How to Read Prefabricated House Floor Plans

The method for reading prefabricated house floor plans is similar to that of ordinary house floor plans, focusing mainly on orientation, wall structure, scale dimensions, illustrated content, and other details.

1. Orientation Determination: Unless specifically marked, floor plans are typically arranged with 'north at the top, south at the bottom, west on the left, and east on the right'. You can observe the house's orientation from the floor plan. Generally, the order of orientation quality is south, southeast, east, southwest, north, and west. Different regions can choose an appropriate orientation based on local climate, sunlight, and other actual conditions to achieve better lighting and ventilation effects.
2. Wall Structure Identification: In floor plans, black solid sections generally represent load-bearing walls, which play a crucial role in supporting the house's structure and should not be removed arbitrarily. White sections are non-load-bearing walls, which can be removed or modified according to renovation needs. Additionally, black dots indicate structural columns, and diagonal lines represent shear walls, both of which are key to the house's seismic performance. Blank walls indicate partitions.
3. Scale and Dimension Calculation: Floor plans are usually drawn to scale, such as 1:50, 1:100, or 1:200. You can use the numerical scale on the plan to calculate the room's width and depth, thereby determining whether the width-to-depth ratio is appropriate. A suitable width-to-depth ratio ensures reasonable utilization of the house's interior space and居住 (living) comfort. (Here, '居住' is kept in Chinese as it's a specific term; in a full translation, it would be replaced with its English equivalent 'living' within the context.)
4. Illustrated Content Analysis:
   • Ground Floor Plan: Includes the positions of walls and columns and their axis numbers; positions and numbers of doors and windows; names of each room and indoor and outdoor floor elevations; stair positions, directions of travel, number of steps, and platform elevations; positions and dimensions of balconies, canopies, and steps; shapes and positions of indoor equipment; sectional view cutting symbols and numbers; dimensions of wall thickness, wall sections, doors, and windows.
   • Standard Floor Plan: Includes positions and numbers of doors and windows; names, dimensions, and floor elevations of each room; positions of walls and columns and their axis numbers; stair positions, directions of travel, number of steps, and platform elevations; positions and dimensions of balconies and canopies; shapes and positions of indoor equipment; and detail index symbols.
   • Roof Plan: Includes the projections of roof eaves, gutters, roof slopes, water dividers, and drainage outlets; positions of roof water tanks, manholes, fire escapes, and other structures; and index symbols.
5. Other Details to Note: Understand the difference between gross floor area and usable floor area. Gross floor area includes shared spaces such as corridors, hallways, and elevator shafts, while usable floor area refers to the actual living space inside the house. Also, pay attention to any bonus areas designed by developers, which are often declared for construction purposes as balconies or terraces but may be used differently in practice.