To property owners and developers who ask, "how do I draw a site programme?," this guide answers with, "permit us count the means!"

There are a handful of DIY site plan options, and one of them is sure to exist a good fit for you lot. If not, we've got alternative suggestions for letting an experienced drafter do the work for you.

This guide does 4 things:

  1. Nosotros suggest where you might detect an existing site program for your property.
  2. The post explains what information is needed on a site plan and where you lot can observe it.
  3. It discusses the most mutual DIY plot plan drawing options.
  4. If you make up one's mind a DIY site plan isn't for you, nosotros'll tell you where to find a professional person site programme at an affordable cost.

What we don't respond, here are the basics, such as what is a site plan is and why y'all need one, explained hither: https://world wide web.24hplans.com/what-is-a-site-plan-plus-12-elements-of-plot-plan/

Does a Site Programme Already Be?

There's no reason to reinvent the cycle, so to speak, if a site plan was made for the property during an earlier stage – peradventure the initial building of the habitation.

In our guide called Where Can I Get a Site Plan of My Holding, we list the v well-nigh common places to locate ane, if it already exists. https://www.24hplans.com/where-tin can-i-get-site-plan-for-my-belongings/

Here are the places y'all may desire to bank check to see if the site plan 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 Edifice Department.
  • The builder: If the home was recently built and the construction company is still around, it might accept a site plan on file.
  • The seller or realtor involved in the sale.

A Site Plan Checklist

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

Contact your local city or county office for a site program checklist. We'll add a cursory explanation where needed.

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

  1. Scale at which site programme is drawn (for example one"= 20'). The scale can exist adjusted per the size of the lot and local requirements.
  2. North pointer. A n arrow shows the directional orientation of the property.
  3. All belongings lines and their dimensions. These items can be found on earlier site plans, a survey and other places discussed below. They are readily available, so no worries are necessary.
  4. Location, type and dimensions of existing structures or a driveway including a firm 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 detached, or driveways.
  6. Setback distances (altitude off the holding line) of all proposed structures, since each community has required setback distances.
  7. Buildable area of the lot within required setbacks to show how much infinite is bachelor for new development.
  8. Names of next road(s).
  9. Well or h2o main location.
  10. Septic tank and field or sewer line location.

Items not included in the Fairbanks listing but required by some cities and counties include topography (topo – non often required) elevation and slope, wetland areas (rare), large 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, tin be found on several documents:

  • Property Survey
  • Property Tax Assessor's Map located where your taxes are nerveless or in the urban center/county offices
  • Tax Neb (In written form rather than drawn)
  • Subdivision Plat (available at the city/county part or from the programmer)
  • Hiring a Surveyor (starting at well-nigh $300 and usually not necessary)

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

Utilities: Free locating and marking of undercover utilities including electrical, fresh water, sewer, phone and cable is bachelor in most areas. This prevents costly harm during construction. Calling 811 should connect you to the free service.

Setbacks: If you don't have a previous plan and they are not 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 programme ranges from literal hand-drawing to using sophisticated software. Of the latter, in that location are free and paid options, online and downloadable versions for many.

How to Draw a Site Programme by Manus

Graph newspaper makes manus drawing a site plan like shooting fish in a barrel. The Fairbanks, AK document gives this encouraging word, "A site plan demand non be professionally prepared and tin can be mitt fatigued. With a little piece of work, you tin draw an acceptable site programme for your project."

Beware that non all local offices will have a hand drawn plan, simply it's worth finding out, if you're inclined to DIY.

The City of New Smyrna Beach, Florida lists 4 piece of cake steps to drawing a site program. To summarize:

  1. The basics. Choose a scale for the graph paper such as i square equals xx or 25 anxiety, and note the scale in a prominent identify on the drawing. The squares are normally a quarter inch, and then your scale might be ¼"=xx'.

