How to Create Floorplans for Remodels
Remodeling your house sometimes requires expanding rooms, combining two rooms or converting closet space to living space. Homeowners will need to sketch floor plans they envision, so that a builder or general contractor can plan each phase of the project. Use graph paper and a pencil to reconfigure the square footage of your home to use space more efficiently. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Measuring tape
- Yardstick
- Pictures of home designs
- Sketch pad and pencil
- Graph paper
- Photos of upscale rooms
- Dimensions of floor cabinetry needed
- Dimensions of bath fixtures
- General sketches of present space
- Websites with floorplan ideas
Instructions
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Decide which areas of your home need enlarging or redesigning. Experiment with sketches to envision how a kitchen could be opened up or two rooms could be combined. Use graph paper to draw various options. Let one square of graph paper represent 6 inches of real space. Don't forget to designate doorway openings between rooms, exterior doors and windows in your floor plans. Draw a heavier line to indicate these openings.
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Go online to view examples of floor plans. Review homes that are similar to the one you wish to remodel. Look for ideas you can incorporate into your own plans. Lay out the dimensions of the perimeter of your house on graph paper. Decide if you wish to bump out any of these walls to expand the actual square footage. Draw the dimensions of each living space, bathroom or new anticipated space carved from a former room. Be aware of which way doors swing into an adjoining room, so that foot traffic will not conflict.
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Draw furniture placement in the sketches. Plan each space around the activities that will take place in that area. Look for ways to borrow space from a closet that is seldom used or a hallway that can be eradicated. Incorporate enough storage space for each room by designing space for built-ins or design a closet under a stairwell.
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Design each room with regard to the home's exterior windows. Consider moving windows to different sections of the exterior walls if they will interfere with traffic flow. Move them only if you have sufficient money to do so, since changing exterior walls is a major expenditure. Keep windows where they are and plan the new floor plan around them if your budget is tight.
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Start with the kitchen and living areas to redesign a floor plan, since these areas are the heart of the home. Draw bedrooms, hallways and bathrooms in harmony with the kitchen-living areas. Create an open living area and kitchen if you will need to trim too much floor space off bedroom areas. Avoid making any bedroom smaller than 9-by-12-feet, according to the National Association of Home Builders.
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Tips & Warnings
Study home design books to understand design concepts of new building trends. For example, consider making some of your ceilings into vaulted or tray ceilings during your remodeling.
Consult an expert about which walls are load-bearing walls before completing your floor plan. Load-bearing walls are literally holding up the weight of your house.
