Land & Architectural Survey Blog

What is a Section Plan?

Written by

Bhavesh Ramburn

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Definition

A section plan is a 2D drawing of your house, showing it from all angles vertically. It’s a bird’s eye view of your home, from the side (well..through the house). It also shows the interior and exterior walls.

Section plan is a type of drawing that shows the internal features of a property.

The section plan is usually combined with other plans on a measured building survey.

Section plans are used by architects to get an idea of the height of internal floors and features on the wall.

Section plans can be produced from floor plans and elevations, but it may take longer for someone who has not visited the house.

Section plans are usually drawn in the middle of the property’s staircase.

Section plans are used to communicate with builders or renovators to show what work needs to be done.

Some Examples

  • A section plan is a graphic representation of a building or object, usually in cross-section.
  • A section plan can be used to show the arrangement of different rooms, spaces and/or levels within an interior environment.
  • You can use a section plan for your own home or for any other building or vehicle you might want to see in details

    • Here are some examples of a section plan:

    It is important to note (to avoid confusion):

    The difference between an elevation and a section is that the elevation shows the external vertical plan of the building and the section shows the internal.

    Sample Section plan in PDF:


    MB-SURV-BR-SECA-001
    Download

    How to Draw a Section Plan

    There are a few different ways to create a section plan. One common method is by hand, but it’s also possible to use software such as AutoCAD or SketchUp. To start, you’ll need to draw a 2D line drawing of your house.

  • You would want to start to draw up all your floor plans first so that you can get the layout and vertical dimensions (room height, door height and windows).
  • Once you’re done you have to draw your section line and which direction you need to draw.
  • then you would want to start aligning the floors against your section so that you can draw your internal of your house, then your height of each floor.
  • Then the hardest part is what you see from the section line. Check out the examples above to give you an idea of what features to pick

    • Then you can add labels and dimension lines on the house plans to indicate height, depth, and width as well as material types and construction details. Labels are useful for showing the location of rooms and other features on your building as well as giving an overview of any special structural elements that might be present in your home (such as trusses).

    Interior designer making hand drawing pencil sketch of a bathroom

    Interior design

    How to read or draw a section plan.

    How to read or draw a section plan.

    A section plan is a drawing that shows the cross-section of a building. It can be drawn to show all of the floors, or it can show just one floor.

    A section plan is different from an elevation, which shows an outside view of your house. A section plan shows how your house looks from inside or underneath it.

    Understanding Section Plans

    A section plan is a valuable resource for understanding your house’s construction, offering insights into its internal layout and materials used.

    A section plan provides a detailed drawing of a house in cross-section, showcasing how the house is built from the foundation to the roof.

    • The layout of each room in your house
    • Materials used within each room, such as wood, stone, and metal
    • How different parts of the house connect together, like walls with floors

    Still confused about section plans?

    Take a look at an article on elevations for further understanding.

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