# **Understanding Floor Plan Symbols: A Guide for Construction Professionals**

Reading floor plans can feel overwhelming, especially for people new to the industry. Depending on the project, there can be several pages, all with different information and symbols.

As a note, floor plans and blueprints are not the same. While floor plans are included in the blueprint package, they represent just one part of the project. Blueprints contain all of the building's schematic information and communicate separate tasks for the general contractors and subcontractors.

To help make understanding floor plans easier, architects and designers have created symbols and iconography to help communicate information more easily. Floor plans and symbols also give a visual of how the finished project will look.

In this guide, we'll explain what floor plans are, the several types of floor plan symbols, important abbreviations, and why understanding these symbols is crucial for many contractors.

## **What is a Floor Plan?**

Floor plans are mockups and schematics that provide a visual of the architectural design. Essentially, they are the final product of how a room, home, or office will look. Within these mockups, designers and clients can experiment with several designs until they find the right one. Floor plans exist as concepts of the bigger project, but are useful for contractors to understand as some symbols depict the type of structure being built.

## **Common Floor Plan Symbols**

There are several types of floor plan symbols. Each type represents the location of structural elements like walls, doors, windows, stairs, appliances, and more. Within the design mock-ups, these are depicted by symbols to communicate effectively to contractors and the client without having to get into specifics.

### **Wall Symbols**

Indicated by parallel lines, walls are one of the most recognizable symbols on a floor plan. Typically, thicker lines represent exterior walls, and thinner lines are interior walls. The designs indicate the material from which the walls are made. Common materials include steel, wood, plywood, concrete, and brick.

### **Door Symbols**

Door symbols communicate where a door will go in a finished structure and how it will open. There are three ways a door can open; inward, outward, and sliding. Installing doors the right way is vital as it helps with interior design and flow. Door designs often look like breaks in either the interior or exterior walls. Sliding doors usually exist in the gap between doors and doors that swing open are shown through various angles.

### **Window Symbols**

Like door symbols, window symbols are identified by the way they open and their design. For example, the windows that swing have arcs or angles to indicate how they should open. Windows that extend outward from the home are called bay windows.

### **Stair Symbols**

Stair symbols indicate where they will go in the house, the design, and their shape. The arrows on the symbol indicate the direction the stairs should climb.

### **Furniture Symbols**

Floor plans may also include the ideal interior design of how each room is supposed to look. While some appliances and furniture are bound to move, some furniture is locked in place from the construction phase. This includes machines like dishwashers, fridges, and more.

## **Floor Plans by Room**

There are also room-specific symbols that contractors should be aware of when working in construction. Furniture and appliance symbols are often square by design and have abbreviations depicting what type of appliance they are.

### **Kitchen Floor Plan Symbols**

Kitchen symbols include appliances like the stove and oven, fridge, dishwasher, cabinets, sink, and countertops. These are vital to the kitchen's layout.

### **Bathroom and Plumbing Floor Plan Symbols**

Bathroom symbols include sinks, toilets, countertops, cabinets, and sometimes the washer and dryer, depending on your house. There are also different designs for types of toilets including urinals, water closets, and more for public buildings.

### **How to Read Floor Plan Symbols**

Reading floor plans involves understanding where appliances, water fixtures, lights, windows, and doors are indicated. Floor plans are scaled-down versions of the final product and serve as a reference tool and map for efficiency in construction work.