Types of Pages

Here are the various types of pages you will see in a typical plan set.

#1

Title Page

This is the first page of the plan set. It lists some basic information about the project:

what the project is and who it is for
where the project is
who the project partners are
some basic building code references
data about the project (size, usage, type of construction, climactic information)
a sheet index or table of contents

In our plans, this page is typically A-100.

#2

General Notes

As the name suggests, this page has general information. Not every clause pertains to your project, but the majority of it will. It's the kind of information that applies to most projects and would be too repetitive to have to list separately throughout the plans.

It's a place to list some basic code requirements on framing or stairs and railings for example.

This page is typically A-101.

#3

Plan Views

This section of the plans will generally have most of the plan views, from the lowest level up:

footing plan
foundation plan
1st & 2nd floor plans
roof plan

In our plans, we typically number plan views in the A-200's (A-200, A-201, A-202 etc.).

Sometimes, depending on the project, we may have separate sections for:

structural framing plans (S-600s)
mechanical plans (M-700s)

#3

Sections

Depending on the size and complexity of a project, we may have 1 or 2 sections or we may have 8 or 10. A complicated roof line might justify having many sections looking at the building from multiple angles. As a former builder, I find if critical to have enough sections to clearly understand how the building comes together.

There may also be sections highlighting stairs, or complicated structural elements.

In our plans, we typically number section views in the A-300's (A-300, A-301, A-302 etc.).

#4

Elevations

Most projects will have 4 elevations: north, south, east, and west.

These will describe the exterior finishes of the building.

In our plans, we typically number elevation views in the A-400's (A-400, A-401, A-402 etc.).

#5

Details

Depending on a building's complexity and the materials that it is constructed with, there may be one detail page or there may multiple pages.

Details will have a location marker ("1A" for example), a title, and may list the scale it is drawn at (1 1/2" = 1' for example).

In our plans, we typically number detail views in the A-500's (A-500, A-501, A-502 etc.).