To property owners and developers who ask, "how do I draw a site plan?," this guide answers with, "let us count the ways!"

In that location are a handful of DIY site program options, and one of them is sure to be a good fit for you. If not, we've got culling suggestions for letting an experienced drafter practise the work for yous.

This guide does four things:

  1. Nosotros propose where y'all might find an existing site plan for your property.
  2. The post explains what information is needed on a site program and where you tin can discover information technology.
  3. It discusses the near common DIY plot plan cartoon options.
  4. If yous decide a DIY site programme isn't for you, we'll tell y'all where to find a professional site plan at an affordable cost.

What nosotros don't answer, hither are the basics, such as what is a site plan is and why you lot need ane, explained here: https://www.24hplans.com/what-is-a-site-plan-plus-12-elements-of-plot-plan/

Does a Site Programme Already Be?

There'southward no reason to reinvent the wheel, so to speak, if a site plan was made for the property during an before stage – mayhap the initial building of the habitation.

In our guide called Where Tin I Get a Site Program of My Holding, we listing the five most common places to locate one, if it already exists. https://www.24hplans.com/where-can-i-get-site-program-for-my-property/

Here are the places you may want to check to encounter if the site programme for the property in question already exists:

  • In the closing documents provided when you purchased the property.
  • From the title visitor or depository financial institution that handled the closing or provided a loan.
  • Your canton: Try the Registrar of Deeds and the Building Department.
  • The architect: If the home was recently built and the construction company is nonetheless around, it might accept a site program on file.
  • The seller or realtor involved in the sale.

A Site Plan Checklist

What is included in a site plan? Here's an overview.  For case, the Metropolis of Fairbanks, Alaska is representative of near cities in what the officials there crave of a site plan/plot plan.

Contact your local city or county office for a site program checklist. We'll add a brief explanation where needed.

Following the list are a few items that other cities and counties want to run into on a site program.

  1. Calibration at which site plan is fatigued (for example 1"= twenty'). The scale can exist adapted per the size of the lot and local requirements.
  2. North arrow. A north arrow shows the directional orientation of the property.
  3. All property lines and their dimensions. These items can exist found on earlier site plans, a survey and other places discussed below. They are readily available, so no worries are necessary.
  4. Location, blazon and dimensions of existing structures or a driveway including a house and garage, detached garage, shed, inground pool, retaining wall or other permanent structure.
  5. Location, type and dimensions for proposed permanent structures, whether fastened to the original habitation or detached, or driveways.
  6. Setback distances (distance off the property line) of all proposed structures, since each customs has required setback distances.
  7. Buildable area of the lot inside required setbacks to show how much space is available for new development.
  8. Names of adjacent road(due south).
  9. Well or water main location.
  10. Septic tank and field or sewer line location.

Items non included in the Fairbanks listing merely required by some cities and counties include topography (topo – not often required) elevation and gradient, wetland areas (rare), large trees and utility easements.

Where to Discover Information Required for a Site Plan

Dimensions: Dimensions and perchance the location of utility easements, if they exist, tin can be found on several documents:

  • Holding Survey
  • Property Tax Assessor'due south Map located where your taxes are nerveless or in the city/county offices
  • Tax Bill (In written form rather than drawn)
  • Subdivision Plat (available at the city/county part or from the developer)
  • Hiring a Surveyor (starting at about $300 and commonly not necessary)

Structures: A previous plot programme volition show the location of permanent structures. The Google Maps satellite office and services like Google Earth and InstantStreetView.com are useful, too, providing aeriform satellite views and a 360% street view of the holding.

Utilities: Free locating and marking of clandestine utilities including electric, fresh water, sewer, phone and cable is available in most areas. This prevents costly damage during construction. Calling 811 should connect you to the gratuitous service.

Setbacks: If you don't have a previous plan and they are non shown on the survey, you might need to measure and determine setbacks and edifice dimensions, when required.

DIY Site Plan Options

Drawing your own site plan ranges from literal hand-cartoon to using sophisticated software. Of the latter, there are free and paid options, online and downloadable versions for many.

How to Draw a Site Program past Hand

Graph paper makes manus drawing a site program easy. The Fairbanks, AK certificate gives this encouraging word, "A site plan need not exist professionally prepared and can be mitt fatigued. With a little work, you lot can draw an acceptable site plan for your project."

Beware that not all local offices will accept a hand drawn program, just it'due south worth finding out, if y'all're inclined to DIY.

The City of New Smyrna Embankment, Florida lists iv like shooting fish in a barrel steps to cartoon a site plan. To summarize:

  1. The nuts. Choose a scale for the graph paper such as 1 square equals twenty or 25 feet, and note the calibration in a prominent identify on the drawing. The squares are usually a quarter inch, so your calibration might be ¼"=xx'.

And so depict the lot lines and place the firm, driveway, sidewalk and other permanent structures as accurately every bit you tin. Measure and write in feet the closest distance from the house to the nearest lot line to show the structure (existing or proposed) meets local setbacks rules. Describe your Due north pointer.

