Expert Advice on Home Improvement TV Host of Emmy®-Nominated Today's Homeowner® and home expert for The Weather Channel

Understanding House Plan Blueprints

Video, Design and Decor Published 07/18/2008 by Danny Lipford

To help you make sense of house plan blueprints, keep in mind that:

• House plans are usually drawn to ¼” scale, which means that a quarter inch on the blueprints represents one foot on the job site. A special ruler with a ¼” scale can be used to convert the blueprints to the actual measurements, or you can use a standard ruler and multiply each measurement times four.
• The number next to each window and door on the plans give the number of units followed by the width and height of each unit in feet and inches. So the designation 2-2640 would indicate that there are two window units together with each one 2’6” wide by 4’0” high.
• To understand what the various symbols on the plans represent, look them up on the symbol list found in the legend on the plans.

More information on this project can be found at (637) Today’s Addition (Part 1).