Anyone who works in construction needs to know how to read construction site plans, as it is a crucial part of their job. In fact, reading construction plans is one of the first things anyone in the construction industry learns. Those who have difficulty reading these plans may want to question whether or not they should really work in the construction industry.
Construction plans are also known as building blueprints and are basically a two-dimensional drawing that shows all the details of the project being worked on.
What should be included in construction plans
- Dimensions of the entire land, including the building and internal divisions.
- A legend using special symbols that will represent the parts of the project.
- The location of the site, the layout of the building, where the rooms are located and where the materials will be placed.
- Notations of what materials will be used and where.
- Topographic information.
- The demo plan for things that should be removed.
- The site utility plan that lists existing utilities as well as how the building will be connected to those existing utilities.
- A note of where the foundation will be excavated and then poured.
How to Read Building Plans
The title block is the first thing you should notice when reading construction plans. This will tell you exactly who drew the plans, the date the drawings were completed, the scale used, and who gave final approval.
Orientation and scale indicators
Once you know all the important information from the Title Block, you'll want to orient yourself with the position of the building. Start by looking for the compass or arrow that points north. It is usually located next to the legend, and when you find it, you should look at the scale of the drawings.
Determine the sketch lines
Design lines will make it much easier to determine the dimensions of the various features listed on the construction plans.
Discover the intricate details using the caption
The legend is full of useful information, and you should use it to determine which symbol represents windows, doors, fixtures, materials, and more. The symbols are usually the same between construction plans, so there will come a time when you no longer need to look at the legend to know what you are seeing in the plans. Of course, there is always a time when something new will appear and you will need to do some research to see what this new-to-you symbol means.
Read all notes
As construction plans change, notes will be made and included in the new plans. This is also a great place to find information about items you might not be able to find on the building plans themselves.
Different views of construction plans
Basic views
There are many basic views available for construction plans and they all look at a horizontal plane. This is what you'll see first, but don't expect it to show you everything you need to know about the building you're building.
Elevations
Elevations on building plans are side views that show the exterior walls of the building. All elevations must be noted as north, south, east and west, in addition to being referenced on the first floor plan.
The elevation view should include all doors and windows, gutters with downspouts, and roof lines. Materials for the building's exterior should also be listed on these floor plans. If the elevation is shown for the interior of the building, you will have the materials for cabinets, countertops, and walls included in this plan.
Sections
Basic views and elevations from building plans are not enough to understand the different components of a building, so we will also have sections. Most of the time these sections will be walls, so you can see the beams, insulation, sheathing, sheathing and brickwork. This is also a great way to see how the walls are attached to the foundation or floor, as well as the roof.
Changes to construction plans
When you look at the construction plans, you will see that there is a review block along the bank. You should check this review block whenever you review construction plans to make sure you are viewing the most recent version.
Plans can change quite frequently, especially at the beginning of a project, and it is critical that you work from the most up-to-date set. Most of the time, changes will be marked with bubbles or clouds, along with a number inside a small triangle. These numbered triangles will match the entries in the review block. This is useful because it lets you know when changes have been made.
The reasons why these changes occur arise from the different phases of conception and preparation of construction plans. The first step is the schematic design phase and are basically preliminary designs that focus on what the owner wants within their new building.
The project development phase is where the architect or project manager goes back and forth with the owner to find agreement on the project. While it would be nice to incorporate everything the homeowner wants, it's not always possible due to different scenarios.
Once the commitment is reached, the construction documents phase begins and this is where more changes will be made over time. These changes are due to different specifications that need to be revised due to material requests or new owner requests. Of course, sometimes it is building codes that require building plans to be changed.
Once the value engineering phase and the construction administration phase are complete, there are generally not many changes to the construction plans.
While everyone should be able to read construction plans, it takes some time to learn how to do it efficiently. Once a person knows the basic symbols, they can easily work on smaller projects. It is important that you do not rush through this process, even when you have mastered reading construction plans, because it is easy to miss key points in the plan.
These key points can mean the difference between a successful project and one that goes wrong and needs some additional changes that will cost extra money. Therefore, the best advice we can give is to take your time when reading construction plans and question anything that doesn't make sense.
