Elevations

The floor plan is the foundation for architectural design and must always be completed first. Once the floor plan is done, elevations can be drawn. In fact, the elevation is extrapolated from the floor plan. Elevations are always included with a floor plan with the intention of providing exterior detail. Most of the detail is in regards to exterior finishing and roof design. Their intent is to provide the reader of the drawing a more realistic pictorial representation of the exterior of the home.

When laying out an elevation, it is helpful to project it from your original floor plan (much like an orthographic projection). In other words, the location of objects such as exterior walls, doors and windows, are projected from the floor plan (using construction lines). In an elevation, there is no perception of depth. Think of elevations as orthographic projections of a floor plan.

Floor Plan

Projected Front Elevation

Getting Started

When starting, I suggest drawing a horizontal construction line approximately 25' below your floor plan. This line will represent the ground level. Draw another line 3' above ground level line. This line will represent floor level. Draw another line 8' above floor level. This line will represent the top of the wall. Draw another line 1' below the top of the wall. This line will represent the tops of windows and doors. (see image below)

Next, draw construction lines from the edge of each major feature of the wall being projected (see below). These construction lines will be used to rough in wall features. When creating these construction lines, I suggest snapping your origin to the edge of the feature and then drawing a vertical line from the feature down.

When you have dropped in your vertical construction lines, you can begin inserting your horizontal construction lines indicating the bottoms of windows. You will need to refer to the floor plan to get the height of each window. (see below)

Following this, you can begin trimming away any unnecessary lines. (see below)

You are now ready to create the roof. Generally, there is a 2' overhang for a standard roof. The roof being drawn is a traditional gable roof with a clipped gable at each end.

Roof Pitch - Roof Pitch is the degree of slope. Roof pitch in most homes is 4/12 (meaning 4" rise for every 12" of run). This translates to a 30 degree pitch. Normally you would need to draw a right or left side elevation to determing the height of the roof above the wall. Because of a shortage of time, I will be providing that dimension for you.

• Roof Height above Wall = 9'9"

• Clip Gable 5' from each end at 4/12 pitch (30 degrees).

When you have finished the roof, your front elevation should look as follows.

Windows and Doors typically have a 2" brick moulding on all edges. To complete your windows and doors, draw a 2" border around each window and door. In addition, insert a line 6" above the ceiling line indicating the fascia (an aluminum or wood flashing wrapping around the roof). (see below)

Finally, all that is left to do is insert the symbols for siding, stucco, and roofing material. The location of these materials is discretionary (but it should look appealing). Use different colors. I suggest using your hatch tool for the large fill areas (roofing material and stucco). Before using the hatch tool you may need to physically close in areas before applying a hatch to an area.

Completed Front Elevation

Last Updated April 12/00