http://www.learningconstruction.com Step by Step tutorial about how to read floor plans and blueprints. A floor plan (floorplan) in architecture and building engineering is a diagram, usually to scale, of the relationships between rooms, spaces and other physical features at one level of a structure. Dimensions are usually drawn between the walls to specify room sizes and wall lengths. Floor plans will also include details of fixtures like sinks, water heaters, furnaces, etc. Floor plans will include notes to specify finishes, construction methods, or symbols for electrical items. Similar to a map the orientation of the view is downward from above, but unlike a conventional map, a plan is understood to be drawn at a particular vertical position (commonly at about 3 feet above the floor). Objects below this level are seen, objects at this level are shown ‘cut’ in plan-section, and objects above this vertical position within the structure are omitted or shown dashed. Plan view or “platform” is defined as a vertical orthographic projection of an object on a horizontal plane, like a map. This video applies to a commercial or residential construction project.