Evaluating Floor Plans

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Evaluating Floor Plans
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Needs vs. Wants

• Needs
• Bedrooms
• Baths
• Storage Closet
• Room for furniture and appliances

• Wants
• Fireplace
• Patio
• Place for Ping pong and Billiards

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3 main areas of a home

• Living Area
• Living Room
• Dining Room
• Family or Recreation Room
• Study
• Den
• Library
• Music Room
• Hobby rooms
• Entryways
• Patios
• Porches

• Sleeping Area
• Bedrooms
• Bathrooms
• Dressing Rooms
• Service Area
• Kitchen
• Laundry Room
• Utility Room
• Basement
• Garage

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Circulation

• The route that people follow as they move from
  one place to another in the home.
• Not limited to hall space
• It may pass through a room
• Generally 3-4 feet of space should be allowed for
  circulation paths.

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Types of Circulation

• Family
• Most complex and difficult to identify.
• Each member have different living habits which
  create different circulation patterns.
• Good plan follows these principles
• A bath is located close to the bedrooms
• The indoor living area is readily accessible to
  the outdoor living area such as patio or deck.
• Related rooms are close together
• High frequency circulation routes are short and
  simple
• Excessive hall space is avoided
• Rooms are not cut in half by circulation routes.

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Types of circulation

• Work
• The kitchen is generally the hub of the work
  circulation pattern
• Circulation should move easily from the sink to
  the refrigerator to the cooking units to the
  eating areas.
• The route between the sink, refrigerator and the
  range is called the work triangle and should not
  exceed 26 feet in total length.
• Kitchen should be adjacent to the dining area
• No cross traffic should be allowed to interfere
  with the circulation moving back and forth
  between the cooking and eating areas (prevents
  spills and broken dishes ?)
• Kitchen near service entrance
• Accessibility to bedrooms and bath are also
  desirable.
• Work circulation also involves access to the
  basement, garage, and storage areas throughout
  the home.
• The clothes care center needs a convenient
  location since many trips are made to this work
  area.

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Types of Circulation

• Service
• Relates to the movement of people in and out of
  the home as they make service calls, deliver
  goods, read meters, take garbage out, and so on.
• Service routes are not exclusive to household
  members/
• In a good floor plan, no one should cross the
  kitchen to get to the basement or cross the
  dining room with groceries.
• Good service circulation may be provided by
  locating a service entrance near the kitchen and
  basement stairs.
• A good floor plan provides easy access to and
  from the kitchen, basement garage, and other
  service areas.

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Types of Circulation

• Guest Circulation
• This is the easiest to define.
• It simply involves the movement from the entry to
  the coat closet and to the living room with
  access to powder room facilities.
• Guests should be able to move from the entry to
  the living area without passing through other
  rooms.
• A small house or apartment may not have a
  separate foyer.
• In this case guests may enter directly into the
  living room but should have access to closet and
  powder room without passing through other rooms.

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Circulation Frequency

• Refers to the number of times a route is repeated
  in any given period of time
• Routes that are high frequency are short and
  direct
• The special needs, habits and special
  considerations also affect the quality of
  circulation
• For example how often does a family member travel
  from the recreation room to the kitchen as
  compared to a guest coming to visit?
• If the answer is 20 times for every guests visit,
  logic would indicate that the route from the
  recreation room to the kitchen should receive
  greater priority. (Shorter and more direct.)
• Realistically though all floor plans are a
  compromise.
• One plan may reflect perfect service circulation
  while another would have excellent family
  circulation
• The main point is if the patterns are compatible
  with the life style of the household.

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Room Relationships

• The size and shape of the rooms and relationship
  of each room to the others.
• The size is not always an accurate indication of
  usable space.
• Poorly located doors, windows, closets, or too
  many architectural features interrupt wall space
• When evaluating floor plans, study potential for
  furniture arrangement and circulation within the
  room.
• The relationship of one room to another dictates
  how functional the space will be.

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Room Relationships Dining

• The dining area should be located adjacent to the
  living room for entertaining.
• Dining should also be located next to the kitchen
  for ease of food serving.
• If you like to eat al fresco, then the patio or
  porch should be near the kitchen.

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Room Relationships Bed/Bath

• Bedroom and Bathroom should be close together.
• Consideration here is privacy (Sight and Sound)
  and accessibility.
• At least 1 bathroom should be located where
  people can reach without going through another
  room. (Master Bath)

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Reading House Plans

• Plot plan
• Foundation/basement plan
• Floor Plan
• Exterior elevation
• Electrical Plan
• Construction Details
• Pictorial Presentations

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Plot Plan (1 in 20 or 30 feet)

• Shows the location of the structure on the site.
• Drawn using information provided by a surveyor
  and recorded on a site plan
• Shows both the property and the proposed
  construction
• Lending agencies, building inspectors, and
  excavators all need this drawing.

