Defining a floor plan
The term ‘floor plan’ means a drawn sketch that shows room positions, any important equipment, and pieces of furniture if there are any. It is often used by interior designers as a visual representation of a home or office to ensure whether this space is big enough to meet the original goal it is going to be used for.
A traditional floor plan should include such elements as:
- Lines depicting dimensions: accurate measurements that reflect the length, width, or other features of items located there;
- Scaling: a factor that is usually indicated in the ratio and depicts the degree when a floor plan can easily fit a sheet of paper or screen of a device. Usually, designers prefer to depict 1 foot with a ratio of ¼ inch, but there are projects that can represent the actual property size on the floor plan;
- Types of rooms and furnishing: these can be not only the main functions of rooms but also their constituent parts such as walls, doors and windows, stairs, large furniture pieces, etc.
What makes floor plans significant?
It seems clear from the definition that a floor plan is a decreased view of the property from above. They help buyers to understand the position of rooms and large scale items inside them without a necessity to visit a building. However, it is not the only benefit of a floor plan:
- It helps to understand how different spaces and rooms relate to each other and see how it is possible to move around this space;
- It is an accurate scaling of the project important for builders, designers, other specialists working on it;
- It is great for trying different furniture pieces and equipment and prevent arrangement mistakes.
What aren't floor plans perfect?
Every person can see a general space layout on the floor plan, but there isn’t information about important construction details, small items, etc. It can be considered only a number-one point of the construction process, but builders need a lot more technical details to complete the process. However, a floor plan has one more important benefit: it allows potential buyers to see what they will get at the final stage even if the construction has not been started yet and plan the budget more accurately.
What makes a good floor plan according to Feng Shui
Feng shui is a study that analyzes how architecture influences people and it has several rules on how to make a home better and more comfortable for living. No wonder that this study has also provided tips on new home planning. Don’t neglect these useful feng shui pieces of advice since many of them are important not only from the spiritual but also practical side.
It is better to avoid making a door that faces an elevator, long corridor or stairs. It seems that you create a direct outflow of energy from your house making such a long and free of obstacles space.
Feng shui has its own vision on the placement of windows and doors. Both these room details are used for energy flowing, so it is better to avoid placing them against each other and it is better to move your bed if it stands close to the window.
Feng Shui mentions that positive room energy impacts not only health but well-being. Therefore, it is better to place your bed over the silent and peaceful rooms such as a cabinet or rest corner if you have several floors, but never do that over a kitchen or garage.
Floor Plan types:
A floor plan of a home
Known as a home or house plan this number of drawings displays general specifications of the building used for a living. Usually, people can see not only a room layout there but also built-in features.
A floor plan of an office
Known as office layout this set of drawings represents the performance and interaction of employees. These office layouts can be of different types including:
- Cubicle: ones where partitions are placed towards each other in the way to make a cubicle;
- Team-based: offices where there are several groups of employees united with each other. People can find not only a general plan of the space but also measurements and position of a department for every employee;
- Open: derived from open space this type of office offers employees to get access almost to everything. They are often provided with seating places for collaboration and places for rest too. Home: many people organize offices at home since working from home is especially popular nowadays, so this floor plan allows both working and relaxing in one place.
A floor plan with seats
Known as a seating plan it represents according to what pattern people should seat in the room or building. It can be used for differentiating regular and new guests, different categories of passengers, etc. Consequently, such floor plans are created for formal dinners, concerts, seats in public transport, etc.
Design of a garden
Not only inner space requires the development of a floor plan. Designers never work with landscapes without a detailed plan prepared in advance too. Usually, such plans also include accurate measurements, new constructions, walking spaces, etc.
Fire and Emergency Plan
Many people have spotted evacuation plans coming into buildings but not everyone understands that it is a type of floor plan as well. However, it also contains directions people should move to in case of fire or any other emergency situation. You can also find signs indicating places with necessary firefighting equipment there.
Floor Plan templates for free
There are a lot of free templates of modern floor plans that can be used in construction, marketing, and other spheres. Many of them can be found on the web, downloaded, edited using special software and enhanced according to your personal preferences.
Steps to make a good floor plan
Several years ago, these were drawings on paper that were used for floor plans of almost all buildings. Currently, it is considered an outdated way since all the responsibilities for this important process are put on modern software. It allows making accurate measurements, including more details, and completing projects faster and more efficiently. Even a person without the education as an architect or designer can create a simple floor plan since there is a big range of automatic features, editable templates, and simple tools. It goes without saying that floor plan development can be started only if you have downloaded the respective software. After that, the following number of steps should be completed:
- Selection of the location including the area for construction, number of rooms, the total size and shape of the building.
- Listing basic factors including every item and feature you consider significant.
- Measuring floor plan elements including walls and floors, doors and windows, fireplaces and stairs, furniture and accessories.
- Drawing a general sketch by adding all the features of the building.
- Filling out the gaps with such details as equipment, appliances, decor.
- Analyzing and checking the final result including how usable, private, and accessible this space is.
3 Things to remember making a floor plan
- Opt for flexibility: you may once wish to change room functionality so think for perspective.
- Think of a practical side: try to plan bedrooms further from the kitchen or garage, make a living room more spacious, consider making several bathrooms, etc.
- Consider the sunlight, safety and time-savvy solutions: there are rooms where you need more natural light, so plan the location with this in mind too. Moreover, think of the security and ways to decrease monthly bills too.
Software for floor plan design
Software for floor plan design The most comfortable and fast way to develop a floor plan is to use the best software for this purpose. There are examples of free and paid versions, but they may differ in the number of templates, features, user interface, storage, formats of files, etc. The most popular examples are Floorplanner, RoomSketcher, SketchUp, Civil 3D and many others. However, if you plan to use a floor plan for marketing purposes, it is better to turn to professionals for help.
