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Part 3 — The Floor Plan | Sheet by Sheet

  It's the most recognizable sheet in any set. It's also the most misread. A floor plan isn't just a room layout. For a builder, it's a coordination document — dimensions, structure, openings, and clearances all on one sheet. Miss what it's actually telling you and problems show up in framing. What it shows: Room dimensions and overall building dimensions Wall locations — exterior, interior, and load-bearing Door locations, sizes, and swing directions Window locations and sizes Stair layout and direction Bathroom fixture locations Structural columns and beams Notes referencing sections and details What builders actually read: Dimensions first. Overall building dimensions, then room dimensions, then critical clearances. Any dimension that doesn't add up is a problem waiting to happen on site. Load-bearing walls. Not always labeled but identifiable by their position relative to structure above and below. A contractor who...
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Part 1 — The Site Plan: Before the First Brick | Sheet by Sheet

Every house starts with a site plan. Not a foundation. Not a floor plan. The site plan.
Before anything gets built, someone has to answer one question: where exactly does this house sit on this lot? Get that wrong and everything built on top of it is wrong too.

What It Actually Shows
A bird's-eye view of the entire lot — not just the house:
Lot lines, setbacks, and the house footprint within them
Driveway location and garage entry
Utilities — water, sewer, gas, electric
Grading and drainage direction
Impervious surface area
One sheet. Every decision about how the house sits on the land.

Where Builders Get Burned
Setbacks. Corner lots, cul-de-sac lots, lots near open space — each can have different requirements. Copy-pasting the standard setback across every lot is a fast way to a permit rejection.

Driveways on slopes. A garage that works on flat ground can become a grading nightmare on a sloped lot. Site plan and grading plan should always be reviewed together.

Utility conflicts. A sewer line running right through the foundation zone. Caught late, it's expensive. Caught on the site plan, it's a quick fix.

What Good Looks Like
Clean. Dimensioned. No guesswork for the contractor. Finished floor elevation referenced, drainage direction shown, every setback called out.
If someone can pick it up and start work without a phone call — that's a good site plan.

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Part 2 — The Foundation Plan: Getting It Right From the Ground Up.
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