I’ve drawn hundreds of floor plans. Today, you’ll learn my top tips so you can quickly and easily draw a floor plan of a house. Sound good? Let’s go.
If you’re new to this, we’ll begin by answering a few basic questions about floor plans and why you should include them in your property listings. However, feel free to skip straight to Step 1 of my simple 7-step process to learn how to draw a floor plan in double quick time and with maximum accuracy.
Also, **spoiler alert** we partner with estate agents and property professionals to convert hand-drawn sketches into professional digital floor plans. If you’re here for that, check out Floorplan Conversion.
Now, let’s crack on.
What is a floor plan?
A floor plan visually shows the layout of a property. Potential buyers and tenants love them as they help them visualise how the space is laid out. A floor plan can be produced in 2D or 3D and can also be used by architects and designers to describe the relationship between physical features, spaces, and rooms viewed from above.
Floor plans can also show the dimensions and orientation of the home which allows house-hunters to think about how their furniture will fit into the space and to picture where the sun will rise and set while they’re having their morning coffee or evening summer BBQ.
What do I need to draw a floor plan?
Here’s what I use:
- Pencil with an eraser
- Graph paper
- Laser measure – The Leica D2 series is excellent.
- Clipboard – Mine was from Asda.
- Compass (if you want to show the North arrow).
Should I create a floor plan in portrait or landscape?
Portrait orientation is better for thinner houses (it’s also slightly easier to hold the clipboard), but the best layout also depends on the footprint or shape of the property. Landscape is better for wider houses – go figure.
Should I draw a floor plan of the house on one page or separate pages?
Either is fine. I’d give the slight edge to the option of drawing each floor on separate pages. Why? Because once you’ve finished the ground floor, you can make a note of where the corners that define the outline of the footprint are, then lift up the page and mark them down on the page below.
Then, it’s a good old game of join the dots and in a few seconds, you’ve got the layout of the floor above ready to go. The ground floor and the subsequent floors above are not always exactly the same but this gives you a huge and speedy head start on sketching the floors above. Confused? See Step 3 below – it will all become clear.
What are the best apps for creating a floor plan?
There aren’t any! Not that we like anyway. Most floor plan creation apps are fiddly and annoying. So, if you’re here looking for the best apps to draw a floor plan then I’m afraid we ain’t the place for you, my friend. We love keeping it old school with a laser measure, graph paper and a pencil.
Need your sketch converted into a finished floor plan? Now, that we can do. See Floorplan Conversion for more. You can even try it for FREE.
How do I draw a floor plan of a house?
Ok, got your gear? Check! You’re ready to rock. Now leave the property immediately. I’ll dive into each of these 7 steps in more detail below but here’s the general flow.
Begin outside, move inside to do the ground floor, copy the footprint for the floor above, get outside to mark the windows, back inside up the stairs to do the upper floor(s), final checks then send your plan to Elements Property for Floorplan Conversion.
Right, now watch the video to learn more!