• Location, outline and size of buildings on the
  site
• Streets, driveways, sidewalks, and patios
• Location of utilities
• Easements for utilities and drainage
• Fences and retaining walls
• Length and bearing of each property line
• Contour of land
• Trees, shrubs, streams, and gardens.
• Elevation of property corners
• Meridian Arrow (North Symbol)
• Well and septic tank and field (if any)
• Lot number or address of the site
• Scale of the drawing.

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Foundation/Basement Plan (1/4 in 1 foot)

• Shows the location and size of footings, piers,
  columns, foundation walls, and supporting beams
  of the structure.
• Prepared mainly for the excavator, masons, and
  cement workers who build the foundation.

• Footings for foundation walls, piers, and columns
• Foundation walls
• Piers and columns
• Dwarf walls
• Partition walls, doors, and bath fixtures
• Furnace, water storage tank, water softener, hot
  water heater
• Openings in foundation walls such as windows,
  doors and vents
• Beams and pilasters
• Direction, size and spacing of floor joists
• Drains and sump pump (in basement)
• Details of foundation and footing construction
• Grade elevation
• Complete dimensions and notes
• Scale of drawing

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Floor Plan (1/4 in 1 in)

• The Heart of the construction drawings and is
  used by trades people.
• Usually a section drawing taken about four feet
  above the ground
• Drawn for each floor level of the structure

• Exterior and interior walls
• Size and location of windows and doors
• Built-in cabinets and appliances
• Permanent fixtures
• Stairs and fireplaces.
• Porches, patios, and decks
• Room names and approximate sizes
• Material symbols
• Location and size dimensions
• Scale of drawing

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Exterior Elevations (1/4 in 1 ft)

• Shows the outside of the building.
• Each side requires one elevation
• Purpose is to show the finished appearance of a
  given side of the building and to show height.

• Identification of the specific side which is
  represented.
• Grade lines (level of soil against building)
• Depth of foundation (hidden lines)
• Finished floor and ceiling levels
• Location of exterior wall corners
• Windows and doors
• Roof features and materials
• Roof pitch
• Chimneys
• Deck Railings and outside steps
• Patios, decks, and porches.
• Exterior materials
• Vertical dimensions of features
• Scale of drawing

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Electrical Plan (1/4 in 1 ft)

• Similar to floor plan in appearance, but its
  purpose is to show locations and types of
  electrical equipment to be used.

• Meter and distribution panel
• Electrical outlets
• Light fixtures
• Switches
• Telephone
• Door bell and chimes
• Circuit data (optional)
• Lighting fixture schedule (optional)
• Appliances which use electricity
• Home security system
• Scale of drawing

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Construction Details (varies)

• Drawn for those features which require more
  information to fully describe the construction.
• The scale is almost always larger than ¼ in 1
  foot. Typically ½, ¾, 1 or 3 in equals 1 foot)

• Foundation and footing details
• Typical wall sections
• Truss details
• Fireplace and Chimney details
• Stair details
• Kitchen and bathroom details
• Window and door details
• Flower planters
• Decorative screens
• Soffit Details
• Unique construction
• Built in cabinets, bookcases and the like

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Other Drawings

• In rare cases, plans may also include
• Climate Control Plan
• Shows the location of the heating, cooling,
  humidification, dehumidification, and air
  cleaning equipment.
• Also the distribution routes and means of
  transmitting the conditioned air to the various
  rooms.
• Plumbing Plan
• Shows the fresh water supply lines to the water
  storage tank or house main as well as waste water
  lines and water conditioning equipment.
• Plumbing fixtures such as sinks, water closets,
  showers, and tubs are also shown.

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Review Questions

• How does circulation frequency affect the type of
  path allowed for circulation?
• What are the four basic types of circulation?
• What principles should a good family circulation
  pattern follow?
• What is a work triangle? Why is it important
  that this triangle be small and that no cross
  traffic should interfere with it?
• Where would you locate a service entrance for the
  most efficient service circulation pattern?
• What parts of the house are involved in guest
  circulation?
• What features may cause a large room to have a
  greatly reduced amount of usable space?
• What rooms would you place adjacent to a kitchen?
  What rooms would you place away from a kitchen?
• What specific drawings are included in a typical
  set of house plans?