Site Plans and Natural Features
≈ 38 minSite Plans and Natural Features
A site plan places the building on its stand and shows its relationship to boundaries, services and the ground itself. It is drawn at a smaller scale than the floor plan — commonly 1:200 or 1:500.
It shows: the erf (stand) boundaries with dimensions; the building footprint; building lines (the minimum distance a structure must be set back from each boundary); the north point; access, driveway and paving; the connection points for water, sewer and electricity; and existing natural features such as trees and rock outcrops.
Contours show the ground's shape. Each contour line joins points of equal height, and the contour interval is the vertical distance between adjacent lines. Closely spaced contours mean steep ground; widely spaced means flat. The slope determines where a building can economically be placed and how much excavation is needed.
Worked example. A building placed across closely spaced contours needs deep excavation on the uphill side and fill on the downhill side. Rotating it to sit along the contours can remove most of that earthworks cost — a decision visible only on a site plan with contours.
Core checkpoint: The site plan answers where the building sits and how the ground behaves. It is a different question from what the building is.
What is the difference between the erf boundary and the building line?
What do closely spaced contour lines indicate?
Why can rotating a building to sit along the contours reduce cost?
At what scale is a site plan typically drawn compared with a floor plan?