How to Create Blueprints for Future Homes

Many people hire architects to design their future dream homes for them. But for some, the details of a future home are best left to the ones who will know it best, the owners who will be living there. They want to design their own home and create their own hand-drawn blueprints. The creativity and attention necessary for the blueprint process are as rewarding as moving into the home itself on the day it is done.

24 by 36 inch paper
Pencil
Straight edge ruler
Eraser

Instructions

- 1
  Lay a 24" by 36" sheet of paper on your work surface with the 36" edge running horizontally.
- 2
  Write the name of the house, the elevation, the scale of the drawing, your name and the date in the lower right hand corner.
- 3
  Draw the outline of the foundation of the home. Orient yourself with the front door at the bottom edge of the paper.
- 4
  Use a pencil and a straight edge ruler to draw the exterior walls of your home. Do not worry about doors and windows at this point. Draw the exterior walls with two lines (inside and outside sides of the wall) to show the thickness of the walls.
- 5
  Draw the lines for interior walls. Again, draw both sides of a wall to show a thickness.
- 6
  Draw the walls supporting any stairwells and draw in any staircases.
- 7
  Draw doors and windows into the thickness of the walls.
- 8
  Label the rooms, such as "Living Room," "Bedroom" or "Kitchen."
- 9
  Draw in closets.
- 10
  Notate dimensions of rooms using the scale you set.

How Are Lines & Angles Used in the Real World?

Typical Layout for a Log Cabin

Architecture