Architectural Drawing

Sire Plan Drawings

Preliminary Planning

How do I select a house and site that will fit

my needs and format in AutoCAD?

The Ground (contours):

The Structure:
Proper location and angle

Contour matches house and client

needs

Curb Appeal

Plan for solar and wind benefits

Maximize land use

Good drainage

Style matches surroundings

Site Plans

Public water and sewer or well and

septic/sand mound

Types and locations to maximize

heating and cooling

Gas lines?

Foundation plants

Electrical service- above or

underground?

Trees- existing or adding?

Utilities:

Plantings:

Vocabulary
Site Plan- Plan used to show land features,
utility and structure placement
Zoning- Rules governing land use and
placement of structures on land
Easement- Road locations and set-backs, rightof-way
Bearing- direction of property lines, expressed
from north
List Command- AutoCAD command used to
provide information of an objects or area.

Bearing of a Line

Property line bearings are read in

a clockwise direction listing North
or South first, the degree angle
from north, then the second
bearing (East or West). The
length of the property line is also
noted. No degrees >90.
Ex. N 72 E 219.6

Zoning Limits

Zoning Limits:
Zoning limits are set-backs from the property lines that represent the closest you
can build to the edge of your property. Zoning limits vary between municipalities
and are usually different at edges bordering roads and other properties. Zoning
limits protect homeowners from road expansion projects and from neighbors
building too close to the property line.
Our zoning limits are as follows:
Roadside: 30
Other properties: 5
Right-Of-Way:
The right-of-way is the roadway area.
The right-of-way can be wider than
the actual road and include area that
represents grass, curbing and
sidewalks. Even though you dont
own that property, you can be held
responsible for it. Brookside Estates
right-of-ways are 50 (5 between
edge of road and property line).

Topography and Features

How do I develop a topographical map in
AutoCAD with consideration given to
roads, streams and other land
features?

Topographical Maps:
The contour of ground (also called grade or
topography) is represented by contour
lines on a map. Contour lines can
represent 1, 5, 10, or 100 increments
depending on the details of the map.
Brookside Estates uses 5 increments by
default, but you will need to develop the
land to 1 increments.

Stream and Waterfall

Waterfalls

Outflow
Inflow

Pond

Using Polylines:
A polyline is a connected string of lines and arcs. You can switch from lines to
arcs and vice-versa by pressing (L) and (A). Always start with a line, and then
switch to arc to maintain smooth, tangent lines. Width of polylines can also be set
by typing (W) while in the command. With a little practice, contour lines can be
easily drawn using polylines in AutoCAD or ProgeCAD.

Vocabulary:
Topography- The contour of the groundhills, valleys, depressions, etc.
Contour Line- A line that represents the
elevation change of the topography.
Grade- angle, or incline of the ground.
Poly Lines- a connected line segment in
AutoCAD.

Utilities and Plantings

What are my utility requirements and how

do I develop them on a plan?

Water:

Waste:
Use public water where available

Use sewer where available

Need a well where it isnt available

Septic System or Sand Mound

where sewer isnt available

Types of wells:
Above ground pump (shallow)
Artesian (natural pressure)
Submersible pump (deep)

Need a certain amount of land for

septic.

Utilities
Everyone has electric service
Service across property is above
ground or underground
Poles every 200

Electric:

Only available to houses adjacent

to service
Alternative is propane tank, oil, or
electric.

Natural Gas:

Vocabulary:
Utilities- Water, waste, power services
Septic- Traditional waste treatment
option- tank and drain field
Sand Mound- Newer system where waste
is filtered before draining
Well- water from natural ground source
Planting Zones- Climate planting zones
Vegetation- trees, shrubs, ground cover

Water:
Represented by a circle and label for well or line connection
and labels for public water hook-up.
Electric:
Poles every 200 or less. Line to house, broken with E for
reference. Label Pole Number.
Natural Gas:
If available, you can connect to a natural gas line for
cooking and heating. Treat symbol the same as you
would a water hook-up.
Waste:
If you have access to public sewer lines, connect to them
and label the manhole number. Otherwise, you will need
to create a septic system. The tank should be drawn
approx. 4 x 4 with at least 100 of drain field.

Why is a planting schedule important and how do I include

those features on my site plan?

What do I include?
Forest Lines
Tree Symbols & names, trunk diameter
Shrubs and other foundation plantings
Ground Cover Symbol