Create a graph paper floor plan of your home to simplify future home improvement projects.
If you hire an architect to create a floor plan of your home, expect to pay some big bucks. Computer software and online floor plan programs take you through the process in simple steps, sometimes free and some for a fee. Certain websites, such as Floorplanner or smallblueprinter (see Resources), allow visitors to create free home designs in 2D with a 3D view. Floorplanner's free versions provide one plan, while a paid subscription offers support from professional designers and the ability to create up to five house plans. For the more frugal-minded, a stack of graph paper and a pencil work just as well. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Measure the length of your bedroom walls with the measuring tape. Include closet space, and record the figures. Designate one piece of graph paper for this room, and make a note of the square footage (length times width) in one corner of the paper.
2. Allow two to four blocks on the graph paper to represent one foot. Write down a measurement key at the bottom of the paper in case you need to show these plans to a builder at some point in the future.
3. Map out the room's dimensions on the paper with the ruler and pencil. If four graph squares equal one foot, then multiply the footage from each wall times four to find the number of squares for the wall. Make a line on the graph paper representing this wall. Repeat with each wall. Include closet footage. Mark the measurements for each wall on the graph paper.
4. Measure the width of each window and door frame. Record these figures on your graph paper plan. Measure the distance from each window to the corner of the closest wall. Measure the distance between the windows. Repeat in this manner with the door frames. Draw bold lines on the plan to represent the placement of each window and door.
5. Measure and draw representations on graph paper of every room, hallway and closet in your home, as well as the garage, using a separate page to represent each space. After measurements and room plans are complete, lay out all of the graph paper pages on a flat surface.
6. Combine the drawings into one plan by transferring the measurements to another sheet of graph paper. Use a larger piece of graph paper or reduce the graph block per foot ratio to fit the entire house on a single piece of paper. File the plans together for any future remodels or projects.
Tags: graph paper, each wall, each window, floor plan, your home, each window door, floor plan your
