Everything You Need to Know About Floor Plans

As you navigate the journey to building a new home, floor plans become an important part of the process. So, what are they and how can you read and interpret one?  

Informed by the experts at G.J. Gardner Homes, here’s everything you need to know about floor plans. 

What is a floor plan? 

Floor plans are in-scale drawings of the relationship between the different rooms, spaces, and any physical features in a single level of a home. They allow you to view the layout of the home and gauge the circulation and traffic flow. Dimensions are also often included in floor plans to give an idea of the general size of each area.  

Knowing how to read floor plans is essential, as they indicate the primary inclusions of a home. From looking at a floor plan, you can gauge how many bedrooms, bathrooms and how much storage the home has. You can also get a top-level understanding of whether the home’s layout is open plan and how each room flows into and connects to each other.  

Floor plans are different to building plans since floor plans only offer a conceptual starting point through a simple diagram demonstrating the layout. They show the big picture of what you can expect for your living, work, and alfresco spaces; however, they do not offer enough information for construction.  

How to read a floor plan 

Since so many details need to be expressed within a floor plan, architects often use various symbols to indicate different house features. This set of standardised symbols and abbreviations can make the plan less cluttered and easier to read. Every floor plan you receive should include a symbol legend so you can figure out what each symbol indicates. There will also often be floor plan notes to provide additional context for the building.  

Symbols used on floor plans often fall within three categories: appearance (e.g., a toilet looks like a toilet), conventions (e.g., windows are denoted with three parallel lines), and labels (e.g., T stands for thermostat).  

To view some of the most common symbols, read the full G.J. Gardner Homes blog here. 

How to read floor plan measurements 

You can understand room sizes either by the width and height detailed in the middle of the room, or next to the wall along a line with an arrow at each end.  

What can’t a floor plan tell you about a home? 

Though you can gather a lot of information from your floor plan, they are one dimensional and don’t demonstrate what’s happening from a liveability or design perspective.  

When houses used to be designed in a stock standard fashion, floor plans were a far better indication of how the home would look. As housing design trends and capabilities have evolved to be more unique and creative, floor plans became a less reliable way to express the feel of a home design. That’s why home designers have begun creating 3D models that allow you to better visualise how the home will work for you and your lifestyle. 

If the only visual information provided is a floor plan, people often don’t understand what the house will look like once built, causing them to change the positioning of doors and windows.  

Floor plans are simply step one in the process, while walkthroughs and display homes showcase houses more accurately. Looking inside a display home can give you the best insight into what the actual home design will look like and allow you to visualise the space as your own. 

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