Is there any way for me to get blueprints for my house? Is there a government agency that holds onto things like that?

12/11/2009 11:00:01 AM

doubtful, although you could an architect or draftsperson to do some asbuilts.

if you've got a tape and some knowledge of cad or anything similar, you could do them if your house isn't super complicated. well it really depends on why you need them. if it's just to have them, then do it yourself. anything else, get a professional.

12/11/2009 11:01:50 AM

i don't need them... i'm trying to learn autocad and i wanted a reference, and i figured i'd use my house.

12/11/2009 11:04:16 AM

i did this a while back (drew up floor plan in autocad).

if anyone has them it would be (in order of likelihood):
1. general contractor
2. architect of record
3. engineer of record
4. dept. of inspections (bldg permit)
5. subcontractors

the more recently your home was built, the more likely someone will have it on file.


[Edited on December 11, 2009 at 11:36 AM. Reason : ..]

12/11/2009 11:35:39 AM

well if you decide to try it yourself, interior walls are typically 4" nowadays.

12/11/2009 11:44:50 AM

awesome. my real goal is go construct a 3-d model of my house so i can plan and visualize crazy additions to it (and subsequently get shot down by the wife)

[Edited on December 11, 2009 at 12:24 PM. Reason : ]

12/11/2009 12:24:07 PM

for that purpose^, it seems that something like Google's SketchUp would be a more useful tool. I use AutoCAD some for work and everything but if I was doing what it seems like you want to do, I would probably use SketchUp.

12/11/2009 12:29:11 PM

that's true... i have used sketch up, but i also want to use some new software and learn how to use it. I have Maya, AutoCAD, 3ds-max, and stuff like that i'm trying to learn.

12/11/2009 1:02:01 PM

or Inventor if you have access to it

12/11/2009 1:03:04 PM

Revit > AutoCAD

12/11/2009 1:10:29 PM

is it for real or is that just an opinion? i'm completely ignorant of the intricacies of these programs.

12/11/2009 7:11:14 PM

Quote :

"well if you decide to try it yourself, interior walls are typically 4" nowadays."

no, there aren't

12/11/2009 8:18:06 PM

Quote :

"is it for real or is that just an opinion? i'm completely ignorant of the intricacies of these programs."

I don't use either, but my father has been an architect for 30+ years. He started using AutoCAD in the early '90s and switched to Revit within the past 4-5 years, if I recall correctly.

Apparently one of the big differences is that with Revit, you draw with 'building materials' rather than lines that represent building materials. Apparently it also does a really good job of translating between 2D and 3D, and automatically draws in one when you draw in the other.

This is all hearsay from what he's told me, so I'd take that for what it is worth. I recently asked how how much faster he draws buildings in Revit vs. AutoCAD -- he said he would be out of business if he still used AutoCAD.


I'll also mention that a Revit license is ~$4,000+ last time I checked, so unless you've got money to spare...

[Edited on December 11, 2009 at 8:54 PM. Reason : ]

12/11/2009 8:53:42 PM

oh i'm not worried about that.

12/11/2009 11:30:57 PM