To holding owners and developers who ask, "how do I draw a site program?," this guide answers with, "let united states of america count the ways!"

There are a handful of DIY site programme options, and i of them is sure to exist a skillful fit for yous. If non, we've got alternative suggestions for letting an experienced drafter exercise the work for you lot.

This guide does four things:

  1. We propose where yous might find an existing site plan for your holding.
  2. The post explains what information is needed on a site plan and where you can find it.
  3. It discusses the most common DIY plot plan drawing options.
  4. If y'all decide a DIY site programme isn't for you lot, we'll tell you where to find a professional site program at an affordable price.

What we don't answer, hither are the nuts, such as what is a site programme is and why you demand one, explained here: https://www.24hplans.com/what-is-a-site-plan-plus-12-elements-of-plot-programme/

Does a Site Plan Already Exist?

There'southward no reason to reinvent the wheel, so to speak, if a site plan was fabricated for the property during an before phase – perhaps the initial edifice of the habitation.

In our guide chosen Where Can I Get a Site Plan of My Belongings, we list the five most common places to locate one, if it already exists. https://www.24hplans.com/where-can-i-go-site-programme-for-my-property/

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

  • In the endmost documents provided when you purchased the property.
  • From the title company or bank that handled the closing or provided a loan.
  • Your county: Attempt the Registrar of Deeds and the Building Department.
  • The builder: If the domicile was recently built and the structure company is nevertheless around, it might accept a site plan on file.
  • The seller or realtor involved in the auction.

A Site Plan Checklist

What is included in a site programme? Here's an overview.  For instance, the City of Fairbanks, Alaska is representative of most cities in what the officials there crave of a site program/plot plan.

Contact your local urban center or canton office for a site plan checklist. Nosotros'll add a brief explanation where needed.

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

  1. Calibration at which site programme is drawn (for example ane"= xx'). The scale can be adjusted per the size of the lot and local requirements.
  2. North arrow. A n arrow shows the directional orientation of the belongings.
  3. All property lines and their dimensions. These items can be constitute on earlier site plans, a survey and other places discussed beneath. They are readily available, so no worries are necessary.
  4. Location, type and dimensions of existing structures or a driveway including a business firm and garage, discrete garage, shed, inground puddle, retaining wall or other permanent construction.
  5. Location, blazon and dimensions for proposed permanent structures, whether attached to the original domicile 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 surface area of the lot inside required setbacks to testify how much space is available for new development.
  8. Names of adjacent road(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 past some cities and counties include topography (topo – not often required) elevation and slope, wetland areas (rare), large trees and utility easements.

Where to Observe Information Required for a Site Plan

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

  • Property Survey
  • Property Revenue enhancement Assessor's Map located where your taxes are collected or in the city/county offices
  • Taxation Bill (In written form rather than fatigued)
  • Subdivision Plat (available at the city/county role or from the developer)
  • Hiring a Surveyor (starting at about $300 and usually not 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 marking of clandestine utilities including electrical, fresh water, sewer, phone and cable is bachelor in virtually areas. This prevents costly damage during structure. Calling 811 should connect you to the free service.

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

DIY Site Program Options

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

How to Draw a Site Plan by Hand

Graph paper makes paw drawing a site plan easy. The Fairbanks, AK certificate gives this encouraging word, "A site plan need non be professionally prepared and can be hand fatigued. With a picayune work, you tin describe an acceptable site plan for your project."

Beware that not all local offices will accept a paw fatigued plan, but it's worth finding out, if you're inclined to DIY.

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

  1. The basics. Cull a scale for the graph paper such as 1 square equals 20 or 25 anxiety, and note the scale in a prominent place on the drawing. The squares are usually a quarter inch, and so your calibration might be ¼"=twenty'.

And then draw the lot lines and place the house, driveway, sidewalk and other permanent structures as accurately equally you can. Mensurate and write in feet the closest distance from the house to the nearest lot line to show the construction (existing or proposed) meets local setbacks rules. Draw your North arrow.

