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

There are a scattering of DIY site plan options, and i of them is certain to be a good fit for you. If not, we've got alternative suggestions for letting an experienced drafter practise the work for you.

This guide does four things:

  1. We propose where you might find an existing site plan for your property.
  2. The post explains what information is needed on a site plan and where yous can detect 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 you where to find a professional site plan at an affordable toll.

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

Does a Site Programme Already Exist?

There'south no reason to reinvent the wheel, and then to speak, if a site plan was made for the property during an before phase – perhaps the initial building of the domicile.

In our guide chosen Where Tin can I Get a Site Plan of My Property, we list the 5 nigh common places to locate one, if information technology already exists. https://world wide web.24hplans.com/where-tin-i-get-site-plan-for-my-property/

Here are the places you may want to check to meet if the site plan for the belongings in question already exists:

  • In the endmost documents provided when y'all purchased the holding.
  • From the title company or bank that handled the closing or provided a loan.
  • Your canton: Try the Registrar of Deeds and the Building Department.
  • The builder: If the home was recently built and the construction company is notwithstanding around, information technology might have a site program on file.
  • The seller or realtor involved in the sale.

A Site Program Checklist

What is included in a site plan? Here'due south an overview.  For instance, the City of Fairbanks, Alaska is representative of near cities in what the officials in that location require of a site plan/plot plan.

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

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

  1. Scale at which site programme is drawn (for example ane"= 20'). The calibration tin be adapted per the size of the lot and local requirements.
  2. North arrow. A north arrow shows the directional orientation of the holding.
  3. All belongings lines and their dimensions. These items can exist found on earlier site plans, a survey and other places discussed below. They are readily bachelor, then no worries are necessary.
  4. Location, type and dimensions of existing structures or a driveway including a business firm and garage, discrete garage, shed, inground pool, retaining wall or other permanent structure.
  5. Location, type and dimensions for proposed permanent structures, whether attached to the original habitation or discrete, 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 show how much infinite is available for new development.
  8. Names of side by side road(southward).
  9. Well or water main location.
  10. Septic tank and field or sewer line location.

Items not included in the Fairbanks list simply required past some cities and counties include topography (topo – not often required) elevation and slope, wetland areas (rare), large trees and utility easements.

Where to Detect Data Required for a Site Programme

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

  • Property Survey
  • Holding Tax Assessor's Map located where your taxes are collected or in the city/county offices
  • Tax Bill (In written form rather than drawn)
  • Subdivision Plat (available at the city/county office or from the programmer)
  • Hiring a Surveyor (starting at about $300 and usually not necessary)

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

Utilities: Gratis locating and marking of cloak-and-dagger utilities including electrical, fresh water, sewer, phone and cablevision is available in almost areas. This prevents costly impairment 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, y'all might need to measure and decide setbacks and edifice dimensions, when required.

DIY Site Plan Options

Drawing your own site plan 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 Hand

Graph newspaper makes manus drawing a site program like shooting fish in a barrel. The Fairbanks, AK document gives this encouraging word, "A site program demand not be professionally prepared and can be mitt fatigued. With a little piece of work, you tin describe an acceptable site plan for your projection."

Beware that not all local offices will accept a paw fatigued program, but information technology's worth finding out, if you're inclined to DIY.

The Metropolis of New Smyrna Beach, Florida lists 4 easy steps to drawing a site programme. To summarize:

  1. The basics. Cull a scale for the graph newspaper such every bit 1 square equals xx or 25 feet, and note the calibration in a prominent place on the cartoon. The squares are unremarkably a quarter inch, so your scale might exist ¼"=20'.

So draw the lot lines and place the house, driveway, sidewalk and other permanent structures every bit accurately every bit you tin. Measure and write in feet the closest altitude from the firm to the nearest lot line to show 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. Note: The altitude between the wellhead and bleed field must be 75 feet or more in about counties.
  2. Sensitive areas and trees. Locate and marker wetlands, sinkholes, flood plans and bodies of h2o, if whatever of these be on the belongings. In New Smyrna Embankment, like in many cities, large trees (six" in diameter or larger in NSB) must exist noted. Measure the circumference at 54" off the ground and divide by pi, or iii.14, to get diameter.
  3. Changes. Bear witness where construction action will occur – new home building, an addition, inground pool, driveway, etc.

If there is significant gradient to your land and y'all have nearby neighbors, yous might also need to testify slope and the pattern of water runoff. This might exist the largest challenge to DIY site program drawing.

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

Using Software to Create a Site Plan

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

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

RoomSketcher Site Plans (Free)

This site allows you to create 2D and 3D printable site plans on a PC, Mac or tablet. It starts with inputting measurements for property line dimensions to create the "framework" for the drawing. Measurements tin too be supplied to space objects on the DIY site plan and to show setbacks, zone/structure sizes and total area 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 impress it from the RoomSketcher software.

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

  1. Create a Free account
  2. Wait for the RoomSketcher electronic mail to confirm your account
  3. Download the RoomSketcher App
  4. Get-go the App
  5. Choose 2D or 3D Site Plans, and explore

The Costless account allows you to create five projects.

SmartDraw (Free)

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

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

A disadvantage is that instead of being allowed 5 free projects, you lot're given a ten-day free trial period. If you don't consummate your project during the trial, the cost is $9.95 per month.

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

Microsoft Visio

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

Even so, many individuals and companies already have access to Visio, and you can make site plans with Visio. See the lengthy stride-past-stride process here.

To summarize:

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

Autodesk AutoCAD

A i-year subscription to AutoCAD is almost $ane,700. But over again, many companies and professionals already have AutoCAD, and a site plan feature is included.

The cosmos of a site program with AutoCAD is a little more than complex than with the other options listed in a higher place. This 9-infinitesimal tutorial on YouTube walks you lot through the process.

Getting an Affordable Professionally Drawn Site Plan

If none of the options in a higher place come across your needs, then having a plan drawn professionally is easier and more than affordable than y'all might retrieve.

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

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

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

Your Adjacent Pace to an Affordable Site Plan

Now that you lot know how to describe a site programme and understand your options, which works best for you lot?

If you're a natural DIYer, and then trying one of the complimentary options makes sense – SmartDraw or RoomSketcher. If y'all take access to Visio, see the page on how to draw a site plan on Visio, and requite it a try. AutoCAD is a more complex tool that takes some experience to successfully work with. Withal, it is a highly authentic and robust tool. Information technology's what the pros at 24H Plans use, but they've mastered AutoCAD and know how to get fantastic results.

While surveyors accuse upwards of $ane,000 for a professional site programme, the drawings showtime 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. Yous'll have a professional site plan of premium accuracy and quality in less than ane business twenty-four hours.

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