How learning to read a floor plan keeps you out of the doghouse

Thinking of building a new home? What you envision based on the floor plan may not be what you get. What if the great room is much smaller than it looked on paper, and it isn’t so great after all? Understanding how to read the floor plan of a future abode can help you better imagine your family comfortably living there. 

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Floor plan 101

A floor plan is drawn as if you were standing over the house — like viewing a Barbie Dreamhouse, but with the roof removed instead of a wall. And less pink. Plans are drawn to scale, with the dimensions of each room noted in feet. Usually the rooms are labeled (kitchen, master bedroom). This floor map gives you a general idea of how everything fits in relation to each other, and you can visualize walking from room to room. Walls, windows and doors are blocked out, as are spaces for built-in fixtures and major appliances. If the main floor ceiling extends to a second level, it will also specify where the area is “open to below.”

Floor plan symbols

Most floor plans denote features similarly, so they are easy to read for any home buyer or builder. Mainstays include:

• Walls: These are the thickest lines on the floor plan, showing the exterior outline of the house and the interior walls. 
• Windows: The heavy line of a wall is replaced with a thin line to represent a window.
• Doors: A gap in the wall line, with a thinner line at a 90- or 45-degree angle, indicates a door. There is usually a small arc — or two if the plan is for a French door — from the door line to the wall, indicating which direction the door will open. 
• Bathrooms: Sinks, showers, bathtubs and toilets are drawn to the approximate size.
• Kitchen: The stove, refrigerator, dishwasher and sink are noted by squares, sometimes with initials or shapes to identify the appliances.
• Stairs: A row of rectangles denotes stairs. There may be an arrow to show they go up to the next floor, or down. 
• Furniture: Although not standard, some architects may include general furniture such as couches and tables in a house map. This is to help you better envision living in the home and think about how you might arrange your own furnishings. 
• Porch/Patio/Deck: Around the home perimeter, thin lines are used to show a built-on porch or deck, or where a patio may go. Small dark squares mark where columns will be placed. Dotted lines show where it will be covered.

Floor plan abbreviations

Floor plans often use abbreviations to indicate rooms and features. Common ones include:

• BA: bathroom
• BR: bedroom
• DW: dishwasher
• FPL: fireplace
• FURN: furnace
• MECH: mechanical room
• MBR: master bedroom
• REF: refrigerator
• STOR: storage closet
• W/D: washer and dryer
• WH: water heater
• WIC: walk-in closet

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Go with the flow

To decide if the house will be the right fit for day-to-day living, consider how you’ll move around in the space.

• Are the room sizes practical? Will your king bed fit in a 12-by-12-foot bedroom?
• Is there enough clearance to fully open doors to bedrooms, closets and cupboards?
• How far will you need to carry laundry baskets? Do you mind hauling them up and down stairs?
• Imagine welcoming guests. Do you care if people can see your dirty dishes from the sitting area? 
• Is there room for family gatherings? Game night?
• Will you have windows facing the best view from your lot? Or does the powder room window face the front porch?
• Is there an inconspicuous place for the kitchen garbage can? 

Choosing the floor plan for your new home can be an exciting part of the building process. Whether looking at pre-made designs in a planned community or starting from scratch, take time to evaluate the layout. Will it fit your lifestyle? It’s much easier to move in mentally than to discover your couch won’t fit later.

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