Then draw the lot lines and place the firm, driveway, sidewalk and other permanent structures as accurately as you can. Mensurate and write in feet the closest distance from the house to the nearest lot line to show the structure (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 bleed field, aka leach field, existing or proposed. Annotation: The altitude between the wellhead and drain field must be 75 anxiety or more in most counties.
  2. Sensitive areas and trees. Locate and mark wetlands, sinkholes, overflowing plans and bodies of water, if any of these exist on the property. In New Smyrna Beach, similar in many cities, large trees (6" in bore or larger in NSB) must exist noted. Measure out the circumference at 54" off the ground and divide by pi, or 3.fourteen, to get diameter.
  3. Changes. Show where construction activity will occur – new abode building, an add-on, inground puddle, driveway, etc.

If there is meaning slope to your land and you take nearby neighbors, you might too need to show slope and the pattern of water runoff. This might be the largest challenge to DIY site program drawing.

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

Using Software to Create a Site Program

If you bask making use of technology and/or mitt drawn site plans aren't accepted where you live, gratis and fee software is bachelor for the purpose.

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

RoomSketcher Site Plans (Gratis)

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 can also be supplied to space objects on the DIY site plan and to show setbacks, zone/structure sizes and total area calculations.

Click, drag and drib elements like structures, mural items and other necessary elements. Text, labels and symbols can be added also. 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 exist somewhat misleading, since the plans are obviously are two-dimensional. However, using advanced applied science, the drawings can take photorealistic depth similar the 3D renders from 24H Plans.

  1. Create a Free account
  2. Wait for the RoomSketcher e-mail to confirm your account
  3. Download the RoomSketcher App
  4. Start the App
  5. Cull 2nd or 3D Site Plans, and explore

The Costless business relationship allows you to create five projects.

SmartDraw (Free)

SmartDraw site programme software gets a 5-star rating from CNET. You accept 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 Role and G Suite, and drawings can be saved to Google Bulldoze, OneDrive, and Dropbox.

A disadvantage is that instead of existence allowed five free projects, you lot're given a 10-day free trial period. If you don't complete your project during the trial, the cost is $9.95 per calendar month.

  1. Set up up your free business relationship
  2. Download the software and/or piece of work online
  3. Generate your drawing
  4. Impress 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 simply with an annual delivery, so $60 minimum.

However, many individuals and companies already have access to Visio, and y'all tin can brand site plans with Visio. Run into the lengthy stride-past-step process here.

To summarize:

  1. Choose File > New and search Site Program. Find Site Plan in the results, and cull Create.
  2. Use Tools to describe structures or insert a CAD drawing or copy and paste an existing Visio drawing.
  3. Enter roads, landscape, symbols, text and other features.

Autodesk AutoCAD

A 1-year subscription to AutoCAD is about $ane,700. But once more, many companies and professionals already have AutoCAD, and a site plan feature is included.

The cosmos of a site plan with AutoCAD is a petty more complex than with the other options listed to a higher place. This ix-minute tutorial on YouTube walks you through the procedure.

Getting an Affordable Professionally Fatigued Site Plan

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

An address is all it takes: Y'all have to supply zip more than than the accost of the belongings – or if information technology is vacant country, it's survey coordinates. Companies like 24H Plans take if from there using the nigh 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 Observe the Information for You lot: Where does 24H Plans get the data needed? From county packet maps, tax information, GIS and updated satellite images, along with other public records. In that location is no demand for visiting your site.

Your Adjacent Stride to an Affordable Site Plan

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

While surveyors accuse upwards of $one,000 for a professional site program, the drawings first 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 requite them your address. You lot'll have a professional site programme of premium accuracy and quality in less than one business mean solar day.

Notation: Here's how we can help:24hplans has team of highly-trained, professional architects and drafters who tin prepare whatever kind of site plan in the shortest amount of time possible, then that you can easily obtain that building allow and get on with your project. Use the promotion lawmaking:24hplans-20off to get a20% discount off any package. — Please note this is a limited time offer, exclusive to the readers of our web log. This offer is non existence advertised anywhere else.