What is a floor plan?
A floor plan is a scaled drawing of a room or building as seen from above. It shows the positions of walls, doors, windows, and fixed features such as radiators, plumbing connections, and built-in storage. Floor plans are used by architects, estate agents, interior designers, and homeowners to communicate the layout and dimensions of a space. For a detailed guide to creating your own, see our article on how to make a floor plan.
What scale should I use for a floor plan?
The most common scales for home floor plans are 1:50 and 1:100. At 1:50, one centimetre on paper represents 50 centimetres (half a metre) in real life — this scale works well for individual rooms. At 1:100, one centimetre represents one metre — better for whole-house plans. If you use a digital tool such as Free Room Planner, the tool handles scaling automatically — you enter real dimensions and the plan adjusts to fit your screen.
What do the symbols on a floor plan mean?
Standard floor plan symbols include: solid thick lines for walls; gaps with an arc for doors (the arc shows the swing direction); three parallel lines across a wall for windows; rectangles on walls for radiators; dashed lines for overhead features like beams or upper cabinets; and small squares or circles on walls for electrical sockets and switches. These symbols are internationally recognised, though minor variations exist between countries and firms.
How accurate does my floor plan need to be?
It depends on the purpose. For furniture arrangement and general room layout, accuracy to the nearest 2 to 3 centimetres is sufficient — small errors will not affect whether your sofa fits. For fitted kitchens and bathrooms, where units must align precisely with plumbing and walls, you need accuracy to within 5 millimetres. For building regulation submissions and planning applications, a professionally measured and drawn plan is required.
What is the best free tool for making a floor plan at home?
Free Room Planner is designed specifically for homeowners. It is completely free, requires no account, runs in any browser, and lets you draw walls, place furniture, and export your plan in minutes. For a comparison of all available options, see our space planning software guide.
Can I make a floor plan on my phone?
Yes. Free Room Planner works on any device with a modern web browser, including phones. However, room planning involves dragging and positioning items precisely, which is easier on a larger screen. A tablet is a good middle ground — portable enough to carry around while measuring, but large enough to see the plan clearly.
How do I measure a room for a floor plan?
Use a tape measure (or laser measure) to record the length and width of each wall. Work clockwise around the room, noting the position and width of every door, window, and fixed feature along each wall. Measure from one corner to the edge of the feature, then the width of the feature, then from the feature to the next one or the far corner. Write everything down immediately. For rooms that are not simple rectangles, break the space into smaller rectangular sections and measure each one.
What is the difference between a floor plan and a blueprint?
A floor plan shows the layout of a single level of a building — walls, doors, windows, and furniture. A blueprint is a broader term that historically referred to the blue-and-white paper used for architectural drawings. Today, "blueprint" is used loosely to mean any set of technical construction drawings, which may include floor plans alongside structural details, electrical plans, plumbing schematics, and elevations. A home floor plan for furniture planning is much simpler than a full set of construction blueprints.
Do I need a floor plan to buy furniture?
Strictly speaking, no — but it is extremely helpful. A floor plan lets you check exact dimensions before purchasing, avoiding the common and costly mistake of buying furniture that does not fit. It is especially important for large items (sofas, beds, dining tables) and for fitted furniture (kitchen units, built-in wardrobes). Taking ten minutes to measure your room and check dimensions on a plan can save you the cost and hassle of returning oversized furniture.
How do I show furniture on a floor plan?
Furniture is shown as scaled shapes viewed from above. A bed appears as a rectangle with a small rectangle for the headboard. A sofa appears as a wide rectangle with a back cushion shape along one edge. A dining table appears as a rectangle or circle with smaller rectangles (chairs) around it. In Free Room Planner, you simply drag pre-drawn furniture from the library onto your plan — every item is already drawn to the correct scale.
Can I use a floor plan for a planning application?
A simple floor plan drawn in a free tool is useful for personal planning and for communicating ideas to builders, but it is unlikely to meet the formal requirements of a planning application. Planning applications typically require professionally drawn plans at specified scales (usually 1:50 or 1:100), with specific annotations, a site plan, and sometimes elevations. However, creating your own floor plan first is an excellent way to clarify your intentions before engaging an architect or planning consultant.
What is the difference between 2D and 3D floor plans?
A 2D floor plan is a flat, top-down view of the room — the traditional floor plan format. It is ideal for accurate layout planning, checking measurements, and communicating dimensions. A 3D floor plan adds depth, showing the room as a three-dimensional model that you can view from different angles. 3D plans are useful for visualising how a room will look and feel, but they are not necessary for layout planning. Most homeowners find that a good 2D plan tells them everything they need to know.
How do I mark electrical sockets on a floor plan?
Electrical sockets are typically shown as small squares or rectangles on the wall where they are located. Light switches are shown as small circles or dots. Ceiling lights are shown as circles with radiating lines. If you are planning a room layout, marking socket positions helps you place furniture so that lamps, chargers, and appliances can reach power without extension leads trailing across the floor.
Can I draw a floor plan of an entire house?
Yes. Measure each room individually, then draw the complete outline of the house (or flat) in the planner. Add internal walls to divide the space into rooms. This whole-house view is particularly useful for open-plan layouts, extensions, and renovations where changes to one room affect adjacent spaces.