Original Floor Plan of My House: A Comprehensive Guide

Introduction

The original floor plan of your house is a valuable document that provides insights into the history, design, and layout of your home. It can be helpful for a variety of reasons, including:

Home renovations: If you are planning to renovate your home, the original floor plan can provide you with a starting point for your design ideas. It can also help you to avoid making costly mistakes by showing you the location of load-bearing walls and other structural elements.
Selling your home: The original floor plan can be a useful marketing tool when selling your home. It can help potential buyers to visualize the layout of the home and see how the different rooms flow together.
Historical preservation: If your home is old or has historical significance, the original floor plan can help you to document its history and preserve its original character.

Finding Your Original Floor Plan

There are a few places where you can look for the original floor plan of your house:

Your local building department: The building department may have a copy of the original floor plan on file. This is especially likely if your home was built recently.
Your home's previous owner: If you know who the previous owner of your home was, you may be able to contact them and ask if they have a copy of the original floor plan.
Your home's architect or builder: If you know who designed or built your home, you may be able to contact them and ask if they have a copy of the original floor plan.
Online resources: There are a number of online resources that offer access to original floor plans. These resources typically charge a fee for their services.

Reading Your Original Floor Plan

Once you have found your original floor plan, you will need to be able to read it. Floor plans are typically drawn to scale, which means that the dimensions of the rooms and other features are accurate. The floor plan will also include symbols to represent different features, such as walls, windows, and doors. To read a floor plan, start by finding the legend. The legend will explain the symbols used on the floor plan. Once you understand the symbols, you can start to identify the different rooms and features of your home.

Using Your Original Floor Plan

Once you have a copy of your original floor plan, you can use it for a variety of purposes. Here are a few ideas:

Home renovations: Use the floor plan to help you plan your home renovations. The floor plan will show you the location of load-bearing walls and other structural elements, which will help you to avoid making costly mistakes.
Selling your home: Use the floor plan to market your home to potential buyers. The floor plan will help buyers to visualize the layout of the home and see how the different rooms flow together.
Historical preservation: Use the floor plan to document the history of your home and preserve its original character.

Conclusion

The original floor plan of your house is a valuable document that can be used for a variety of purposes. If you are planning to renovate your home, sell your home, or preserve its historical character, you should try to find a copy of the original floor plan.