Drawings

I used information on websites like www.houseplans.com and www.architecturaldesigns.com to familiarise myself with house floor plans and how to organise a floor plan. They also give good ideas the outside finishes and room relationships. I used those plans to help me understand room dimensions. If I saw a room was say 12 feet by 13 feet, I would take a measuring tape and measure out the room that I was in just to get an idea of what those dimensions meant. If in a public area or in someones house, I would count the tiles to know how big a room was. Most floor tiles are 1 square foot while some are 1.5 x 1.5 feet and I could tell which is which by checking with my foot. This gave me an idea of what room sizes I would like. I would then give an allowance for the wardrobes and counters (usually 2 feet) because these will effectively reduce your floor space. Though I did not end up using any of the plans, just by looking at many of the plans, I was able to come up with a floor plan that had approximate dimensions that I then gave to the architect to refine.

Do not forget to give thought to the roof and how it should be designed. This can get complicated but the architect should be able to guide you on the cost effective roof designs and their pros and cons.

Once the architect has made a first draft of the drawings, take them home and recheck against your earlier drawing. You will find that he/she has made some changes or his drawing may have no resemblance to yours - as happened to me. It would be good to arrange a meeting and discuss these changes. Be clear about the things that are important to you but also listen keenly to the reasons they propose for changing your sketch. If in doubt, take even more time, show the drawings to other people who can advice you appropriately. Do  not be afraid to change the drawing even 10 times if necessary.Pay special attention to the dimensions of each room. If you had taken time to review your original sketch and talk to people about it before even presenting it to the architect, you may find that you have minimal changes to make. I cannot stress enough the importance of having a drawing that is as accurate and encompasses all your ideas in totality. Leave nothing undrawn. Any small design feature on the structure itself especially outside, should be visible on the drawings. Do not assume you will mention it to the contractor because that will be the beginning of your problems.