Even before a set of architectural drawings is created, it’s necessary to determine if a building will fit on a piece of real estate. This is where a site plan comes into play. No complete set of architectural plans is really complete without the site plan. A site plan, also known as a plot plan, is a drawing representing a piece of property where a building is going to be placed or remodeled.
What’s included in a Site Plan
Boundaries: The boundary is the measurement and angles of lines that defines a piece of real estate. These are measured by using coordinates of a line with their distance from one point to the other. For instance if a lines coordinates are N32d15’32″E ~ 325.0′, it means the line is started in a north easterly section that is angled thirty two degrees, fifteen minutes, thirty two seconds by a distance of three hundred twenty five feet. After all the boundary lines are complete, it should represent a closed area.
Building Footprint: This is the representation or drawing of the perimeter of the structure that is to be built on the property. This will include porches, and decks attached to the house.
Setbacks and Easements: Setbacks are the lines where local municipalities have ordered that a structure cannot cross and easements are where utilities like sewer or power lines cross the properties area.
Roadways: These are the roads that are touching the property. If no road is accessible from the land a right of way must exist so that the owner can have access to their property.
Driveways and Walkways: These show where vehicle access, parking and foot access are located in relation to the house.
Utility Locations: This is where access to services like water, power, sewer, or septic tanks are shown on the drawings.
Topography: A representation of the surface features of a piece of property, indicating their relative positions and heights of the ground.