How to Draw Yard Plans
- What to Include
- Cartoon Materials
- Computer Landscape Drawing
- Scaled Cartoon
- Measuring and Mapping
- Copies and Prints
Preparing a landscape plan can be an enjoyable and satisfying feel if you lot do a trivial homework and follow a few guidelines. A simple mural base map tin be drawn without a computer, special software or even expensive drafting supplies, and is the kickoff step in developing a landscape program. The base map is an accurate representation of the existing landscape, scaled to fit the paper, showing data such as firm dimensions, distance to street, and the location of trees, woods, driveways and sidewalks, if these are already present in the landscape.
What to Include
Figure i. Example of base map
A good base map should show all structures, including sidewalks and driveways. The outline or footprint of the house should also include the location of doors, windows, heating and air conditioning units, and spigots. Draw the street in front of the business firm along with the property lines. The base map should also include the locations of meters, utility boxes and poles, as these are expensive to motion and require occasional access. Some base of operations maps too show details such as the location of overhead and underground utilities, streams, ditches and any easements or setbacks. Interesting landscape features such every bit stone outcroppings could also be fatigued on a landscape base map. The base map is commonly fatigued subsequently completing a site analysis. (See UGA Extension Circular 1032-4, Drawing a Landscape Plan: Site Analysis, for more information on conducting a site analysis.)
Drawing Materials
The base map is essentially a birdâ??southward-centre view of the landscape. Features of the landscape are fatigued with a sharp pencil or rolling ink pen. Nearly beginners adopt to describe mural plans using a regular pencil and a proficient eraser. Special drafting pencils vary based on the hardness of the lead. The typical rating system for drafting pencils goes from 6H to 6B, where 6H is very difficult and light and 6B is very soft and night. Unlike pencil lead weights assist depict the landscape features in different ways. Ink pens make clearer, darker lines, simply erasing is near impossible. Smearing is also a potential problem with ink pens. Inexpensive pens with a rolling tip piece of work nigh as well every bit the more expensive professional pens with interchangeable heads.
The blazon of newspaper used to describe a landscape programme depends on the type of copy that will be made and how the plan volition be used. Landscape architects commonly draw on a stiff tracing paper called vellum and then re-create onto bail, which is the aforementioned paper used in most computer printers. Graph paper helps beginners make accurate measurements and makes it easier to calculate the area of an enclosed infinite. Each square on the graph paper tin can be used to represent a specific dimension. For example, if 1 square equals a square foot, a square that is four squares by four squares in size would represent sixteen square feet. Bluish-lined graph newspaper can exist copied and the graph lines will non testify if the copier is at a lighter setting. Large sheets of white paper and graph paper are unremarkably available wherever fine art supplies are sold and tin also be found at blueprint supply companies. With a base map complete, tracing newspaper can be laid overtop to experiment with different landscape ideas. Straight lines and circles are drawn to correspond the elements of the landscape. For example, circles are fatigued to stand for the approximate area covered by the tree awning. A mutual ruler and circular objects such every bit coins and jar lids tin exist used, and inexpensive templates are available from office supply stores. Everything can as well exist fatigued free-hand, depending on your skill and the accuracy required. Cartoon boards and drafting tables are used by professionals to provide a clean, smoothen surface for drawing. Some come with a sliding straight edge continued. These special boards are expensive for onetime users, merely may be worth the expense if drawing is a frequent activeness. Otherwise, the drawing paper can be placed on a clean, smoothen table.
Reckoner Landscape Cartoon
Many people are uncomfortable with hand cartoon and experience figurer drafting is easier and more accurate. There are many software programs available, only in general, those that are easy to apply do not provide very authentic drawings and those that create accurate drawings take a long time to acquire. Many of the programs that provide 3-D imagery are less accurate and offering a selection of plants non always adapted to Georgia. If you are skilled with computers, the best programs are those that are used by landscape architects and engineers and draw using "vector graphics" and "real" measurements and dimensions. In that location are inexpensive versions of vector graphic programs and even some "freeware" programs available that can create accurate drawings. Other than how the drawing is drafted, the process of drawing by manus or computer is similar.
