1. Drafting & Residential Interior Design Applications
Clemons, Stephanie A. Interior Design. Tinley Park: Goodheart-Willcox, 2017.
Chapter 13 & 15

2. Students will identify the required clearance spaces in the residential interior design spaces. 12.ID.8.b
Students will demonstrate basic architectural scale measuring techniques. 12.ID.8.c
Students will create a simple, effective floor plan with furniture arrangements. 12.ID.8.c
OBJECTIVES

3. “Drawings express the interactions of our minds, eyes, and hands.”
-Michael Graves

4. Have you ever heard people complain about a home’s layout?
What common complaints
have you heard?

5. Floor Plan
A drawing, or plan, that communicates wall locations, door and window locations, and spatial relationships in scale from a bird’s eye view.

6. What can be found within a floor plan?
Legend- combination of graphic symbols and notes
Lighting
Electrical
Construction materials
Furniture plans

7. ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 1234567890
Lettering Techniques
Legible and readable
Block-style lettering with uppercase letters that are square in shape
Digital lettering should be easy to read, and reflective of the document type.
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

8. Scale Scale important for understanding the floor plan
Residential projects: 1/4" = 1'-0"
Commercial projects: 1/8" = 1'-0"
Indicate scale on drawing
Dolores Giraldez Alonso/Shutterstock.com

9. Reading a Ruler
Position your ruler carefully. Look directly down from “over the top” of the ruler for an accurate measurement; don’t look at it from an angle. Be precise!

10. Graph Paper
Each square on the graph paper measures ¼”.

11. Lay your ruler along a line in the top left corner of the graph paper.
Draw a line that represents an 11 feet long.
Be precises, beginning and ending exactly where you want. Remember, each square represents 12”, a line slightly too long is not 11’ but 11’-3”.
11’ Line

12. Drawing a wall...
Walls are classified as either bearing or nonbearing.
Bearing walls help carry the weight of the house, providing support to floors above and the roof.
All walls start with “studs”, usually 2x4” or 2x6” pieces of lumber or metal to provide the “framework”.
The centers of the studs are usually placed 16” apart.
A wall is much thicker than a pencil mark. What’s inside?
Insulation (C) may be placed between the studs (B). Drywall is attached over the framework on both sides of the wall (A,D). Drywall is also called gypsum board; a common trade name is Sheetrock.
Drywall can be purchased in various thicknesses. The thicker it is, the more expensive it is and the more sound-proofing it provides. 12

13. Building Codes:
Building codes have a lot to say about actual building design and construction. Codes regulate depth of footings and foundations, building materials, ceiling heights, fireplace installation, ventilation, electrical wiring, plumbing, width of hallways, width of doors, direction of door swing, size and construction of stairways, maximum percentage of a wall that can be glass, exits, etc. When permits are required, inspections are also required. Work that does not meet code can be ordered ripped out. Building codes are usually regulated by each city or county. It is the architect’s, draftsman’s, designer’s, and contractor’s job to know the codes.
DOING WORK WITHOUT A PERMIT IS NOT ONLY ILLEGAL, BUT MAY ALSO INVALIDATE YOUR HOMEOWNER'S INSURANCE.  

14. Standard wall height: 8’
To draw a wall 14’ long, start by drawing a single line 14 squares long.
Then place your ruler halfway between the adjacent square, and draw another line that length.
Standard wall width: 6”
Standard wall height: 8’
14’ Line
6” between
Taking into account the 4” stud width, the drywall thickness of 1/2-3/4 inches, and even the paint or wall covering thickness…we use a 6” thick wall when we draw on the boards.

15. Drawing a corner:
Draw the first wall at 12’ long. From the corner draw the second interior wall at 8’ long.
To draw a corner, you have to plan ahead. If the room measures 12’ on the interior wall, the first line will be 12 squares long. The second line will be on the outside, and will be 13 squares long.
12’
6” between
Interior Walls 8’
Once you have the first wall drawn, you simple turn the corner and start drawing the adjacent wall.

16. Avoid walls that are too thick or too thin.
Drawing a Room:
To draft a room, start by drawing just the interior walls. After those are completed, draw the outside of each wall.
Draw a room that is 8’ x 11’.
Avoid walls that are too thick or too thin.
Interior Walls First
BEDROOM
8’-0” X 11’-0”
Don’t forget to label!

