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

In that location are a handful of DIY site plan options, and one of them is certain to be a practiced fit for you. If not, we've got culling suggestions for letting an experienced drafter do the work for you.

This guide does four things:

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

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

Does a Site Plan Already Exist?

In that location's no reason to reinvent the wheel, and so to speak, if a site plan was fabricated for the property during an earlier stage – perchance the initial building of the home.

In our guide chosen Where Tin can I Get a Site Plan of My Property, nosotros list the five virtually mutual places to locate i, if information technology already exists. https://www.24hplans.com/where-tin-i-get-site-program-for-my-property/

Hither are the places y'all may want to check to come across if the site plan for the belongings in question already exists:

  • In the closing documents provided when you purchased the holding.
  • From the title visitor 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 home was recently built and the construction company is yet around, it might have a site plan on file.
  • The seller or realtor involved in the sale.

A Site Programme Checklist

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

Contact your local city or county role for a site plan checklist. We'll add a brief caption where needed.

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

  1. Scale at which site program is drawn (for example 1"= 20'). The scale tin can exist adjusted per the size of the lot and local requirements.
  2. North pointer. A north pointer shows the directional orientation of the holding.
  3. All holding lines and their dimensions. These items can exist found on before site plans, a survey and other places discussed below. They are readily bachelor, and then no worries are necessary.
  4. Location, type 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 attached to the original home or discrete, or driveways.
  6. Setback distances (altitude off the property line) of all proposed structures, since each community has required setback distances.
  7. Buildable area of the lot inside required setbacks to bear witness how much space is available for new development.
  8. Names of next route(southward).
  9. Well or water primary location.
  10. Septic tank and field or sewer line location.

Items not included in the Fairbanks list only required by some cities and counties include topography (topo – non often required) summit and gradient, wetland areas (rare), big trees and utility easements.

Where to Find 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
  • Belongings Revenue enhancement Assessor's 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/canton role or from the developer)
  • Hiring a Surveyor (starting at about $300 and normally non necessary)

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

Utilities: Free locating and marking of underground utilities including electrical, fresh h2o, sewer, telephone and cablevision is bachelor in most areas. This prevents costly harm during construction. Calling 811 should connect you lot to the free service.

Setbacks: If you don't have a previous plan and they are not shown on the survey, you lot might need to measure and make up one's mind setbacks and edifice dimensions, when required.

DIY Site Plan Options

Cartoon your ain site programme ranges from literal hand-cartoon to using sophisticated software. Of the latter, in that location are gratuitous and paid options, online and downloadable versions for many.

How to Draw a Site Programme by Hand

Graph newspaper makes hand cartoon a site plan piece of cake. The Fairbanks, AK document gives this encouraging word, "A site plan need non exist professionally prepared and can exist hand drawn. With a little work, you lot can depict an acceptable site plan for your project."

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

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

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

And so draw the lot lines and place the house, driveway, sidewalk and other permanent structures every bit accurately equally you tin can. Measure and write in feet the closest distance from the house to the nearest lot line to testify the structure (existing or proposed) meets local setbacks rules. Draw your Northward arrow.

  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. Notation: The altitude between the wellhead and drain field must exist 75 anxiety or more than in about counties.
  2. Sensitive areas and trees. Locate and mark wetlands, sinkholes, flood plans and bodies of h2o, if whatsoever of these exist on the property. In New Smyrna Beach, like in many cities, big trees (6" in diameter or larger in NSB) must be noted. Measure the circumference at 54" off the ground and carve up past pi, or 3.14, to get diameter.
  3. Changes. Testify where structure activity will occur – new dwelling edifice, an improver, inground pool, driveway, etc.

If there is pregnant slope to your land and you take nearby neighbors, y'all might also demand to evidence gradient and the design of water runoff. This might be the largest challenge to DIY site plan drawing.

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

Using Software to Create a Site Plan

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

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

RoomSketcher Site Plans (Costless)

This site allows you to create 2D and 3D printable site plans on a PC, Mac or tablet. Information technology starts with inputting measurements for property line dimensions to create the "framework" for the drawing. Measurements tin also exist supplied to space objects on the DIY site programme and to show setbacks, zone/structure sizes and total expanse calculations.

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

The 3D proper noun, whether with the RoomSketcher or other services, can sometimes be somewhat misleading, since the plans are obviously are ii-dimensional. However, using advanced technology, 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 confirm your account
  3. Download the RoomSketcher App
  4. Get-go the App
  5. Choose 2D or 3D Site Plans, and explore

The Free account allows you lot to create v projects.

SmartDraw (Free)

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

SmarDraw offers integration with Microsoft Function and G Suite, and drawings can be saved to Google Drive, OneDrive, and Dropbox.

A disadvantage is that instead of existence allowed v costless projects, you're given a ten-day free trial menstruation. If yous don't consummate your project during the trial, the cost is $nine.95 per month.

  1. Set your free account
  2. Download the software and/or work online
  3. Generate your cartoon
  4. Print the drawing or export it to some other supported format to Visio VSD or VSDX, Google Drive, OneDrive, etc.

Microsoft Visio

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

However, many individuals and companies already accept 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 Plan. Find Site Program in the results, and choose Create.
  2. Use Tools to depict structures or insert a CAD cartoon or copy and paste an existing Visio drawing.
  3. Enter roads, mural, symbols, text and other features.

Autodesk AutoCAD

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

The creation of a site plan with AutoCAD is a picayune more complex than with the other options listed in a higher place. 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 affordable than yous might remember.

An address is all it takes: You have to supply nothing more than the address of the belongings – or if it is vacant state, it'due south survey coordinates. Companies like 24H Plans accept if from at that place using the nearly advanced 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 Find the Information for You: Where does 24H Plans get the information needed? From county parcel maps, tax data, GIS and updated satellite images, along with other public records. There is no demand for visiting your site.

Your Next Step to an Affordable Site Plan

Now that yous 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 lot take access to Visio, see the page on how to draw a site plan on Visio, and give it a try. AutoCAD is a more than complex tool that takes some experience to successfully work with. However, it is a highly authentic and robust tool. It's what the pros at 24H Plans utilize, simply they've mastered AutoCAD and know how to get fantastic results.

While surveyors charge up of $one,000 for a professional person site plan, 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 give them your accost. You'll have a professional site programme of premium accurateness and quality in less than one business organisation day.

Notation: Here's how we tin assistance:24hplans has team of highly-trained, professional person architects and drafters who tin prepare any kind of site plan in the shortest amount of fourth dimension possible, so that y'all can easily obtain that building allow and get on with your projection. Apply the promotion code:24hplans-20off to become a20% discount off any package. — Please note this is a express fourth dimension offer, sectional to the readers of our blog. This offer is non being advertised anywhere else.