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

There are a handful of DIY site program options, and i of them is sure to be a good fit for you. If not, nosotros've got alternative suggestions for letting an experienced drafter practice the work for you.

This guide does iv things:

  1. We suggest where y'all might discover an existing site plan for your property.
  2. The post explains what information is needed on a site plan and where you can find it.
  3. It discusses the near mutual DIY plot plan cartoon options.
  4. If you determine a DIY site program isn't for you, we'll tell y'all where to detect a professional person site programme at an affordable cost.

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

Does a Site Plan Already Exist?

In that location'due south no reason to reinvent the wheel, so to speak, if a site plan was made for the property during an earlier stage – peradventure the initial edifice of the home.

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

Here are the places you lot may want to check to see if the site plan for the belongings in question already exists:

  • In the endmost documents provided when you purchased the property.
  • From the title visitor or banking concern that handled the endmost or provided a loan.
  • Your canton: Effort the Registrar of Deeds and the Building Department.
  • The builder: If the home was recently built and the construction visitor is notwithstanding effectually, it might have a site plan 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 instance, the City of Fairbanks, Alaska is representative of nearly cities in what the officials there require of a site plan/plot program.

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

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

  1. Scale at which site plan is drawn (for case 1"= xx'). The scale can exist adjusted per the size of the lot and local requirements.
  2. N arrow. A north arrow shows the directional orientation of the holding.
  3. All belongings lines and their dimensions. These items can exist found on earlier site plans, a survey and other places discussed below. They are readily available, and so no worries are necessary.
  4. Location, type and dimensions of existing structures or a driveway including a house and garage, discrete garage, shed, inground pool, retaining wall or other permanent structure.
  5. Location, type and dimensions for proposed permanent structures, whether attached to the original dwelling or detached, or driveways.
  6. Setback distances (distance off the property line) of all proposed structures, since each community has required setback distances.
  7. Buildable area of the lot within required setbacks to bear witness how much space is available for new development.
  8. Names of adjacent route(south).
  9. Well or water main location.
  10. Septic tank and field or sewer line location.

Items not included in the Fairbanks list but required by some cities and counties include topography (topo – not often required) acme and slope, wetland areas (rare), large trees and utility easements.

Where to Find Information Required for a Site Plan

Dimensions: Dimensions and perhaps the location of utility easements, if they be, can be establish on several documents:

  • Property Survey
  • Property Revenue enhancement Assessor's Map located where your taxes are collected or in the urban center/county offices
  • Tax Bill (In written course rather than drawn)
  • Subdivision Plat (available at the city/canton office or from the programmer)
  • Hiring a Surveyor (starting at about $300 and unremarkably non necessary)

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

Utilities: Gratuitous locating and mark of underground utilities including electric, fresh water, sewer, phone and cablevision is bachelor in most areas. This prevents plush harm during construction. Calling 811 should connect you to the free service.

Setbacks: If you don't accept a previous plan and they are not shown on the survey, you might demand to mensurate and determine setbacks and edifice dimensions, when required.

DIY Site Plan Options

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

How to Describe a Site Plan by Mitt

Graph paper makes paw cartoon a site plan easy. The Fairbanks, AK document gives this encouraging word, "A site program need not exist professionally prepared and can be hand drawn. With a footling work, y'all can draw an acceptable site programme for your projection."

Beware that non all local offices will accept a hand drawn plan, simply it's worth finding out, if you're inclined to DIY.

The City of New Smyrna Beach, Florida lists 4 easy steps to drawing a site plan. To summarize:

  1. The basics. Choose a scale for the graph paper such every bit ane square equals 20 or 25 feet, and note the scale in a prominent place on the cartoon. The squares are usually a quarter inch, so your scale might exist ¼"=20'.

Then draw the lot lines and place the business firm, driveway, sidewalk and other permanent structures as accurately every bit you tin can. Measure and write in anxiety the closest distance from the house to the nearest lot line to evidence the structure (existing or proposed) meets local setbacks rules. Draw your North arrow.