17. Drawing a Window: 3’ Window
Finish drawing the window symbol with a horizontal line right through the middle. (this is an architectural symbol that others within the housing profession can recognize.)
Drawing a Window:
On a floor plan, you do not see how tall a window is (it’s height). You only see how wide it is.
Draw a section of a wall that is 11’ long. A couple of feet from the left end, draw a vertical line to illustrate one side of the window. Then 3’ over to the right, put in the other side of the window.
3’ Window
Now go back to your 8’ x 11’ room, and add a 4’- 6” wide window somewhere near the middle of the back wall.

18. Door Measurements INTERIOR DOORS Standard Door Height 6’8”
Standard Interior Door Width 30”
Bathroom Door width 28”
Exterior Door Width
36”

19. Standard 30” swinging door
A standard swinging door into a bedroom is 30”. The front door of the house is often 36”.
This makes it appear more dignified, and allows one doorway into the home that will accommodate the moving in of large furniture.
Either door is drawn the same way. You show the doorway, the door itself, and the door swing.
Standard door height: 6’-8”
Standard 30” swinging door
Door swings both directions; good between a kitchen and dining area or between kitchen and utility rooms
Two standard swinging doors meet in the middle, filling a 5 foot wide doorway. The doorway opening for such a treatment is usually 4’, 5’, or 6’ wide.
Drawn at 90 degrees to the wall, with arc of door swing indicated

20. Single Bifold Door 30-36” wide Double Bifold Door 5’-6’ wide
Pocket Door, usually 36” wide or wider
Single Bifold Door ” wide
Double Bifold Door 5’-6’ wide

21. Sliding doors, found on tubs patio doors, and closets 5’ or 6’ doorway openings
You can draw doors on a floor plan with a ruler or with the use of an architectural template.
You might find sliding doors on 4’ openings for shower areas, but tubs have a 5’ opening.

22. Door Placement...
Think carefully about where you will place a door on a wall. Placing it in the middle of the wall uses a lot of wall space for the “swing”. Placing the door in the corner is usually a better use of space.
There are 4 corners on each doorway, 2 on each side, and where the door is attached determines which direction it will swing. You will need to decide whether the door should swing in or out of the room.

23. These men all work in the same office
These men all work in the same office. The fire alarms start sounding, and they rush toward the door. How should this door swing?... Toward them into the office, or out to the hallway?
Door Swing...
In any room where numerous people will be gathering, the door must swing out of the room to allow for easy evacuation. In a bedroom, where only several people will likely be gathered at one time, the door can swing into the room. In fact, swinging a bedroom door outward into the hall can be a safety violation.

24. Hallways
Since two people may meet and need to pass each other in a hallway, this traffic area is “major”. It needs to be 36” wide.
Rooms either open into other rooms, or into hallways. Hallways provide privacy.
3’ wide
hallway length
Hallways are not “wasted space”, but they aren’t living space either. For that reason, they need to be as short as possible. Hallways can turn corners, but you still count linear feet. A good goal is a 15’ hallway length for a 3 bedroom home.

25. Closets have two measurements… width and depth.
Drawing closets...
Depth
A closet suitable for hanging clothes must be at least 36” wide and 2 ½ feet deep. The clothes in this closet will not brush the back wall or get caught in the front doors.
Closets for storage other than clothing can be as small as 18” in width and 1 foot deep. This might be a small pantry or linen closet..
Width
The Federal Housing Authority (FDA) regulates many housing decisions, including the requirement that each person needs 36” rod space for clothing.

26. Drawing closets...
The closet to the right is wrong! It sticks out inside the room, and destroys the square or rectangular shape of the room. It makes furniture arrangement difficult. This is not good design!
The closet to the left is added correctly. The shape of the room must be preserved, so the closet must go on the outside of the room.

27. Practice...
16’
12’- 6”
Draw the room above to ¼” scale. The measurements given are interior wall measurements. Make the window 5’ wide. The door should be a standard 30” swinging door. The closet door opening should be 6’ wide, and has sliding doors.

28. Think of rooms and closets as pieces of a jigsaw puzzle…
What can you put in this space, in the next room?
Adding to the original room...
Think of rooms and closets as pieces of a jigsaw puzzle…
Perhaps it will be a closet to the adjacent room, or space to build in a shower/tub if the bathroom is next door. Each room stays rectangular in shape.
This is a great closet arrangement between bedrooms; the clothes make a great soundproof barrier.

