Floor plans give a visual representation of an area. It allows you to see a large space on a smaller scale. They can be of one room, or of an entire office building, depending on your preference. They can include walls, doors, windows, appliances, furniture, electrical plans, etc., etc., essentially whatever you deem necessary.

Typical Uses

Floor plans can be extremely useful in many different situations. They can be used to plan where furniture is going to go, to see the wiring systems, to know if a space is too large or too small for a specific purpose. It gives you a broad overview of a space and allows you to manipulate a large area on a single piece of paper.

Best Practices

• Choose an area. Decide what place you want to make a floor plan for. Also decide if you want to create the floor plan for the entire area or only for a specific section or room.
• Take measurements. If you are doing a floor plan for an existing room or area measure the walls, doors, and pertinent furniture for the floor plan you are making. If you are creating a layout for an entirely new area you can make up your own measurements, but you may want to take a few measurements of similar areas so you have a good idea of how large you want it to be.
• Draw walls. Add walls for your room or building, making sure you properly draw them to scale.
• Add architectural features. Begin adding to your space by including the unchangeable things, like the doors and windows. You may also want to add the refrigerator, dishwasher, dryer, and other important appliances that must go in a specific spot, since you can't move them.
• Add furniture. Now you can add whatever furniture you would like to. Don't be afraid to experiment with new styles or types of furniture and you can rearrange it as many times as you want before you decide where you like it best.
• Put it to use. With your completed floor plan you may now share it with your company, use it as a guide when redecorating your space, or keep it on file so you have vital dimensions when you need them.