  1. Well and septic. Locate and depict in, if applicable, a well location and the location of a septic tank and drain field, aka leach field, existing or proposed. Annotation: The altitude between the wellhead and drain field must exist 75 feet or more than in most counties.
  2. Sensitive areas and trees. Locate and mark wetlands, sinkholes, inundation plans and bodies of water, if whatever of these be on the property. In New Smyrna Beach, like in many cities, large trees (6" in diameter or larger in NSB) must exist noted. Measure the circumference at 54" off the footing and carve up past pi, or three.14, to get diameter.
  3. Changes. Show where construction activity will occur – new abode building, an addition, inground pool, driveway, etc.

If in that location is significant slope to your country and you have nearby neighbors, y'all might also need to testify slope and the blueprint of water runoff. This might exist the largest challenge to DIY site plan cartoon.

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

Using Software to Create a Site Program

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

A search will produce a listing of results to explore, simply a few nosotros found most useful are these:

RoomSketcher Site Plans (Free)

This site allows yous to create 2D and 3D printable site plans on a PC, Mac or tablet. It starts with inputting measurements for property line dimensions to create the "framework" for the cartoon. Measurements can too be supplied to space objects on the DIY site plan and to show setbacks, zone/structure sizes and full area calculations.

Click, drag and drop elements like structures, landscape items and other necessary elements. Text, labels and symbols tin be added likewise. When the site plan is complete, generate and print it from the RoomSketcher software.

The 3D name, whether with the RoomSketcher or other services, can sometimes exist somewhat misleading, since the plans are plain are two-dimensional. However, using avant-garde technology, the drawings can accept photorealistic depth similar the 3D renders from 24H Plans.

  1. Create a Complimentary account
  2. Await for the RoomSketcher email to ostend your business relationship
  3. Download the RoomSketcher App
  4. Start the App
  5. Choose 2D or 3D Site Plans, and explore

The Free account allows you to create five 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 Thou Suite, and drawings can exist saved to Google Drive, OneDrive, and Dropbox.

A disadvantage is that instead of being allowed 5 gratis projects, you lot're given a 10-day free trial period. If you don't complete your projection during the trial, the cost is $9.95 per month.

  1. Set your free account
  2. Download the software and/or work online
  3. Generate your cartoon
  4. Impress the cartoon or export it 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 $v per calendar month but with an annual commitment, and then $sixty minimum.

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

To summarize:

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

Autodesk AutoCAD

A ane-year subscription to AutoCAD is about $1,700. But again, many companies and professionals already take AutoCAD, and a site plan feature is included.

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

Getting an Affordable Professionally Drawn Site Program

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

An address is all it takes: Yous have to supply nothing more than the address of the property – or if it is vacant state, it's survey coordinates. Companies like 24H Plans take if from there using the most advanced technologies.

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

They Find the Information for You: Where does 24H Plans get the information needed? From county parcel maps, tax data, GIS and updated satellite images, forth with other public records. There is no need for visiting your site.

Your Adjacent Step to an Affordable Site Plan

Now that y'all know how to draw a site programme and empathise your options, which works best for yous?

If you're a natural DIYer, then trying one of the free options makes sense – SmartDraw or RoomSketcher. If you have access to Visio, meet the page on how to draw a site plan on Visio, and give it a try. AutoCAD is a more than circuitous tool that takes some feel to successfully work with. However, information technology is a highly accurate and robust tool. It's what the pros at 24H Plans use, merely they've mastered AutoCAD and know how to go fantastic results.

While surveyors charge upwards of $ane,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 civil engineers produce. Contact 24H Plans today, and requite them your address. Yous'll have a professional person site plan of premium accuracy and quality in less than one business solar day.

Note: Here's how we can help:24hplans has squad of highly-trained, professional architects and drafters who can prepare any kind of site plan in the shortest amount of time possible, then that you lot can easily obtain that edifice permit and get on with your project. Use the promotion lawmaking:24hplans-20off to get a20% discount off any package. — Please note this is a limited time offer, exclusive to the readers of our blog. This offering is not being advertised anywhere else.