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

At that place are a handful of DIY site programme options, and i of them is sure to be a good fit for you. If not, we've got alternative suggestions for letting an experienced drafter do the work for y'all.

This guide does iv things:

  1. We suggest where you might notice an existing site plan for your property.
  2. The post explains what information is needed on a site plan and where you lot tin can find it.
  3. Information technology discusses the most common DIY plot plan drawing options.
  4. If y'all make up one's mind a DIY site program isn't for you, we'll tell yous where to find a professional site plan at an affordable cost.

What we don't answer, here are the basics, such equally what is a site program is and why you need 1, explained hither: https://www.24hplans.com/what-is-a-site-plan-plus-12-elements-of-plot-plan/

Does a Site Plan Already Be?

There's no reason to reinvent the cycle, then to speak, if a site plan was made for the holding during an earlier phase – perhaps the initial building of the home.

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

Here are the places y'all may desire to check to see if the site plan for the holding in question already exists:

  • In the closing documents provided when yous purchased the holding.
  • From the title visitor or bank that handled the closing or provided a loan.
  • Your canton: Attempt the Registrar of Deeds and the Edifice Department.
  • The architect: If the home was recently congenital and the construction company is however 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 program? Here'south an overview.  For case, the Urban center of Fairbanks, Alaska is representative of virtually cities in what the officials at that place require of a site plan/plot plan.

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

Following the list are a few items that other cities and counties desire to come across on a site programme.

  1. Scale at which site plan is drawn (for instance 1"= 20'). The scale can be adjusted per the size of the lot and local requirements.
  2. North arrow. A northward arrow shows the directional orientation of the property.
  3. All property lines and their dimensions. These items tin be institute on before site plans, a survey and other places discussed beneath. They are readily available, and then no worries are necessary.
  4. Location, blazon and dimensions of existing structures or a driveway including a business firm and garage, detached garage, shed, inground puddle, 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 testify how much infinite is available for new development.
  8. Names of adjacent route(due 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 ofttimes required) elevation and slope, wetland areas (rare), large trees and utility easements.

Where to Find Data Required for a Site Plan

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

  • Property Survey
  • Belongings Taxation Assessor's Map located where your taxes are collected or in the city/canton offices
  • Tax Bill (In written form rather than fatigued)
  • Subdivision Plat (available at the city/canton part or from the developer)
  • Hiring a Surveyor (starting at about $300 and ordinarily non necessary)

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

Utilities: Free locating and marking of clandestine utilities including electrical, fresh h2o, sewer, phone and cable is available in most areas. This prevents costly impairment during construction. Calling 811 should connect you to the gratuitous service.

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

DIY Site Program Options

Drawing your own site programme 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 Depict a Site Plan by Paw

Graph paper makes hand cartoon a site plan like shooting fish in a barrel. The Fairbanks, AK document gives this encouraging word, "A site plan need not be professionally prepared and can be hand fatigued. With a little piece of work, yous can depict an acceptable site programme for your project."

Beware that not all local offices volition accept a hand drawn plan, merely it'southward worth finding out, if you're inclined to DIY.

The City of New Smyrna Beach, Florida lists 4 like shooting fish in a barrel steps to drawing a site plan. To summarize:

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

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

  1. Well and septic. Locate and draw in, if applicable, a well location and the location of a septic tank and bleed field, aka leach field, existing or proposed. Annotation: The distance between the wellhead and drain field must be 75 feet or more in almost counties.
  2. Sensitive areas and copse. Locate and mark wetlands, sinkholes, inundation plans and bodies of water, if whatsoever of these exist on the belongings. In New Smyrna Beach, similar in many cities, large copse (vi" in diameter or larger in NSB) must exist noted. Measure the circumference at 54" off the ground and dissever by pi, or 3.14, to get diameter.
  3. Changes. Prove where construction activeness will occur – new dwelling building, an addition, inground puddle, driveway, etc.

If at that place is significant slope to your land and yous take nearby neighbors, you might also need to prove gradient and the pattern of water runoff. This might be the largest claiming to DIY site programme drawing.

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

Using Software to Create a Site Plan

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

A search volition produce a list of results to explore, only a few we found most 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 belongings line dimensions to create the "framework" for the cartoon. Measurements tin can besides be supplied to space objects on the DIY site plan and to bear witness setbacks, zone/structure sizes and total area calculations.

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

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

  1. Create a Costless account
  2. Wait for the RoomSketcher email to ostend your account
  3. Download the RoomSketcher App
  4. First the App
  5. Choose second 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 lot take the pick of using the online edition of SmartDraw, an advantage over RoomSketcher, or downloading an app or desktop edition.

SmarDraw offers integration with Microsoft Office and M Suite, and drawings tin be saved to Google Drive, OneDrive, and Dropbox.

A disadvantage is that instead of being allowed five free projects, you lot're given a x-twenty-four hour period costless trial menses. If you lot don't complete your projection during the trial, the cost is $9.95 per month.

  1. Prepare your free account
  2. Download the software and/or work online
  3. Generate your drawing
  4. Print the drawing or consign it to another supported format to Visio VSD or VSDX, Google Bulldoze, OneDrive, etc.

Microsoft Visio

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

However, many individuals and companies already have admission to Visio, and y'all can brand site plans with Visio. Meet the lengthy stride-by-step process hither.

To summarize:

  1. Choose File > New and search Site Plan. Detect Site Programme in the results, and choose Create.
  2. Utilize Tools to describe 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 1-yr subscription to AutoCAD is about $i,700. Merely again, many companies and professionals already have AutoCAD, and a site plan feature is included.

The creation of a site plan with AutoCAD is a petty more complex than with the other options listed higher up. This 9-minute tutorial on YouTube walks you through the process.

Getting an Affordable Professionally Drawn Site Plan

If none of the options above come across your needs, and so having a program drawn professionally is easier and more than affordable than you might recollect.

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

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

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

Your Next Step to an Affordable Site Plan

At present that you know how to draw a site programme and understand your options, which works best for you?

If you're a natural DIYer, then trying one of the free options makes sense – SmartDraw or RoomSketcher. If you have access to Visio, encounter the page on how to draw a site plan on Visio, and give it a attempt. AutoCAD is a more complex tool that takes some experience to successfully piece of work with. However, it is a highly accurate and robust tool. It's what the pros at 24H Plans employ, but they've mastered AutoCAD and know how to get fantastic results.

While surveyors charge upward 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 civil engineers produce. Contact 24H Plans today, and give them your address. Yous'll take a professional site plan of premium accurateness and quality in less than 1 business 24-hour interval.

Note: Here's how we tin help: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 you can easily obtain that building permit and get on with your projection. Use the promotion code:24hplans-20off to become a20% discount off any package. — Delight note this is a limited time offer, exclusive to the readers of our weblog. This offer is non being advertised anywhere else.