29. Practice...
15’
5’ closet opening
13’
11’- 6”
6’ closet opening
Draw the two rooms above to ¼” scale. Both are 11’-6” wide; one is 15’ long and the other is 13’ long. Both rooms have one 4’ wide window. Both rooms have one 30” standard swinging door. Draw bifold doors on each of the closets.

30. 15’ 13’ 5’ closet opening 11’ - 6” 6’ closet opening 36” doorway
Practice...
15’
13’
5’ closet opening
11’ - 6”
6’ closet opening
36” doorway
Each of the 3 bedrooms have one 5’ window. Two bedrooms and a bath have standard 30” doors. The hallway is 36” wide.
Linen closet
11’ - 6”
Bath
6’ closet opening

31. An 8’ square walk-in closet would be considered quite spacious.
A walk-in closet is simply drawn like a small room. It’s size depends on how many rods you want and where the traffic pattern will be.
Walk-in Closets...
An 8’ square walk-in closet would be considered quite spacious.
A hallway is a major traffic pattern, so requires a 36” width. Two people do not need to pass each other in a walk- in closet, so the traffic pattern can be narrower. Closets need a 30” walkway. This traffic pattern does not need to be labeled.
30”
The clothes rod is drawn, centered in a 30” wide area. The rod length is variable. A few hanger markings completes the closet.
30”
30”

32. Wing walls...
In the bedroom to the right, the closet openings are 6’ wide, so the standard sized sliding doors fit perfectly (5 or 6’ is a standard set of closet doors). But what if the opening was too big? Do you have to purchase custom doors?
In the bedroom to the left, the closet width is 6’-6”. Instead of purchasing custom sized doors, you could build a 6” wing wall. A wing wall is a very short wall, not longer than 1’. It has many uses, especially to adjust the size of room and closet door openings.
The 6” wing wall has altered the original 6’- 6” closet opening. It is now just 6’, and standard doors will fit.

33. Traffic Pathway
One of the most important considerations when evaluating a floor plan.
The path people take as they walk from room to room during everyday activities. A well designed floor plan provides convenient pathways to all areas of the home.
NO weaving around furniture or NO tight squeezes around furniture
{Refer to Grouping Configurations in Residential Interior Design Applications notes.}

34. Major Traffic pathway = 4’-6’
Minor Traffic pathway= 1.5’-4’

35. Conversational Grouping Size:
6’ - 6” x 14’

36. Bedroom Space around bed 1 ½ - 3 feet
Space in front of furniture 3 feet

37. Bathroom Space around toilet 1 ½ feet
Space in front of toilet ½ feet x 2 ½ feet
Space between front of bathtub and opposite wall 3 feet

38. You might find sliding doors on 4’ openings for shower areas, but tubs have a 5’ opening.

39. Seating: Dining Room/ Kitchen
Countertops should overhang 12-15” to allow for adequate knee space, height 36”- 42”
Seating: Dining Room/
Kitchen
Space for occupied chairs beyond table = 3 feet
2 feet of table length should be allowed for each person sitting at a table.
Kitchen Resources

40. Depth
Width
Height

41. Kitchen Measurements Upper Cabinet: Height: 30”- 42” Depth: 12-¼”
Backsplash:
Height: 18”
Lower Cabinet:
Height: 36”
Depth: 24”
18”
54”
36”
Height

42. Space in front of cabinets: 2-6’
Kitchen Measurements
Width
Space in front of cabinets: 2-6’
Space between appliances: 4-7’
24”
Depth

43. Kitchen Shapes & Work Triangle
Three major areas: sink, cooktop/oven, and refrigerator
Kitchen island/peninsula should not interfere with work triangle
Should not be longer than 9 feet or shorter than 4 feet
Which of the kitchen layouts best reflects your home’s kitchen area?
Island
Peninsula

44. Activity:
Make a sketch of the kitchen in your home. Sit and observe as a member of your family prepares a meal. Mark each of their trips back and forth between the food preparation area, cleanup center, and cooking and/or serving center. Does it create a triangle? Measure the distance for a complete path to each of the centers and back to the starting point.