  1. Well and septic. Locate and describe 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 exist 75 feet or more in most counties.
  2. Sensitive areas and trees. Locate and mark wetlands, sinkholes, inundation plans and bodies of water, if any of these exist on the property. In New Smyrna Beach, like in many cities, big copse (6" in diameter or larger in NSB) must be noted. Measure out the circumference at 54" off the basis and separate by pi, or 3.xiv, to get diameter.
  3. Changes. Bear witness where structure activity will occur – new domicile edifice, an addition, inground pool, driveway, etc.

If there is pregnant slope to your land and you have nearby neighbors, you might also need to bear witness slope and the blueprint of water runoff. This might be the largest claiming to DIY site plan drawing.

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

Using Software to Create a Site Programme

If you savor making use of technology and/or hand fatigued site plans aren't accepted where you live, costless and fee software is available for the purpose.

A search will produce a list of results to explore, merely a few nosotros plant almost useful are these:

RoomSketcher Site Plans (Free)

This site allows you lot 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 drawing. Measurements can also be supplied to space objects on the DIY site plan and to evidence setbacks, zone/construction sizes and full surface area calculations.

Click, elevate and driblet elements like structures, landscape items and other necessary elements. Text, labels and symbols tin be added too. 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 be somewhat misleading, since the plans are apparently are two-dimensional. All the same, using advanced engineering science, the drawings can have photorealistic depth like the 3D renders from 24H Plans.

  1. Create a Free account
  2. Wait for the RoomSketcher email to ostend your account
  3. Download the RoomSketcher App
  4. Starting time the App
  5. Cull 2nd or 3D Site Plans, and explore

The Free business relationship allows y'all to create five projects.

SmartDraw (Gratis)

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

SmarDraw offers integration with Microsoft Office and Thousand Suite, and drawings can be saved to Google Bulldoze, OneDrive, and Dropbox.

A disadvantage is that instead of being allowed 5 free projects, you're given a ten-twenty-four hours free trial menstruation. If you don't complete your project during the trial, the toll is $nine.95 per calendar month.

  1. Fix your free business relationship
  2. Download the software and/or work online
  3. Generate your drawing
  4. Print the drawing or export it to another supported format to Visio VSD or VSDX, Google Drive, OneDrive, etc.

Microsoft Visio

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

Withal, many individuals and companies already have access to Visio, and you can make site plans with Visio. See the lengthy step-by-pace process here.

To summarize:

  1. Choose File > New and search Site Programme. 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 drawing.
  3. Enter roads, landscape, symbols, text and other features.

Autodesk AutoCAD

A i-twelvemonth subscription to AutoCAD is virtually $1,700. But again, many companies and professionals already have AutoCAD, and a site plan feature is included.

The cosmos of a site plan with AutoCAD is a little more than 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 Program

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

An address is all it takes: Yous have to supply nothing more the address of the property – or if it is vacant state, information technology's survey coordinates. Companies similar 24H Plans take if from at that place 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 item, clarity and quality.

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

Your Next Pace to an Affordable Site Plan

Now that yous know how to describe a site plan and sympathise your options, which works best for you?

If y'all're a natural DIYer, and so trying one of the free options makes sense – SmartDraw or RoomSketcher. If you lot have access to Visio, come across the page on how to depict a site plan on Visio, and give it a try. AutoCAD is a more complex tool that takes some feel to successfully work with. Nonetheless, it is a highly accurate and robust tool. It'south what the pros at 24H Plans use, but they've mastered AutoCAD and know how to become fantastic results.

While surveyors charge upwards of $1,000 for a professional site plan, the drawings kickoff 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 requite them your accost. You'll have a professional site plan of premium accuracy and quality in less than i business day.

Note: Here's how we tin can help:24hplans has squad of highly-trained, professional architects and drafters who can set whatever kind of site plan in the shortest amount of fourth dimension possible, then that y'all can hands obtain that edifice permit and go on with your project. Utilise the promotion code:24hplans-20off to become atwenty% discount off whatever package. — Please notation this is a express time offer, sectional to the readers of our blog. This offer is not beingness advertised anywhere else.