LESSON GUIDE:

PLOT PLANS, SITE DEVELOPMENT PLAN, VICINITY PLAN

SITE DEVELOPMENT PLAN is the outline and measurements of the proposed

building and its placement on the property. This shows the position and the location
of the building with property line, setbacks, approaches, grade contours, landscape
and other pertinent data in relation to the site. A site development plan is drawn using
a scale not smaller than 1:200meters.

SITE is an area of land available for construction or the lot on which a building is
constructed. Building site maybe a single lot, a series of lots, or a subdivision.
A lot is a piece of ground of specific size. A subdivision is a large tract of land
that is being developed

Planning and Designing

A master plan is defined as the visual presentation of conceptual ideas
supported by mathematical calculations aimed at giving convenience and comfort to
the users or occupants. Good plans are those that are functional and economical
following the principles of “Form Follows Functions”.
PLANNING CONSIDERATION IN DEVELOPING THE SITE

ORIENTATION - Location of a proposed house on the lot. The location of the

house must be considered in order to determine the locations of the rooms and the
house itself on the lot. Some lots are located on swampy grounds and others on hilly
or rugged terrain. Still others are sited near rivers, highways, streets and squatter
areas.

 The front part of the house generally faces the street or away from ugly views
like the back parts of neighboring houses, a swampy area, and thick bushes.
 Many want their bedrooms to face the sunrise – which is, on the eastern side
of the lot. Others, especially those who work at night, prefer their bedrooms
located on the west side.
 The breeze at the site may determine the location of the living room and toilet
or bathrooms.
 The height of the flood waters in the locality should also be considered in
determining the distance of the first floor from the ground. This is especially true
in low areas. In high locations the floor may be 20 cm. only from the ground
level.
 The house may be located at the center of the lot. Or one of its sides may be
exactly on a lot line or fence. In this case, a firewall which is made of concrete,
adobe, and concrete hollow blocks should be constructed on this side of the
house.

DISTRIBUTION. Refers to the placement, location and arrangement of each room unit
in relation with each other as to function and coordination.
 The relation between the dining and the kitchen which primarily requires
accessibility on food servicing. These areas are interrelated and should not be
far from each other. To make the handling of meals easy, the sequence of food
preparation should be provided for in the layout of the kitchen and its
equipment.
 Three work areas are necessary: the mixing area, the sink area and the cooking
area. Supplies and equipment for use at each work areas should be stored
closed at hand.
 There is a direct path between the work areas, forming the so-called “work
triangle” by which the efficiency of a kitchen can be assessed. The sum of
SIZES, AREAS and SHAPES. All rooms are intended for human use, therefore, it
should be planned according to human scale. Good design always provides ample
areas to accommodate furniture, appliances, and other related facilities, including the
critical and important lanes or pathways for routinely movements inside the house.

CIRCULATION. Circulation and movement of the occupants inside the building should
not be hampered by any obstacles nor be detoured as result of poor planning.

LIGHT and VENTILATION. There is no substitute for a good daylight and fresh natural
air entering and circulating inside the building. Artificial lighting and ventilation is very
costly to those who cannot afford, others prefer it for maximum comfort regardless of
costs.

Rule VIII of the New National Building Code under the 2005 Implementing
Rules & Regulations (No. 8)
“Rooms intended for any use not provided with artificial ventilation shall be provided
with a window with a total free area equal to least 10% of the floor area of the room
but not less than 1.00 sqm Toilet and bathrooms and laundry rooms shall be provided
with windows with an area not less than 1/20 of the floor area but not less than 240
sq.mm. Such windows shall open directly to a court, yard, public street or alley or open
watercourse”.

HEIGHT. A moderate height ceiling allows fresh air circulations, comfortable

atmosphere, and preserve aesthetic value of the room. Room with low ceiling
has warm atmosphere that requires artificial ventilation.

Rule VIII of the New National Building Code under the 2005 Implementing
Rules & Regulations (No. 6)

Ceiling Heights:
1. Habitable rooms provided with artificial ventilation shall have ceiling heights not less
than 2.40 m. For buildings of more than 1 storey, the minimum height of the first storey
shall be 2. 70 m., for the second storey, 2.40 m., and for the succeeding storeys, 2.10
m. Above mentioned rooms with natural ventilation shall have ceiling
height of not less than 2.70 m.
2. Mezzanine floors shall have a clear ceiling height of not less than 1.80 above and
below it.
LIKE AND DISLIKES OF THE FAMILY MEMBERS. This factor is usually considered
when the family can afford to pay for the services of an architect or draftsman. Before
he designs the house, the architect or draftsman has to first interview the members of
the family to get information about their interests, hobbies, and the like. From such
interviews, he will get to know whether the family wants a library or study room, a
social hall, a playroom, a music room, a swimming pool, a carport or garage, servant’s
quarters, a driver’s room, a landscaped garden, a balcony, and a roof garden. carport
or garage, servant’s quarters, a driver’s room, a landscaped garden, a balcony, and a
roof garden.

