What to Expect from a Good Floor Plan

The truth is; there is no scope for a “bad” or a “wrong” floor plan when it comes to creating one! Most of the buyers visualize their dream house through the help of a floor plan, so it becomes important to make sure that it represents as much of the original house as it can. 

Whether it is a renovation or a layout for a potential buyer, it all starts from a floor plan. Imagine buying a flat or buying an apartment, and having the freedom to visualize and customize through the help of a detailed and elaborate floor plan! 

To start with the basics, a floor plan in the simplest of terms is a layout or a design that has been drawn to scale in accordance with your prospective home. All floor plans are articulated in an architectural way and provide the buyer with graphic insights into their house. It is more or less a map that lets you get a rough idea of where all the rooms are situated, how you can go about placing furniture, and the kind of furnishings that you would like to get done. 

Let me ask you this - is your dream home a crowded or comfortable one? Well, a floor plan allows you to distinguish one from another and ensure that the end product which you finally receive is the house you always dreamt of. 

By now you must have understood that a floor plan not only takes time to build but also needs to be extremely well thought of. A floor plan is the only way the buyers will get an idea of the space and size of the house, and so it needs to be organized and graphically accurate too. Since a floor plan has various elements and needs to incorporate quite a few things before it is finalized, how do you differentiate between a good one and a bad one? 

The parameters that are given below are easy to understand and notice when you have a floor plan in front of you. All you have to do is glance through these and make sure you do not let even one of these criteria slip out of your mind when you look for the “good” floor plans! 

Exterior Views 

You cannot come up with a good floor plan if you do not take the surroundings and the views into consideration. It is your responsibility to create a connection between the exterior and the interior, making it look visually appealing. If a buyer looks at your floor plan and later on realizes that it is not in sync with the surrounding of the real property, it may cause trouble. 

Storage Space 

A good floor plan is never basic or simple. Now that people are transitioning to modern housing, your floor plan needs to incorporate more than just the standard. Make sure the floor plan has sufficient space for building storerooms or closets since most buyers prefer extra storage space in their houses. This is to store large items or have a storage space handy between changes of seasons. 

Also Read: Walk In Closet Design

Room Sizes 

Neither should the rooms be too small nor too large. Have a word with the buyers before finalizing the floor plan and ask them what they have in mind when it comes to bedrooms. If a room is designed too small, it may seem chaotic and reduce the chances of fitting the furniture that may be required. On the other hand, if the rooms are too big, it may seem uninviting and not too homely. 

Flow 

If there is no flow in a floor plan, the buyers will never understand what the property has in store for them. Glancing through a good floor plan should be easy to understand and navigate. You need to create all spaces and rooms in such a way that they appear connected and the relationship between each room is instantly understood. 

Orientation 

When the buyer looks at the floor plan for the very first time, it is a clear orientation that will leave a long-lasting impression. A good floor plan can be easily understood and navigated through even if seen for the first time. Symmetry has a huge role to play in the right orientation. You need to make sure each space is in scale to the property and is not misleading in any way. While floor plans with ample spacing were preferred before, buyers now are more tilted toward modern designs that are dynamic and open to customization. 

Spaces

This is a little tricky. You have two options - you can either connect all rooms directly or you can create little corridors for better distinction. The transition from one room to another will not be perceived in the same way by everyone. A solution to this is keeping in mind the size of these interconnecting spaces and building them to scale. 

Do you know what a bubble diagram is? For anyone who is creating a floor plan, a tip to create a good one is to use bubble diagrams before moving on to designing a floor plan. All you have to do is create a chart that has ovals/bubbles for rooms and lines for interconnecting spaces.

Defined Entrance 

The entrance works as a buffer from the exterior landscape design to the home interior. The entrance in the floor plan needs to be built in such a way that it stands out from the rest of the doors and other elements. When a buyer looks at the floor plan, he/she should be immediately able to identify where the entrance is. Beyond a defined entrance, you also need to decide how you want to go about the first view that the buyers will see upon entering. 

Also Read: Main Entrance Door Design

Graphic Presentation

The visual appeal and design in a floor plan are as important as accuracy and symmetry. If your floor plan is lacking in graphical consistency, it may confuse the buyers. Firstly, draw the floor plan at a proper scale to the page. If there is any additional information or the floor plan is elaborate and detailed, make a box for symbols. Make sure the lines in the floor plan are symmetrical and of the same thickness. Use thicker lines if you want to highlight something or distinguish between spaces. 

Balancing Architecture and Practicality 

Most people tend to focus on the architectural design of a floor plan. Many times, the creative and innovative element of the floor plan overtakes the practical aspect. However, a good floor plan will accommodate practical aspects like safety precautions, storage space, maintenance, expenses, etc. Architecture and practicality need to go hand in hand for the floor plan to completely reflect the property. 

Also Read: Main Hall Fall Ceiling Design

Flexibility 

A good floor plan should be built in a way that it always has room for customizations and changes. While you would naturally include a bedroom, kitchen, living room, and other basic elements in a floor plan, design it in a way that it can be converted into something else without too much complexity. For instance, if a buyer wants to change their kitchen into a master bedroom then they should be able to do so. 

A pro tip while looking at floor patterns is to focus on the design patterns. The visual part of the floor plan will give you a better idea of what is in store for you. It needs to be built in a way that anyone who tries to make sense of it can easily do so. 

By now you must have understood that a floor plan is the basic foundation of a home. Whether you want to customize your soon-to-be home or renovate your current property, a good floor plan is a must. Remember that the parameters of a good floor plan are common for both the buyer and the seller. If ever you feel the need of creating a floor plan, you can hire a professional architect and get them to work. Find yourself the right realtor and then take the next few crucial steps. 

To sum it all up, a floor plan is an all-in-one package. It not only gives you a chance to customize your future home according to your own needs and requirements but it also gives you a glimpse of how your lifestyle will shape to be in the home you have always dreamt to live in!