How to Indicate a Light Switch on an Architectural Floor Plan

Floor plans keep a building project on track.

Architectural floor plans have a language of their own. Because they are primarily used by professionals who understand the symbols and imagery, floor plans use a lot of language and symbols that aren't clear to someone who isn't trained to read them. This saves architects the trouble of having to write everything out, which would make a floor plan so crowded that it would be unreadable.

Instructions

1. Use the symbol "$" to indicate a light switch. Although this is a dollar symbol outside the world of architecture, on a floor plan it indicates a light switch.

2. Place the "$" symbol anywhere on the floor plan where you want a light switch installed. For a triple light switch, use the symbol "$3".

3. Orient the symbol to the wall on which the light switch is going, rather than to the floor plan as a whole. The symbol should be upright when the floor plan is oriented to look at the wall on which it is placed.

References

• EHouse Plans: Blueprint Symbols
• Absolute Remodeling: Floor Plans