A floor plan is nothing but an architectural depiction of the layout of a house. It is drawn to scale and presents a view of the house from the top, giving the viewer a better idea of the connections between spaces, the dimensions, the traffic pattern through the home and other features. Often, it shows the placement of furniture, appliances and other elements that are arranged within each room. Floor plan samples for two-storey houses will have drawings for each level of the house; a two-storey house will have separate plans for the ground floor and the first floor.
During the process of building a house, unlike buying an existing house or apartment where one can view and inspect the property, the floor plan is significant as it presents a visual perspective of how the house will look after it is complete. Earlier, house plan drawings were two-dimensional, presenting a flat view from the top, showing the layout of the house. Nowadays, with advancements in technology, especially the quality of floor plan rendering software, architects create 3D plans, which are easier for homeowners to comprehend.
House plan drawing requires specific skills and knowledge of architectural design. Therefore, it’s best to leave it to professionals. The primary purpose of drawing a floor plan is to give the homeowner an idea of how the area will be utilised. Based on the visual representation of the layout of the house and each room within it, the homeowner can request changes or the addition of features that he might need in a room.
Today, we review the various benefits of floor plans in the process of designing and building a house.
Every homeowner has ideas for a dream home, but those ideas need to be translated into drawings before the construction can start. A floor plan helps to decide what all needs to be incorporated into the house and presents a visual of how it will turn out in the end. 3D house plans include the smallest details such as where the television will be placed in the living room or which wall in the bedroom will be used for the wardrobes.
Additionally, since the homeowner might not have the expertise to understand a technical drawing such as a blueprint, the rendering of 3D floor plans allows visualization of the exact layout in a smaller scale, based on which any corrections can be made before the construction commences.
House design and construction is regulated, which means that before construction begins, the blueprint must be presented to the relevant authority and approvals obtained. The simple floor plan that is initially drawn acts as the base for developing the blueprint that needs to be submitted for approval.
The architect designs the house and then hands over the task of supervision of the construction to a contractor. The contractor, in turn, might hire several sub-contractors for specialist tasks such as tiling, plumbing and carpentry. Each of these professionals needs to work according to plan so that the house turns out as expected. The floor plan serves as the reference for each set of workers on the job. Since it provides details of the layout as well as the scale and dimensions of each room, it becomes easier for the team to measure accurately to ensure that everything is placed where it is supposed to be.
With the visual created by the 2D or 3D floor plan, the architect and homeowner can keep track of the various materials that need to be chosen for each room. Accordingly, they can schedule visits to the home centre or stores to choose the material and order it.
For example, in the kitchen, they will need to choose floor tiles, the material for the cabinets as well as the appliances. These need to be pre-ordered so that they are available for installation when the time comes, preventing delays caused by unavailability of the material.
One of the challenges of choosing furniture for a room is that it should be a perfect size – neither too big, nor too small. Since the floor plan is drawn to scale, it’s easy to work out the measurements of each area and to choose furniture in the right dimensions to ensure that the room doesn’t look cramped or bare. With 3D rendering software, it’s even possible to see the home in the chosen design style, making it simpler to buy furniture that suits the theme.
Floor plans are primarily intended for ensuring that the construction doesn’t deviate from the blueprint for which approvals have been sanctioned. It also helps interior designers in getting a clearer idea of the interiors of the house, so that they can make recommendations on the theme and the materials that are ideal for the home. The process of planning the interiors can start before the house is complete as floor plans will provide insights into the amount of natural light, ventilation and traffic movement in the area, based on which the interior designer can come up with solutions that utilise the available space effectively.
In some cases, such as when the house is an investment property, the homeowner might want to sell it before the construction is complete if he gets a good offer. Here, floor plans help the prospective buyer understand the layout of the house as well as the dimensions of the rooms within, helping him to decide whether the design will suit his needs.
As is evident, floor plans are significant to the design and construction of any house. It takes an expert to create them, whether it’s a simple architectural drawing or a more thorough rendering for small 3-bedroom house plans in 3D using specialised software. To make the design of the house turn out exactly the way you dreamed of it, we recommend consulting professional architects as they usually have an expert on the team who can render 2D and 3D drawings using advanced software to present a realistic image of the house.
A common question than is asked about modern house floor plans is whether 3D plans are better than 2D ones. It depends entirely on what the homeowner wants. For one thing, 2D plans are much cheaper than 3D ones. The main difference between the two is in the way they are created. 2D plans are drawn along the x and y axis, which means that they can present a view of the house either from the top or the side. In the case of a 3D floor plan, the image is created along the x, y and z axis, enabling a realistic model that allows virtual walkthroughs and 360-degree tours of the house so that the homeowner gets a glimpse of what the house will look like when it is ready.