Reading the plans on this site
- Orientation: the road is always at the bottom. The overall plot width is written across the top, the depth down the left side.
- Room sizes: each room shows width × depth in feet, e.g. 12' × 11'. Width runs left to right on the drawing.
- Feet and inches: 20'-0" means 20 feet 0 inches. 1 ft = 12 in = 304.8 mm.
- Colours: each room type has its own colour (see the legend on any plan page). Diagonal lines mark parking; closely spaced lines mark stair steps.
- Floors: duplex plans show each floor side by side. The stair sits in exactly the same place on every floor.
- Doors: a straight line with a quarter-circle arc is a door, drawn swinging into the room it opens. Toilets open into their bedroom or a passage, never into the kitchen.
- Main entrance: the orange door with an orange arrow. Dashed lines on the road side are gates or openings for parking and the sitout; short ticks without an arc are open archways between living, dining and passages.
- Windows: a thin double line set into a wall. Windows only appear on walls facing open air: the road, a courtyard or OTS shaft, a yard, sitout, balcony or terrace.
- Terrace: every plan ends with a terrace drawing: the roof above the top floor, with the stair cabin (mumty), an overhead water tank, the parapet (dashed line) and any open-to-sky areas.
- Mirror: the plan viewer can flip a plan left to right for a plot that faces the other way or sits on the other side of a road.
Carpet, built-up and super built-up area
| Term | What it includes | Typical ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Carpet area | Floor area inside the walls that you can use | 100% |
| Built-up area | Carpet area plus walls, balconies and ducts | 110–120% of carpet |
| Super built-up area | Built-up area plus a share of common areas (flats only) | 125–135% of carpet |
The "built-up" figure on each plan here is the sum of all room sizes except open areas such as sitouts, gardens and open terraces. Because walls are drawn as lines, the real carpet area will be about 8–10% smaller once walls are added.
Common symbols on architect drawings
- A quarter circle at a wall opening is a swing door, showing which way it opens.
- Three thin parallel lines in a wall are a window.
- A dashed line usually means something above: a beam, loft or the floor above.
- An arrow on a stair points up, with "UP" written beside it.
- A circle with a cross marks a column on structural drawings.
Glossary
| BHK | Bedroom, Hall, Kitchen. A 2BHK has two bedrooms, a living room and a kitchen. |
|---|---|
| 1RK | One Room and Kitchen: a studio unit, often rented out. |
| Duplex / G+1 | A house with a ground floor and one upper floor connected by an internal stair. |
| G+2 / Triplex | Ground plus two upper floors. |
| Sitout | A covered, open-sided area at the entrance. |
| OTS | Open To Sky: a courtyard or shaft with no roof, for light and air. |
| Setback | The open space required between the building and the plot boundary. |
| FAR / FSI | Floor Area Ratio / Floor Space Index: total built area allowed divided by plot area. |
| Plinth | The raised base of the house, usually 1.5–2 ft above ground. |
| Lintel | The concrete beam above a door or window opening. |
| Headroom | Clear height above a stair or under a beam; at least 7 ft. |
| Duct / shaft | A vertical space for plumbing pipes and ventilation from toilets. |
| Mumty | The small room on the terrace covering the top of the stair. |