  1. Well and septic. Locate and draw in, if applicable, a well location and the location of a septic tank and drain field, aka leach field, existing or proposed. Note: The distance between the wellhead and drain field must be 75 anxiety or more than in most counties.
  2. Sensitive areas and trees. Locate and marking wetlands, sinkholes, alluvion plans and bodies of water, if whatsoever of these exist on the property. In New Smyrna Embankment, like in many cities, big trees (vi" in bore or larger in NSB) must exist noted. Measure out the circumference at 54" off the ground and divide by pi, or 3.14, to get bore.
  3. Changes. Show where structure action will occur – new habitation building, an addition, inground pool, driveway, etc.

If there is significant slope to your country and you have nearby neighbors, yous might as well demand to prove slope and the pattern of h2o runoff. This might be the largest challenge to DIY site plan drawing.

The Fairbanks guide shows a good instance of a DIY site plan.

Using Software to Create a Site Plan

If you enjoy making use of engineering science and/or hand drawn site plans aren't accepted where yous live, free and fee software is available for the purpose.

A search will produce a list of results to explore, but a few we found most useful are these:

RoomSketcher Site Plans (Free)

This site allows you to create second and 3D printable site plans on a PC, Mac or tablet. It starts with inputting measurements for belongings line dimensions to create the "framework" for the cartoon. Measurements can as well be supplied to space objects on the DIY site program and to show setbacks, zone/structure sizes and full expanse calculations.

Click, drag and drop elements like structures, mural items and other necessary elements. Text, labels and symbols can be added also. When the site program is consummate, generate and print it from the RoomSketcher software.

The 3D name, whether with the RoomSketcher or other services, can sometimes be somewhat misleading, since the plans are patently are 2-dimensional. However, using advanced technology, the drawings can take photorealistic depth similar the 3D renders from 24H Plans.

  1. Create a Free account
  2. Look for the RoomSketcher e-mail to confirm your account
  3. Download the RoomSketcher App
  4. Starting time the App
  5. Cull second or 3D Site Plans, and explore

The Free account allows you to create v projects.

SmartDraw (Free)

SmartDraw site plan software gets a 5-star rating from CNET. You have the option of using the online edition of SmartDraw, an advantage over RoomSketcher, or downloading an app or desktop edition.

SmarDraw offers integration with Microsoft Role and Chiliad Suite, and drawings tin can be saved to Google Drive, OneDrive, and Dropbox.

A disadvantage is that instead of being allowed v free projects, you're given a 10-day free trial menses. If y'all don't complete your project during the trial, the price is $9.95 per month.

  1. Ready your free account
  2. Download the software and/or piece of work online
  3. Generate your drawing
  4. Print the cartoon or consign information technology to some other supported format to Visio VSD or VSDX, Google Drive, OneDrive, etc.

Microsoft Visio

This isn't a free service, and plans aren't cheap, starting at $5 per month but with an annual commitment, so $60 minimum.

However, many individuals and companies already accept access to Visio, and you tin make site plans with Visio. See the lengthy stride-by-pace process here.

To summarize:

  1. Choose File > New and search Site Programme. Find Site Programme in the results, and choose Create.
  2. Use Tools to draw structures or insert a CAD drawing or copy and paste an existing Visio cartoon.
  3. Enter roads, landscape, symbols, text and other features.

Autodesk AutoCAD

A one-twelvemonth subscription to AutoCAD is well-nigh $1,700. But again, many companies and professionals already have AutoCAD, and a site program feature is included.

The creation of a site program with AutoCAD is a lilliputian more complex than with the other options listed above. This 9-minute tutorial on YouTube walks you through the process.

Getting an Affordable Professionally Drawn Site Plan

If none of the options above meet your needs, then having a plan drawn professionally is easier and more than affordable than you might recall.

An address is all it takes: You have to supply nothing more the address of the property – or if it is vacant state, information technology'due south survey coordinates. Companies like 24H Plans take if from there using the most avant-garde technologies.

24H Plans Team: They are CGI artists and draftsmen specializing in site plans and similar drawings. The specialists use AutoCAD and other leading software options to create site plans of the highest detail, clarity and quality.

They Notice the Information for Y'all: Where does 24H Plans get the information needed? From county packet maps, taxation information, GIS and updated satellite images, forth with other public records. In that location is no demand for visiting your site.

Your Adjacent Footstep to an Affordable Site Programme

Now that y'all know how to draw a site plan and understand your options, which works best for you lot?

If you're a natural DIYer, and so trying one of the gratis options makes sense – SmartDraw or RoomSketcher. If you have access to Visio, encounter the page on how to depict a site plan on Visio, and give information technology a endeavor. AutoCAD is a more complex tool that takes some experience to successfully work with. However, information technology is a highly accurate and robust tool. It'due south what the pros at 24H Plans use, just they've mastered AutoCAD and know how to get fantastic results.

While surveyors accuse upward of $1,000 for a professional site program, the drawings start at less than $100 from 24H Plans – and the results are equal to or superior to what surveyors and ceremonious engineers produce. Contact 24H Plans today, and give them your address. You lot'll have a professional person site plan of premium accuracy and quality in less than one business day.

Note: Here's how nosotros can aid:24hplans has team of highly-trained, professional architects and drafters who tin can prepare whatever kind of site plan in the shortest amount of time possible, so that yous can easily obtain that building allow and get on with your projection. Use the promotion code:24hplans-20off to go a20% discount off any package. — Please notation this is a express time offer, exclusive to the readers of our weblog. This offer is not existence advertised anywhere else.