How to Draw a Blue Print of Your House

Exterior Measurements

• 1

  Begin by drawing a rough sketch of the ground-level outside perimeter of your house. If your house has more than one level, for example a two-story, split-level or home with a basement, repeat this step for each level.

• 2

  Measure and record the length of each of the ground-level exterior walls. It is unnecessary to determine exterior measurements of non-ground-levels.

• 3

  If you are also interested in your home's placement on your property, or site plan, take measurements of the length and width of your property and your home's position relative to the property lines. This may be complicated if the property has an irregular shape. Many homeowners will have a plat of survey of their property, which will help in finding the true the shape and dimensions.

Interior Measurements

• 4

  Begin by roughly sketching the interior layout of each level of your home and label each room.

• 5

  Take measurements of the wall lengths in each room.

• 6

  Measure windows and doors and note their placement in your sketches.

• 7

  In areas of your home where there are built-in features such as cabinets or countertops, make note of their dimensions and placement within the room. Use of dashed lines for these features will help distinguish them from walls. Also indicate placement of plumbing fixtures, including sinks and toilets, by measuring from their center line to the nearest wall or cabinet edge.

• 8

  For staircases, draw each step using connected rectangles. Typically you can draw all steps that lead up or down, unless they interfere with other walls you have drawn. If necessary, draw a diagonal "cut line" through your stairs to indicate that they continue on, in order to avoid having to draw the remaining steps. You should also draw an arrow with the word "up" or "down" to indicate the direction and elevation of travel.

Drawing the Blueprint

• 9

  Gather all of your rough sketches and measurements of the exterior and interior of the home.

• 10

  Begin by drawing the exterior walls of your home while using a ruler. Use a scale of one-quarter inch or one-eighth inch to represent each actual foot.

• 11

  Use the interior measurements to draw the interior walls and features. Use the same scale as when drawing the exterior walls.

• 12

  Label each room in the plan as well as built-in features and plumbing as necessary.

• 13

  Dimension each wall length. Do this by drawing a line parallel to the wall line and write the measurement next to the center of the dimension line. This line should be drawn about 1/4" away from the item you are dimensioning.

• 14

  In the same way as Step 5, dimension the windows and doors. Dimensions should be drawn based on the center point of the window or door. Indicate which way doors open by drawing an arc from the edge of the door to show its swing path.