Blueprints, or more precisely, construction drawings, are the primary communication tool between your architect, your contractor, and the city’s building department. As a homeowner, you do not need to read them with a contractor’s fluency. But understanding the basics lets you participate meaningfully in the design process, catch problems before they are built, and make better decisions about your project.
This guide explains how to read architectural blueprints in plain language. No technical background required.
Why Are They Called Blueprints?
The name comes from the cyanotype printing process used from the mid-1800s through the 20th century, which produced white lines on a blue background. Modern construction drawings are printed on white paper using large-format plotters, but the name stuck. “Blueprints” and “drawings” mean the same thing.
What Is in a Set of Blueprints?
A complete architectural drawing set for a Seattle residential project typically contains:
Cover / Title Sheet
project info, drawing index, location map, general notes
Site Plan
the property from above: lot lines, existing and proposed structures, setbacks, driveways, landscaping
Floor Plans
each level shown from above
Exterior Elevations
each facade of the building shown flat-on
Building Sections
vertical cuts showing interior heights and structural assembly
Wall Sections and Details
large-scale drawings of specific conditions
Interior Elevations
key room walls (kitchens, baths) shown flat-on with cabinet and fixture layout
Door and Window Schedules
tables listing every door and window with its type, size, and hardware
Structural Drawings
produced by the structural engineer, showing foundation, framing, and beam sizes
Planning a project?
Working out what your lot will allow, and what it will cost?
Send David the address and a few lines about what you want. The first feasibility check is free and usually takes about a day: what the site and the code are likely to allow, and what to check first.
Architect since 1996. Three Masonry Excellence Awards for commercial projects; the Carr residence was featured in Above The Lake and Lux magazines.
How to Read a Floor Plan
A floor plan is a horizontal slice through the building at approximately 4 feet above the finished floor, showing everything below that cut. Think of it as looking straight down into the building with the roof removed.
Walls appear as thick solid lines. Exterior walls are thicker than interior walls. The thickness of the wall in the drawing represents its real thickness (to scale).
Doors appear as a gap in the wall with an arc showing the swing direction. The arc shows where the door sweeps as it opens, useful for checking whether a door will hit furniture or another door.
Windows appear as three thin parallel lines within an exterior wall. The lines represent the frame and glass.
Dimensions appear as lines with arrows or tick marks at each end, with the distance labeled. Dimensions are typically given from the face of one wall to the face of another, or from the centerline of windows and doors.
What to Check in a Floor Plan
- Are the room dimensions what you expected? (A 10×12 bedroom is 120 square feet)
- Does the door swing clear of furniture, appliances, and other doors?
- Can you walk the paths you will walk every day, bedroom to bathroom, kitchen to dining room, front door to garage?
- Where does natural light come from in each room?
- Where is the storage, closets, pantry, utility room?
- Is there anything you assumed would be in the plan that you do not see?
How to Read an Exterior Elevation
An exterior elevation shows one face of the building as if you were standing directly in front of it with no perspective, like a flat photograph with no depth. A complete drawing set has four elevations: north, south, east, and west (or front, rear, left, right).
Elevations show window sizes and placement, roof slope and form, siding and material changes, and the overall composition of each facade. Compare the elevation to the floor plan to confirm that windows are in the right rooms and at the right heights.
Understanding Scale
Architectural drawings are drawn to scale, every dimension is proportionally reduced from real size. Common scales used in residential drawings:
1/4″ = 1′-0″
One quarter-inch on paper equals one foot in reality. Used for floor plans and elevations. At this scale, a 20-foot wall measures 5 inches on the drawing.
1/8″ = 1′-0″
Used for smaller-scale diagrams and site plans.
3/4″ = 1′-0″ or 1-1/2″ = 1′-0″
Used for details and sections where more precision is needed.
An architect’s scale ruler allows you to measure anything on the drawing and convert it to real-world dimensions. Your architect can give you one, or you can use a digital measuring tool on PDF drawings.
Common Symbols and Abbreviations
Blueprints use standardized symbols:
North arrow
shows compass orientation
Section cut marks
arrows or lines with letters/numbers indicating where a section drawing is taken
Detail references
circles with numbers pointing to enlarged details elsewhere in the drawing set
Elevation marks
tags on the floor plan showing which direction each elevation view is taken from
Cloud marks
curved lines indicating areas that have been revised since the last drawing issue
How Piper Cole Architects Works with Clients on Drawings
At Piper Cole Architects, we walk every client through the drawings at each milestone, explaining what is shown, what decisions have been made, and what questions the client should be asking. Good drawings require good client engagement. The more specifically you can respond to what you see on paper, the better the built result will be.
Learn more about our design process and residential architecture services. See also: What is FF&E? | What is a Foyer?