PROPERTY LINES are those lines working outside of the lot area.

A starting point for the development of plans for a building is the preparation of a
dimensioned drawing showing property lines.

Setback- refers to the distance at how far a building can be built within the property
lines.
Zoning - refers to the legal restrictions on size, location, and type of structures to be
built on a designated area.

Zoning Laws
One major area covered by building code is the zoning laws. Zoning laws were
developed to keep different areas of a community from interfering with each other. In
some cities or towns, separate areas are set aside for specific uses. Examples are
residential, commercial, and industrial. These are established and protected by zoning
laws. In addition, zoning laws establish standards for construction in different sizes
and uses.

Building Code are local laws that set standard for structural design within the
community.
This is a collection of local laws that regulate the building of homes and other
structures. These legal requirements are intended to protect the safety and health of
the people who live and work in the buildings. They regulate restrictions concerning
the construction of buildings to provide safety to the occupants.

All constructions in an area must meet the requirements of building codes.

Some of the designs and construction features covered by building codes include:
 Qualifications of persons who can design building within the area.
 Structural design that can be used
 Lot sizes for certain types of buildings
 Types and sizes of materials that can be used.

National Building Code Rules:

1. For one-storey wooden or frame house, the height of the floor plan from the
ground should not be less than 1.50 m.
2. Walls with window opening should not be less than 2.00 m. from the lot line
of fence. In other words, adjacent houses should not be at least 4.00 m. from each
other.
3. The front part of a house should not be less than 3.00 m. from the lot line
along the street.
4. No windows should be constructed along a wall of a house if this wall is flush
with or exactly on the lot line.
LOT MENSURATION AND PLOTTING

Types of Lot
1. Inside lot Is a lot surrounded on each side by other lots
2. Through lot is a lot having frontage on two public streets or highways
3. Corner lot is a lot with at least two adjacent sides meeting on a corner of two streets.
4. Open lot is a lot bounded on all sides by streets or pathways

Percentage of Lot Occupancy

1. Every building, except those especially mentioned in the building ordinance, shall
be limited in its occupancy.

Limitation of Lot Occupancy

a. To secure natural light and ventilation
b. For better fire protection

2. Limits of Lot Occupancy

Domestic building on inside lot - 70%
Domestic building on corner lot - 90%
Non-Domestic building on inside lot - 90%
Non-domestic building on corner lot - 95%

Measurement of Lot Occupancy

1. Measurement of lot occupancy shall be taken at ground level
2. Items not included in measurements:
a. Court
b. Yard
c. Light well

(Light Well - same as close court only, it has no passages it is used only for illumination
and ventilation. Doors are used only for maintenance.)
Lot Plotting

Protractor is an instrument graduated in angular degrees for measuring and laying out
angles.
Types of Protractor

Note: It is suggested that diameter of protractor is not less than 4”. Bigger protractors
are naturally accurate.

Units of Protractor
Full Circle contains 4 quadrants
One quadrant - 900 (degrees)
One degree – 60’ (minutes)
One minute – 60” (seconds)

How to use Protractor

1. ZERO CENTER the protractor on given point of desired angle.
2. ALIGN 0-AXIS (base of protractor) against one side of desired angle.
3. MARK OFF desired angle at the edge of protractor (start reading from 0-degree)
Setting the Protractor

Procedures in lot plotting:

1. NORTH is always to be pointed vertical up with respect to the paper.
2. Bearing is read, plotted and marked off directly as, due NORTH, due SOUTH,
due WEST, or due EAST
3. Plotting starts with point 1 and ends with point 1
4. Compass axes North-South and West-East are zeroed in each point and bearing
marked off.

Drafting practices in lot plotting:

1. All drawings and labels are inked.
2. Use only standard plotting paper if submitted as part of Contract Document.
3. Lot points are represented by small circle and point no. indicated near it within
the lot whenever possible.
4. Bearing and Magnitude are centered to lot line and within the lot whenever
possible.
NOTE: Bearing and Magnitude must be written and readable from South West
quadrant.
5. Lot No. and Block No. are written at the center of lot.
6. Subdivision streets are indicated as Street Lot No. ____. It is directly centered
and parallel to respective streets.
7. Scale is indicated under the NORTH symbol for non-documentary work and
proper position for documentary Plotting Paper.
SELF- CHECK NO. 1

Check your mastery in Lot Plotting by completing the tasks below.

Direction: Given the following diagram. Mark-off bearings using protractors by

applying the procedures in lot plotting and measure the lot line using ruler.