What a good site plan needs
A useful residential site plan shows the property boundary, the existing house or structures, the proposed work area, driveways and walkways, and the distances between them. For most quoting and planning conversations, that's it — you don't need topographic contours or engineered grading details, you need a clear scaled drawing everyone can read.
SiteBuildHub's site plan drawing tool gives you exactly those pieces: a scaled grid where one square equals one foot, rectangles and lines for structures and boundaries, dimension lines that display real feet-and-inches lengths, and text labels for setbacks, easements, and notes.
- Property boundary with labeled lot dimensions
- House footprint, garage, and other structures
- Driveway, walkways, decks, and proposed work areas
- Setback dimensions from property lines
- North arrow note, labels, and a title block
How to draw a site plan online
Start from the residential site plan template, which loads a property line, a house footprint, a driveway, and sample setback dimensions. Adjust the shapes to match your lot — drag the boundary to the right proportions, move the house, and add any sheds, decks, or pads with the rectangle tool.
Then add dimension lines along each boundary and between structures. Because the grid is scaled, your measurements read in true feet and inches. Label anything a reader might question, fill in the title block with the project, client, and company, and export.
Why contractors use a site plan creator instead of CAD
Full CAD packages are built for engineers producing construction documents. If what you need is a site plan for a quote, a planning conversation, a landscaping proposal, or a jobsite briefing, CAD is slow, expensive overkill. A browser-based site plan maker gets you from blank sheet to client-ready PDF in minutes, with no download and nothing to learn beyond drag-and-draw.
You also keep everything in one place: saved drawings live in your SiteBuildHub dashboard, so the fence layout, the deck plan, and the site plan for the same property stay together.
Site plans and permits
Many municipalities accept clear, dimensioned site plans for small residential permits — but requirements vary a lot. Some require survey-grade drawings or a professional stamp for certain work. Always confirm what your local permitting office accepts before submitting, and use a licensed surveyor when boundary accuracy matters legally.
SiteBuildHub Draft is a planning and communication tool. It does not replace licensed survey, engineering, or architecture services, and it does not guarantee permit approval.
Site plan vs floor plan — know which one you need
A site plan shows the property from above: boundaries, the house, drives, decks, and the distances between them. A floor plan shows one building's rooms from above. They answer different questions — the site plan settles where the work sits on the lot, and the floor plan settles how the inside is laid out.
For most quoting and permit conversations you need the site plan first. Reach for a floor plan when the question is room layout, additions, or remodeling interiors — and keep the site plan handy whenever the work touches a property line, a setback, or an exterior structure.
When a sketch is enough and when you need a survey
A drawn site plan is enough when you are pricing work, briefing a crew, or showing a client the proposal. It documents what you measured and what you propose — it is not a legal boundary determination.
Bring in a licensed surveyor when the legal property line matters: a new fence on a disputed line, a structure near a setback, or any job where a municipality requires a stamped survey. Drawing your plan from survey pins (or a previous survey) keeps your sketch accurate without pretending to be the survey itself.
- Sketch: quotes, crew briefs, client proposals, internal planning
- Survey: disputed boundaries, setback-critical structures, stamp-required submissions
- Best practice: draw from survey data, label the source, never claim the sketch sets the line
Common site plan mistakes that slow down permits
A few recurring mistakes are the difference between a permit approved on the first pass and one bounced back for revision.
- Guessing setbacks instead of confirming them with the municipality or a survey
- Forgetting to label north, the scale, and the title block
- Leaving dimensions off structures so reviewers cannot verify clearances
- Mixing proposed work with existing conditions without marking what changes
- Omitting utility easements and overhead or underground lines from the drawing