Scaled Drawing
The cartoon of the landscape should be scaled to accurately to depict the landscape and permit measurements to exist taken from the drawing. A scaled cartoon ways that measurements taken exterior will be drawn in a much smaller dimension on the paper, depending on the size of scale used. Most landscape plans are drawn to a scale of ane:x, which means that x anxiety on the footing equals 1 inch on newspaper. For case, a 100-foot driveway would exist 10 inches on paper. Using a i:4 scale, 100 anxiety would exist 25 inches on paper. Other popular landscape scales are one:4, 1:5, 1:viii, 1:10, 1:16 and 1:20. Scales of ane:iv, i:8 or 1:16 match the common increments used on a conventional ruler, but scales of 1:10 and 1:twenty are used by engineers and landscape architects. Scaled rulers, particularly for drafting, are available with multiple scale increments marked on them. They are inexpensive and can make drawing easier. The size of the newspaper and the size of surface area to be represented will determine the calibration called. The larger the piece of paper, the smaller the possible scale, which makes it easier to read. If the landscape area cannot fit onto the paper without scaling down to a size that is hard to read, several sheets of paper will be necessary. One benefit of computer drafting is the ability to impress the drawing at diverse scales, depending on access to larger printers.
Measuring and Mapping
If the house is fairly new, much of the base data will exist found on a belongings survey, subdivision plat or human action. Current belongings maps and base information are frequently bachelor from the local planning office. County tax offices may also be a source of information. In many areas, this information is now available online through county websites, or in some cases, through websites that provide aerial imagery. If none of these are bachelor, it will be necessary to take the measurements and create a base of operations map. For this job, a 100-foot measuring tape is helpful.
First, locate the property corner markers. If none are found, estimate their locations. Mensurate from each corner point and record this on a sketch of the property. Make the sketch approximately the shape of the belongings purlieus line. This process may take several attempts to become accurate dimensions that fit together to class the boundary, only the time spent at this footstep will make the remainder of the drawing easier and more accurate. If the corner markers cannot be plant, avert landscape activity shut to the estimated boundary that will impose on neighbors and possibly violate local zoning and building codes. If there is any question about holding line location, the price of a professional surveyor will pay for itself in the long run. If the belongings is too large to measure, consider mapping only the area called for the landscape project. Measure the street and sidewalk in relation to the holding lines before locating the business firm. In most situations, there are setbacks and easements from the street that could affect the landscape plans, so check with the local planning office to get this information and draw in these lines as well.
Next, take measurements of the house by starting at a corner that faces the street. Sketch in the approximate outline, or footprint, of the house. Testify all the corners and turns. Then mensurate from the starting time corner of the house to the next point the firm changes management and record this distance on the sketch. Mensurate from this second signal on the business firm to the street. Keep the measuring tape as straight as possible. Continue forth the front end of the house, measuring to each turning point, and then out to the street. Every indicate does non need a measurement to the street. When finished measuring along the front of the house, move to the other three sides. Be sure to measure and indicate on the drawing items such as porches, ac units, steps and the front door. These, and other like elements, tin can be critical to the concluding design. Once the house is measured on all sides, stop and draw a scaled version of the entire firm or the portions that relate to the landscape plan. This will serve every bit guide for the remaining measurements.
With the house drawn on the base of operations map, motion out into the yard and record measurements of existing beds, natural areas, individual copse and any other mural elements such as gardens or dog pens. The easiest mode to measure the locations of landscape features is to measure the distance from the house or known location and a 2d fixed location, such every bit the street or driveway. This will increase the accurateness of the drawing and make it easier to draw on the program. For example, to locate a tree in the yard, measure from two different corners on the house to the tree. The two distances can exist matched upwardly on the base map to correctly prove the location of the tree.
Copies and Prints
One time the measuring and drawing of all the features is complete, the base map can be "cleaned up" with an eraser or liquid paper to remove smudge marks, crooked lines and whatever other non-essential lines or notes. This drawing can then be copied onto standard white bond paper. Make several copies of the base map to use in preparing the last programme. Whatsoever landscape design plans tin can exist fatigued on these copies or drawn on tracing paper laid over height.
Condition and Revision History
Published on May 15, 2006
Published on Feb 27, 2009
Published with Minor Revisions on Jun 21, 2013
Published with Full Review on May 31, 2017
Source: https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=C1032-3&title=Drawing+a+Landscape+Plan%2C+The+Base+Map
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