Residential Construction Plan Reading

Want to learn how to read a set of residential construction plans, then stop right here and learn with me.

What you'll learn

• How to read architectural plans used for residential construction

• How to read structural plans used for residential construction

• How plans are laid out to convey and communicate information

• How to navigate from one plan to another

• To decipher symbols and abbreviations found on plans

• To explain why scales are used

• Tell the difference between the imperial and metric architect’s scales

• Use plan scales (both imperial and metric) to work out known dimensions

Requirements

• Give time to learning

• Patience

• Continue learning using other plans, as no plans are identical

Description

The purpose of construction plans (drawings) is to present clear, concise and easily read information to those individuals involved on a building project, whether that be a simple house, or a skyscraper.Construction plans (drawings) use a universal language to communicate ideas and information in a graphical format.By following standard conventions, the amount of space on a construction plan to communicate the ideas and information is reduced.The main focus of the course will be learning how to read a residential construction set of plans. We will look at how they are organised, what kind of plans need to be included, what is shown on plans, look at symbols & abbreviations, and finish off with an exercise.We will be using plans from an Architectural firm here in New Zealand, which will also be applicable to my US & UK audiences due to the layouts & formats being internationally the same.The course also covers the basics of scaling. As you can appreciate, construction projects are too large to be drawn to a 1:1 scale, thus, we need to use scales to reduce the size onto paper that is manageable for construction teams. We will take a look at both the imperial and metric architect’s scale due to countries using either, or, or even both unit systems, thus catering for all.Included within the course are resources and exercises to reinforce your learning as you progress.If you are new to the construction industry, or building your first home, and want to learn how to read plans, then this course is for you.So that said, enrol now and learn how to read residential construction plans.

Overview

Section 1: Introduction to Residential Construction Plan Reading

Lecture 1 Course Outline

Lecture 2 Getting Started

Section 2: Plan Reading

Lecture 3 Introduction to Plan Reading

Lecture 4 The Location Plan

Lecture 5 The Site Plan

Lecture 6 The Foundation Plan

Lecture 7 The Floor Plan

Lecture 8 The Roof Framing Plan & the Roof Plan

Lecture 9 The Elevations Plan

Lecture 10 The Section Plans

Lecture 11 The Detail Plans

Lecture 12 The Door & Window Schedule

Lecture 13 The Reflected Ceiling Plan

Lecture 14 The Services Plan

Lecture 15 The Electrical Plan

Lecture 16 Symbols & Abbreviations

Lecture 17 Structural Title Sheet

Lecture 18 Structural General Notes Sheets

Lecture 19 Structural Foundation Plan

Lecture 20 Structural Structural Plan

Lecture 21 Structural Bracing Plan

Lecture 22 Plan Reading Summary

Lecture 23 Plan Reading Exercise and Review

Section 3: Scaling

Lecture 24 Introduction to Scaling

Lecture 25 Imperial Scaling

Lecture 26 Metric Scaling

Lecture 27 Imperial - Measuring Line Lengths

Lecture 28 Metric - Measuring Line Lengths

Lecture 29 Imperial - Using Scales to Measure from a Plan

Lecture 30 Metric - Using Scales to Measure from a Plan

Section 4: Course Conclusion

Lecture 31 Course Completion

• Clients building their very first home,• Trainee Site Managers,• Trainee Quantity Surveyors,• Trainee Project Managers,• Anyone interested in learning the basics of construction plan reading,• Individuals exploring career opportunities within the construction industry,• Individuals from the US, UK & NZ using either the imperial or metric methods