What’s In Our Plans

Your Home | Your Design | Your Way

Exterior Elevations

Elevations show the exterior view of each side of the building.

  • Finished grade levels and overall building height
  • Exterior wall finishes and materials
  • Roof overhang dimensions
  • Roof shape, slope and finish
  • Height of any chimney flue, location of roof and gas fireplace vents
  • Window/door locations and opening sizes
  • Any decks, porches, balconies and railings required
  • Walkout ( stepped foundation ) details

Foundations & Basement Plans

  • Layout of basement, noting use and size of finished rooms and spaces, as well as “future-use”
  • Size and thickness of concrete or masonry foundation wall and footings; column pad and bearing wall footings; soil bearing capacity
  • Size and spacing of studs in bearing walls
  • Thickness of concrete floor and the granular material beneath it
  • Size, spacing, and grade of all structural members (including but not limited to columns, steel/wood beams, and floor joists)
  • Width, location and lintel size of all openings
  • Location of smoke alarms, fireplaces
  • HVAC and plumbing provisions
  • Stair Details
  • Cold room details
  • Cisterns if needed

Floor Plans

  • Layout and labelled uses of all rooms and spaces on each floor
  • Kitchen layout , bathroom fixtures
  • Interior and exterior dimensions
  • Width, location and lintel size of all openings
  • Size, type and location of walls and partitions
  • Size, spacing, and grade of structural members (columns, steel/wood beams, and floor joists)
  • Size, spacing and grade of roof rafters or joists, or, if using trusses, the manufacturer’s engineered drawings (request these from your truss supplier).
  • Different Ceiling types (cathedral, tray, vaulted etc.)
  • Location of smoke alarms, fireplaces
  • HVAC and plumbing provisions
  • Stair Details
  • Cross section symbols
  • Details for Gas-proofing the garage

Cross Sections

Full Cut-Through and Typical – One of Each

A cross section presents a view of a house along an imaginary cut through one particular location of the building. Several cross sections may be required at various locations to illustrate hidden building components. These are shown by the cross section symbol on the floor plan. This following information should be shown on a cross section:

  • Size and type of footings and foundation walls
  • Floor, roof, exterior and interior construction, including vapour/air barriers, damp proofing, waterproofing, drainage layer, insulation R-values and size and type of materials and finishes
  • Room names and finished floor to ceiling heights
  • Finished floor level and grades
  • Roof, truss and floor arrangement

Additional Drawings

  • Construction Details (several are sometimes needed): Details that provide more clarification to certain complex aspects of the design, such as: brick ledges, special roof flashing situations, custom concrete foundation bucking, beam connections and supports, custom roof framing details etc.
  • Roof Plan: Birds-eye view of the roof, with all noted pitches, helpful for complex roof systems where clarification is need for the truss manufacturer
  • Perspective Drawings (3D): Elevations show in single-line 3D. Helpful for complex roof systems where clarification is need for the truss manufacturer