Floor Plans questions from CMS






















The alcove is the name of the small room adjoining a larger room often separated
by an archway or cased opening
Apron is the inside trim board placed below a window sill
The laundry is the name of the room designed specifically for washing, drying,
folding, and ironing clothes
The breezeway is the name of a covered walkway with open sides between two
different parts of a structure
A cavity wall is the masonry wall formed with two wythes with air spaces
between each face
Casing is the decorative trim that covers the space between the jamb and rough
opening
The closed plan is the type of design where rooms in cubicles have little
opportunity for overflow into other rooms
Egress is the term used in building codes to describe access
The name of lines that are used to show where an object is to be sectioned are
called the cutting plane
The side jamb is the name of the member that extends vertically in a door or
window opening
Compartmentalized is the term that describes a water closet that is partitioned off
from other bathroom fixtures
The deck is the name of the exterior floor supported on at least two opposing
sides by adjoining structures, piers, or posts
The lavatory is the bathroom fixture designed for washing hands and face
Mullions are the vertical and horizontal members between window and door units
Modular are the name of the building parts that have been preassembled either in
a plant or on-site
Muntins are the members that divide window glass into smaller panes
The patio is the name of the ground-level exterior entertaining area that is made of
concrete, stone, brick or treated wood
Plumbing walls are the walls in a building that are designed for plumbing pipes to
be installed
Mud sill is the name of the horizontal member that rests on the foundation wall to
support other wood members
The water closet is the name of the water-flushing plumbing fixture designed to
receive and discharge human waste
The utility room is the name of the room that includes space for laundry as well as
long-term storage of food
The threshold is the beveled member directly under a door


































Grouping areas of the home is sometimes called zoning
The term “foyer” applies to a entry hall
A listing of rooms in the “sleeping area” of the house might include the
bathroom
A minimum, acceptable size for a double car garage should be 20’ x 20’
The conventionally accepted depth of a linen closet is 1’-6”
When meeting with a client, one should obtain information such as design needs
or a requirement list
The kitchen work triangle, with all sides added together, should not exceed 22’-0”
The recommended depth for wall cabinets is 12” to 18”
A L-shaped kitchen has cabinets on two adjacent walls
The kitchen would be located in the “service area” of a residence
A covered area leading into a building is a porch.
An enclosed area designed to protect an automobile is a garage
The bathrooms, bedrooms, and closets are all located in the “sleeping area” (not
the dining room)
A “half bath” would include a water closet and lavatory
When the water closet is separated from bathroom by walls and doors, it is called
a compartmented bath.
When designing the dining room, take into consideration the exterior view.
The number of bedrooms in a typical residence is 3
A room for the laundry appliances is often referred to as the utility room
A covered area that provides protection from the weather between a house and a
garage is called a breezeway
Attic space used as living space is found in a one and one-half story house
The L-shape kitchen is located along two walls
The one and one-half story house has a second floor with less square footage
than the first floor
The foyer typically includes a closet
The minimum depth for a wall-type wardrobe closet is 24”
Bedroom doors should be sized to allow for furniture movement
An “open” floor plan may combine several spaces (rooms) into one area
Bathrooms must have natural ventilation or an exhaust fan
The relationship that kitchen design and efficiency have is based upon the three
centers (storage, preparation, cleaning)
A casement window is hinged on the side and swings out
A door on a clothes closet (not a walk-in) should be as large as possible
Detailed window information is most likely found on a schedule
Double hung windows slides up and down
7’-0” is the standard height for an overhead garage door
Doors equipped with a sill are typically exterior doors


A water closet symbol would be drawn using a floor plan template
Dashed lines that follow the counters in a kitchen floor plan most likely represent
upper (wall hung) cabinets
ELECTRICAL
 A small circle with three lines best describes the symbol for a 220 volt outlet
 An electrical plan would include illustrations for distribution panel, meter and
lighting outlets
 A circle with two lines and one side shaded best describes the split-wired
duplex receptacle outlet symbol
 120 volts is the required voltage to operate a dishwasher
 Weatherproof outlets are usually installed on the exterior of a house
 The recommended maximum distance for the service conductors to run inside the
house before they reach the main disconnect switch is 20’-0”
 The voltage rating needed for a refrigerator outlet is 120 volts
 The most logical place for a 3-way switch is in the hall
 To create a clear electrical plan, the electrical symbols should be placed on a floor
plan without dimensions
 Approximate locations are used to describe the placement of symbols on an
electrical fixture plan
 The bathroom is the area of a home that would usually not require three-way
switches
 Switches that operate a closet light should be located outside the closet
 Outlets should be spaced for small appliances in the KITCHEN 4 feet apart
 The purpose of a legend on an electrical plan is to explain symbols
 The switch for the main source of light for a room should be located on the latch
side of the entrance door
 A duplex convenience outlet should be located on any wall longer than 2’-0”
 Ground Fault Interrupt outlets should be installed in bathrooms and other wet
areas
 A range is most likely to require an independent (220volt) circuit
 Two three-way switches are required for a stairway between main levels of a
home
 220 volts is required by a clothes dryer





The most popular scale for residential floor plan drawings is ¼” = 1’ – 0”
The “scale” selected to create a drawing depends upon the size of structure and
plot size
¼” = 1’ – 0” is located on an architect’s scale
A sectional drawing of a building is a floor plan
Dimensions are placed so that they can be read from the bottom and right
side of the page







Dimensional chains should be added and compared against the overall
dimension
Six inches should be written for architectural drawings like 6”
The overall building dimensions should be placed outside the other dimensions
A line with arrowheads indicating direction are how ceiling joists often are
noted on a floor plan
The outer dimension lines on a floor plan should dimension the overall width
and depth of the structure
The purpose of annotation on a drawing is to clarify what a symbol represents
Aligned dimensioning is the dimensioning system most commonly used in
architectural drafting
Types of Windows
Types of Doors
Minimum width of doors to a bedroom, to a closet, walk-in, front entrance
Minimum height of doors to a garage
A number with a circle around it on a floor plan is what
A door schedule is what
A window schedule is what
Jamb is the door and window frame
Door that are typically equipped with a are panel doors
A primary consideration in designing a functional plan is the traffic patterns
Work Triangle (what and size 22’-0”)
Three centers in a work triangle
Types of kitchens
Foyer
Three areas to a house are living, sleeping, service
Size of a garage,
4” reinforced concrete should be best for garage floor
Size of minimum hallway
Depth to a linen closet, wardrobe closet, walk-ins
Kitchen base cabinets and wall cabinet depths
ROOM PLACEMENT (dining adjacent to kitchen,
Definition of rooms
Half-bath
Compartmented bath
Number of bedrooms in a typical house is THREE
What must a bathroom have “natural ventilation or an exhaust fan”
SYMBOLS
 Walls (brick veneer, concrete, wood, brick, metal studs








Brick veneer wall thickness 9”, exterior wood frame wall thickness 6”
Bath fixtures
Kitchen Fixtures
The line that runs in front of door and wall is the sill
Symbols on a template
Dotted lines on countertops (wall cabinets)
Door and window symbols
Reading a floor plan
Dimensioning a floor plan