build my own house free drawing house floor plan apps

Architect's scales are very simple to use, no math required.įor house plans, you should be using a scale of 1/4 inch to a foot for the floor plan drawings. To make your own blueprint to scale you will use an architect's scale.

Parallel ruler (for drawing parallel lines - alternatively you can also use a T-square).

White poster board as a base for your working surface.

Erasing shields (for accurate erasing of only specific parts of your drawing).

A good supplier is Utrecht Drafting Supplies. You can also order most of these supplies online. Your local art supply store should have all the of drawing tools you will need to make your own blueprints.

(The sequence detailed below for drawing floor plans by hand is a good one to follow if you are using design software as well.) Tools for Drawing Floor Plans Using your own floor plan sketches or your results from the Draw Floor Plan module of our house design tutorial, start by drawing the exterior walls of the main story of your home. Whether you are using home design software or drawing your blueprints by hand, the first drawings to start with are your floor plans. Oftentimes, you'll realize not enough space has been allowed for certain areas once the fixtures are in or perhaps you are wasting space in some areas. You can then easily modify the drawings as you drag and drop furniture, appliances and fixtures into the blueprints. The design programs allow you to quickly generate views of your ideas and designs. You can easily move walls as you refine your design. The home design programs are great for allowing you to draw floor plans in 2D then visualize them in 3D. Rather a good approach if you want to keep costs down is to do some drawing with design software and some hand drafting. I am not suggesting to stay away from home design programs entirely. This is where you may have to make your own blueprints by hand or use a more full-featured (and more expensive home design program). What views remain are the cross-sections, elevation views, and any necessary framing plans.

But for some programs this is as far as you can go with the construction drawings. Most of the home design programs can produce accurately dimensioned floor plan drawings of the quality required for your building permit.

Most of the inexpensive programs (less than $250) do not generate the kind of details required for full construction drawings.

It takes a long time to truly learn how to use the house design programs to completely generate the cross sections, framing and other blueprint details that you need to get your building plans approved.

Some may ask why would anyone make their own blueprints by hand when we have many relatively inexpensive home design software products available. There is also the option of doing a bit of both. There are basically two ways to make your own blueprints. 48 page book, Print or Digital Drafting Options

Build my own house free drawing house floor plan apps