What's in a residential construction plan set, sheet by sheet

Builders and estimators say construction drawings, construction documents, CDs and plan sets almost interchangeably. They mean the same thing: the drawings, schedules and notes that tell the crew what to build and tell the building department what you plan to build.

Native Plans prepares these sets for builders in Nashville as part of its residential plans work. This guide walks through the sheets in roughly the order a builder needs them, then checks one real sheet in detail.

No two sets are identical. Sheet count and content depend on the size of the house, the structure, the site and what the local jurisdiction asks for. Treat the list below as a map of what to look for, not a fixed template.

What are construction documents?

Construction documents are the last phase of the design process. Earlier phases explore the design and settle it. This phase turns it into instructions that can be priced, permitted and built.

The set has two jobs. It has to show the building department enough to review the project against code. It also has to give the builder and the trades enough to price, order and build without guessing. On residential work the specifications often live on the sheets as notes and schedules rather than in a separate project manual.

What are the 5 basic components of construction drawings?

Most sets are built from five kinds of drawing.

• Plans are horizontal slices through the building, seen from above. Floor, foundation, framing and roof plans all belong here.
• Elevations show the faces of the building straight on, outside and inside.
• Sections are vertical slices through the building or a wall. They show how it goes together from footing to ridge.
• Details enlarge the places where a plan or section runs out of room: a window head, a stair, a flashing condition.
• Schedules are tables for repeated items such as doors, windows and finishes, keyed to tags on the plans.

Notes tie these together. You read a set by following tags: a section mark on a plan sends you to a section sheet, and a window tag sends you to the window schedule.

What sheets are in a residential plan set?

Firms commonly number sheets by discipline and type, following the discipline letters in the National CAD Standard: G for general, C for civil, L for landscape, A for the building drawings, S for structural, and M, E and P for mechanical, electrical and plumbing. The table groups sheets by what a builder does with them.

How to read a floor plan sheet: A101 at Forest Lawn

The ground floor plan for the Forest Lawn house in Brentwood, Tennessee, is sheet A101 in its set, drawn at ¼″ = 1′-0″. The house measures 77′-6″ by 74′-1½″ overall. Most of what is on the sheet is there so that someone else does not have to call and ask.

Here is what a builder can read off it.

• Grid lines A to F across the top and 1 to 6 down the side give every wall a location that other sheets can refer to. The 77′-6″ overall dimension sits above them.
• The set specifies 2×6 exterior walls, an 11′-0″ ground plate and roof trusses at 24″ on center. On the plan, each plumbing wall is labeled 2×6 or 2×4, so the plumber and the framer work to the same thickness.
• Tags such as F2670 and 3080 identify each window and door, so they can be counted, ordered and checked against the schedule.
• The kitchen shows a 48″ gas range with hood, a 60″ refrigerator and 24″ dishwashers. The cabinet maker and plumber build around those sizes.
• The stair shows its riser count and height: 22 risers at 6⅝″. Vaulted ceilings, fireplace inserts and the AC pad are called out where they occur.
• The section marks on the plan point to sheet A301, where the sections are drawn.

That is one sheet. The foundation, the upper floor plan (A102), the elevations and the sections all have to agree with it. Checking that agreement is a large part of reviewing any set.

What does CD set mean in construction?

CD set means construction document set. It is the issue meant for permit and construction, as opposed to the earlier sets used to develop and review the design.

What is a DD document? DD stands for design development. A DD set shows plans, elevations and major selections in enough detail to confirm the design and support early pricing, but not enough to build from. The percentages you hear, 30, 60 and 90 percent, are review checkpoints that describe how complete the documents are. No universal rule says what must be on a 60 percent set, so agree on it with whoever is drawing before the date arrives.

What should you check in a plan set before pricing it?

1. The sheet index matches the sheets you received. A missing sheet is easier to find on day one than on the day framing starts.
2. Strings of dimensions add up to the overall dimension, and the plans and elevations agree on heights.
3. Every window and door has a tag, and every tag has a line in the schedule.
4. Section and detail marks point to sheets that exist, and those sheets show what the mark promises.
5. Structure is shown, or clearly marked as by others: beams, headers, trusses and foundation.
6. You know who designs mechanical, electrical and plumbing. Items that affect framing, such as a ducted range hood, a tub or a fireplace, appear on the plan.
7. Finish and fixture information is on the set or in a separate finish schedule, and both use the same product names.
8. The set says what is by others or by the owner.

How many sheets should a plan set have?

Enough to cover the work, and no more. A small, simple house may need fewer sheets than one with a complex roof, several levels and site work. A fixed number says little. A sheet index that matches your scope says more, so ask for the index before you ask for the count.

Do house plans need to be stamped?

Some sets need a licensed professional's seal and some do not. It depends on the building, the structure and the jurisdiction. Ask the local building department what it requires before design starts. Our guide to who does what on a Tennessee home lists the questions to ask.

Native prepares residential plans and construction documents, and coordinates with licensed professionals when a project calls for a stamp. If you are comparing sets from different sources, the residential plans service page describes what a Native set covers and how it ties in with interiors and exterior design.