How to read architectural drawings

The floor plan is a bird's-eye view looking straight down with the roof removed — it shows walls, door and window placement, and room dimensions. Numbers along the edges are measurements; a small circle or arrow near a door shows which way it swings.

Elevations are straight-on views of each exterior wall, showing siding, window and door placement, and roofline from the outside — useful for picturing how the building will actually look from the yard.

A wall section is a vertical slice through the building, from roof to footing, showing every layer — roofing, insulation, framing, sheathing — stacked in order. It's the drawing your contractor or permit office will look at most closely, since it proves the assembly meets code.

Every BlueWood set also includes a schedule (a table listing window and door sizes) and a material list. Read the floor plan first for layout, elevations second for looks, and the wall section last for how it all actually goes together — in that order, the drawings explain themselves.