and/or manually drawing your house plan, learn how to draw a floor plan of a house by checking YouTube for tutorials, or asking friends or family who may have drawn their own floor plans. Whenever possible, you should have a professional architect draw your house’s floor plans, just to ensure that everything is represented properly and drawn accurately, as these measurements are what will make up the layout of your new home.

Final Thoughts

Moving into a fixer-upper of a dwelling can be an exciting time, and kudos to you for taking on a new challenge. Or, perhaps you’re starting the new adventure of having a custom home designed by Provincial Homes. In any case, having an accurate floor of your home (or home to be) is imperative to give us the most detailed and accurate information about the layout of your home, as well as the necessary specifics about electrical outlets, space necessary for appliances, stairways, etc.

 

At Provincial Homes, we pride ourselves on providing beautiful custom homes that fit our client’s needs perfectly, but that all begins with a well-crafted floor plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are some frequently asked questions that we receive about how to find floor plans of a house.

Can You Buy Blueprints For a House?

Yes, you can. In fact, almost every architect and/or city council will charge you a fee for a copy of an existing house floor plan, or the creation of a new set of floor plans for your house.

What is the Difference Between a Floor Map and a Floor Plan?

A floor plan is a technical document that features detailed aspects of a home build, consisting of a top-down view of that level of the house with markings for doorways, windows, appliances, furniture, fixtures and stairs. Meanwhile, a floor map often consists of symbols and colours to depict locations within the home and is generally less technical and precise than a floor plan.

How Do I Calculate the Floor Plan of my House?

Calculating your own home’s floor plan will require measuring the existing area of your home, the width of the existing windows and doors, the length of the walls and knowing and recording the placement of fixtures like kitchen sinks, bathtubs and showers, and furniture. While not a complicated process, it does require accuracy and precision when measuring.