How to Make a Scaled Plan of Your Property

A relatively accurate scaled plan of your property can serve as the basis of all your planning efforts in the landscape. With it, you can make realistic assessments of what will fit on your property and explore the many possibilities for landscape improvements on paper before actually building them.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Measuring Tapes
• Pencils
• Graph Papers

1. Find the scaled plot plan that is part of your deed. This plot plan shows which direction is north, the approximate location of the house, and the length, direction and configuration of your property lines. It will also let you know if there are easements or other restrictions on where you are permitted to build on your lot.
2. If you can't find a plot plan, take your own measurements of your property. Find the markers that locate your property lines. These are often yellow or orange flags or tape tied around trees or stakes.
3. Record the shape and dimensions of your lot on graph paper, referring to the measurements indicated on the plot plan or to your own measurements. Use a convenient scale such as 1 inch equals 10 feet.
4. Measure the distance between the markers using a surveyor's measuring tape or chain. (See "How to Know When to Hire a Professional" under Related eHows.)
5. Locate the position of your house on the lot by measuring from two corners of the house to one point on your property line, such as a corner. Having an accurate idea of the size of your front, back and side yards is essential to planning your landscape, so be extremely careful about this process.
6. Measure your house, recording its shape and dimensions on a separate sheet of graph paper but at the same scale as the drawing of the lot.
7. Tape the drawing of the house onto the drawing of the lot in the correct position.
8. Locate other objects on your property by measuring the distance from the house.
9. Locate trees and masses of shrubs.

Tips & Warnings

• If you don't have a plot plan on hand, you can look up the public record copy at the county record office.
• Use the plot plan as a guide for the angles between your property lines.
• If you're measuring alone, secure the end of the measuring tape with a screwdriver through the loop at the end of the tape pushed into the ground or wedged between stones or in cracks in pavement.
• Be sure to measure each object from two points on the house so that you get them in the right position. It's difficult to keep the measuring tape perpendicular to the house when measuring, and if you're measuring at an angle, you can be way off in locating an object or point.

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