House design guides
House design guides
from the room list to the floor plan.
Plain-language guides for planning a home before you talk to an architect or builder: size the house, lay out the rooms, then read the drawings with confidence.
About these guides
Learn the steps, then try them on your own plan
Each guide answers one question people ask when they plan a house, using the same room sizes and drawing conventions Floorra uses. Where a rule comes from a building code, the guide says which one, and that local rules can differ.
The guides work on their own, but they follow the order you will meet the questions in: decide how much house you need, arrange the rooms, then read and check the plan.
All guides
Guides to planning a house
Six guides, in the order most people need them.
Standard room sizes
Typical size and minimum width for every room in a house.
Open 2 · SizeHow big a house do I need?
Add up the rooms you will use and compare worked sizes for 1 to 4 bedrooms.
Open 3 · LayoutHow to design a house layout
Eight steps: rooms, size, plot and sun, zoning, hallways, light and a 3D check.
Open 4 · DrawingHow to draw a floor plan
Measure, choose a scale, draw walls and openings, then dimension and label.
Open 5 · ReadingHow to read a floor plan
North arrow, scale, dimensions, walls, doors and windows, in seven steps.
Open 6 · SymbolsFloor plan symbols
What the lines, arcs and abbreviations on a plan mean.
OpenWhere to start
Which guide answers your question
Find your question, then open the guide.
| Guide | Read it when you are asking | You come away with |
|---|---|---|
| Standard room sizes | How big should this room be? | A target size and minimum width for each room |
| How big a house do I need? | How many square feet should we build? | A size range for your own room list |
| How to design a house layout | Where should each room go? | A zoned layout with hallways and light planned |
| How to draw a floor plan | How do I put this on paper, to scale? | A dimensioned, labelled plan of your own |
| How to read a floor plan | What does this drawing actually show? | A way to walk through any plan, step by step |
| Floor plan symbols | What does this symbol or abbreviation mean? | A glossary to keep open beside the plan |
Free to start
Plan your own house.
Use the guides on a real plan: free to start, in your browser.