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YOUR HOUSE MUST FIT WITHIN YOUR SETBACKS!

Use Existing?If you aren’t so good at coming up with ideas, you can find/mimic/copy/adapt an existing design. I will mark what you produce.

There are many websites that sell complete floor plans. Their website usually provides for free a simple plan and a picture of the finished house to sucker you into buying their plans.While the “free” plans don’t give ENOUGH information to build from, they are a great start for those of us who suck at coming up with plans out of our heads (I’m one of those types)

Use web sites or books, and pick a house design you like, that meets the constraints listed below.

Some websites you can use (there are MANY):

NOT CALCULATED IN SQUARE FOOTAGE:

- Garages
- Crawlspaces
- Basements
- Bay Windows
- Rooms under 7′ in height
- Unenclosed or Unheated patios and decks
- Rooms NOT accessible from INSIDE the house

FUN FACT: Typical Construction Costs: about $250/sqft

FUN FACT: Typical Architectural Fees: about $35/sqft

Learn about Architectural Fees

Create Your Own?If you would prefer to design your own house from scratch, Click Here for Rules-of-Thumb for appropriate room sizes

- Try to use space efficiently.
- Closets should NOT “stick out” into a room.
- Think about how to get the furniture ~into~ each room. Spiral staircases and king-size beds aren’t realistic.
- Long hallways make a house seem rather medieval – try more open spaces, like a somewhat central common area.
- Kitchens need a “Triangle of cooking fun:” when you cook, you need to easily move between the fridge, stove, and sink.
- A window at the sink makes doing dishes SO much nicer.
- Large closets with large bi-fold doors are very nice.

There are some level-specific constraints

House Size	Level 1: 1300 square feet maximum Level 2: 2700 square feet maximum Level 3: Unlimited
Number of Floors	Level 1: 1 Only Level 2: 2 Only Level 3: Your Choice
Number of Bathrooms	Level 1: 1 Only Level 2: 3 Maximum Level 3: Your Choice
Number of Bedrooms	Level 1: 1 Only Level 2: 3 Maximum Level 3: Your Choice
Roof Type	Level 1: Gable Level 2: Hip Level 3: Combination of Hip and Gable
Required For All	Kitchen: Counter, sink, stove, fridge, cupboard Eating Area: May be combined with kitchen 1 Bedroom: show bed, closet Bathroom: Counter, sink, bathtub, toilet, cupboard Living Area Fireplace: With hearth Sun Deck: Show posts, railing, wood deck, with Sliding Glass or French doors for access 2 Entrances: Minimum Doors: Choose the type – swing, louver, sliding, pocket, etc. Windows: At least one per room (a closet isn’t a room, Mr. H. Potter) Laundry Room: Washer, Drier, Hot Water Tank, Furnace Closets: one per bedroom, one near entrance, one near bathroom Electrical: Wall sockets, Lights Switches, Lights

L2 & L3 ONLY:

- Ground level is called “Site” in your Project Browser. This is where you will put “topography” (Massing and Site tab in the Ribbon Menu).
- You must have 8″x24″ Footings minimum 24″ below ground (T/FTG in Tutorial, set at -24″)
- You must have 8″ thick Foundation Walls that protrude 6″ above ground (T/FDN in Tutorial, set at +6″

COPY the offset “SETBACK” lines from your PROPERTY to an open space, and use that to rough out your house floor plan YOU ARE NOT DRAWING YOUR ENTIRE HOUSE ON YOUR “PROPERTY!!”

Have your instructor CHECK your chosen floor plan NOW

Next: DRAW THE FLOOR PLAN