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).

Please Leave a Comment

One Comment on “How to Read Blueprints for Your Home”

You can follow comments to this article by subscribing to the RSS news feed with your favorite feed reader.

1. anna Says:
   August 13th, 2009 at 5:41 pm

   Hi, Very good site of yours. Why don’t you do a how to draw house plan by vidio illistration

We want to hear from you! In addition to posting comments on articles and videos, you can also send your comments and questions to us on our contact page or at (800) 946-4420. While we can't answer them all, we may use your question on our Homefront radio show, Today’s Homeowner TV show, or online at dannylipford.com.