Counting Down Our Top 5 Tips For Understanding Floor Plans

There are some folks who always read the instruction manual, whether they’re assembling a TV stand or 12-person tent. Knowing all the parts and pieces — and how they work together — can greatly elevate your understanding and enjoyment of just about anything.

This is absolutely true when buying a new-construction home. And it begins with getting to know the floor plans you’re considering. Walking through a Model Home or taking a virtual tour are hugely helpful in assessing whether a StyleCraft home is right for you. But studying floor plans — whether they’re in PDF form or our Interactive Floor Plans — is something you can do anytime, anywhere to glean helpful info about your future home.

Not all of us naturally dig into the details before a big purchase. Some of us wing it or rely on our intuition. That’s why we’ve put together our top 5 tips for reading floor plans.

Before we count down our floor plan tips, let’s answer this question. Simply stated, floor plans are depictions of a home’s layout and fundamental elements created by our architectural team. They’re designed to help orient homebuyers around a home, providing an overhead view showcasing key areas and available options. Floor plans are closely related to blueprints, a more detailed visualization of your home created as we get closer to purchase.

1. READ YOUR FLOOR PLAN FROM THE BOTTOM UP

Floor plans aren’t meant to be skimmed and scanned — especially the first time you lay eyes on one. Floor plans tell a story, taking homebuyers on a journey that begins at the bottom, or the entrance, and extends upward through hallways and rooms. Taking this path will help you best understand how your lifestyle and everyday routine match up with a particular floor plan

2. NOTICE THE FLOOR PLAN SYMBOLS

Before you start perusing a floor plan, take a moment to understand the small signs and symbols you see here and there. Remember, you’re not just looking for the presence of a symbol representing a feature when eyeing the floor plan. The location is important, too.

Here’s a helpful key to get you going:

• Dashed Windows: These are optional windows.
• Doors: Doors can be drawn differently based on the style. For example, a standard single door will appear as a door opening.
• Stairs: If your floor plan features a second floor or basement, stairs will include an arrow indicating the primary direction they lead.

3. INTERACTIVE FLOOR PLANS HAVE OPTIONS

Step up to our Interactive Floor Plan Tool and you’ll be able to add structural options to your future home. Thinking about a Dual Owner’s Suite or Outdoor Living Space? Want to eyeball how an interior townhome differs from an end-unit townhome? Just select the “Options” dropdown on the Interactive Floor Plans and have a look. (Feel free to scour over floor plan PDFs, too, but they’re not customizable like the Interactive version.)

4. CHECK YOUR FLOOR PLAN DIMENSIONS

Will your antique hutch fit alongside your new coffee table in the living room? Will you be able to squeeze your California King bed into the Flex Room? Good questions. And with our Interactive Floor Plan Tool, you won’t need to guess. For starters, you’ll be able to easily see if the dimensions measure up. If you want, you can do the math using a scale to convert inches on the floor plan to feet in the real world (e.g., with ¼ inch equaling 1 foot). But there’s a much easier way: using the Measure tool to drag your cursor over the space that you want to measure to reveal the true dimensions. Then simply select the Furniture tool to play musical chairs with couches, ottomans, end tables, and more to see if it fits your design vision.

5. KEEP YOUR FLOOR PLAN CLOSE BY

When you’re ready to tour a StyleCraft Model Home or even perform a virtual walk-through, be sure to keep the floor plan close by. That way, when you’re sizing up a room or hallway, you can get the precise details you need to make well-informed decisions. Will the TV be too high if you hang it above the fireplace — or just right? Will you be able to consolidate the guest bedroom and craft studio into one space without feeling the squeeze?

As you're shuffling through floor plans and soaking in all the details, don’t forget to use your mind’s eye to overlay them onto your lifestyle and routine. Floor plans should support what you’re doing today and aspire toward tomorrow. And by following these tips, you’re already halfway home.