Floor plans in London

What the planning system expects

Where a plan supports an application, the rule is clear: Drawn to an identified scale; plans show north. Plans missing either can be returned as invalid, so this is the first thing we check.

A floor plan alone does not make an application. For that you need elevations and a site plan too, which is why you may move on to planning drawings once the layout is settled.

If you only need a plan for a sale, a mortgage or a builder's quote, you can commission the floor plans on their own.

Plans for new flats and shared houses

Layouts that create homes are tested against rules, and floor plans are where that test is run. For new dwellings the national floor-area table says: Minimum GIA: 1b1p 39 m² (37 m² with shower), 1b2p 50 m², 2b3p 61 m², 2b4p 70 m² (one-storey dwellings); 3b4p 74 m², 3b5p 86 m². Bedrooms have separate minimums: Single bedroom at least 7.5 m² and 2.15 m wide; double at least 11.5 m², one double at least 2.75 m wide (others 2.55 m).

Shared houses have a stricter rule for sleeping rooms. The licensing minimum is: HMO sleeping rooms at least 6.51 m² (one adult), 10.22 m² (two adults). If you are converting to let rooms, the plan feeds straight into our HMO conversion drawings.

Where a house is divided, the matching flat conversion drawings use the same plan as the base.

Plans for leases and legal use

Lease documents need their own style of plan. HM Land Registry's rule is: Lease plans show the extent at each floor level. A general floor plan is a good starting point for that, but the lease plan has its own conventions, covered under lease plans.

If you are not sure which sheet a solicitor or lender needs, ask us before we draw. It is cheaper to draw the right plan first than to redraw.

We keep the file layers tidy, so one survey supports the floor plan, the lease plan and later proposals.

Floor plan prices

Floor plans start at £200, VAT included. The fee is fixed and published, and we confirm it for your address after the free constraints check.

Bigger houses with several storeys cost more to measure, and we quote them from the same price list. If you need the whole set of existing drawings, a measured building survey gives you plans, sections and elevations together.

We redraw at no charge if a council asks for changes on a submission that follows from our plans.

How we produce them

You send the address and what the plan is for. We confirm the price and book a visit. On site we measure every room on one datum and note anything that changes the layout, such as chimney breasts and steps.

We draw the plans in Revit and a second chartered technologist, not the drawer, checks them against our site notes before they reach you.

Plans are normally ready about a week after the survey. Need the sections and elevations too? See elevation and section drawings.

Choosing the right kind of floor plan

A floor plan for a planning application is not the same as one for a lettings brochure. Planning plans carry dimensions, wall thicknesses and a north point. Marketing plans put clarity and furniture first. Tell us which you need and we draw to that standard, not a blend of both.

If the project will go to a council later, ask for the planning standard first. A set drawn once and reused saves you paying twice, and our planning drawings build on the same model.

Existing and proposed plans must match line for line, with the same room names on both, so an officer can see what has changed. We name rooms consistently so there is no argument about what a space is for.

Floor plans by council

A floor plan reads the same in every borough, but what you can do with the layout depends on local rules. Each council page records conservation areas and Article 4 directions. See architectural drawings in Camden.

Find your area from architectural drawings by area.