Questions about building plans

[marian]

Im new here and new at this type of information sharing. My question is do the house plans include blue prints?

[John Raabe]

Yes, all our building plans include the scaled architectural drawings and details needed to build a home and apply for a building permit. This is what is referred to as "blueprints". Such drawings are no longer blue however, but are on white paper with black drawings. This makes it simpler and less expensive to make copies that might be needed for builders, subs and the local building department.

Historical note: Blueprints were made on a special paper that turned dark blue when exposed to ammonia gas. Original drawings done in ink or pencil on translucent paper (velum) would be exposed to sunlight or a bright light with the blueprint paper in contact with the original above. The blueprint paper, when exposed, would have white lines where the lines on the original had been. Thus the blueprint was a negative of the original.

Most builders or building departments have never seen a real blueprint but the name survives for all construction drawings.

[Don_P]

And they were not real fun to read either, I'll take the modern version any day!

[marian]

Thanks so much for the speedy reply. I really like the feel of Countryplans.com and being able to watch the homes as they are being built, hear from all of the owner/builders and the many tips and suggestions. Sorry about my initial suspiciousness about the low cost of the plans. Im still a novice at all of this including the use of forums. I really love the Universal Cottage and hope to be building it this spring or sooner. As for the use of forums, please bear with me. Thanks,Marian

[MountainDon]

We had a blueprint machine in the high school wood lab.  That;s a while ago. 

[John Raabe]

When I was working in the Peace Corps in Iran (see Most Interesting Place I ever lived) it was the tea guy who made our blueprints. No electricity needed.

I would ring a little brass hand bell and give my drawing to the tea guy. He would take it and put it together with a sheet of blueprint paper and put it in a curved frame with a clear plastic cover holding the two papers pressed together. Then he would take this contraption up to the flat roof of the building and expose it to the sun using his watch as a timer (3 min. if I remember right). After exposure he would loosely roll up the blueprint page and set it in a tube with a small bowl filled with perhaps 1/4 cup of ammonia. After a few minutes in the vapors you would have a long lasting blueprint page.

The faint smell of ammonia was part of the architectural or engineering office environment in those days.

[Don_P]

I've got one or two old blueprints around still. We had switched to diazo, blueline, by the time I was in drafting class and I have a number of those from houses we've built, they don't hold up very well. The blacklines now are easier to read and hold up better. The house I'm working on now resides mostly inside my computer, I can see I'll need a good jobsite laptop before long. The day is probably not far off when I'll go to the building dept with a flash drive. All that practicing at lettering and inking, eraser bag fights and pointing pencils gone for naught...  

[MountainDon]

All that practicing at lettering and inking, eraser bag fights and pointing pencils gone for naught...  

But those of "us" who are in the know can make the neatest arrowheads.    And nobody else today knows what an eraser bag is.

Nope, not a bag of erasers.

 

[rick91351]

All that practicing at lettering and inking, eraser bag fights and pointing pencils gone for naught... 

But those of "us" who are in the know can make the neatest arrowheads.    And nobody else today knows what an eraser bag is.

Nope, not a bag of erasers.

 

Never have taken such a class  ---- Are you referring to

http://www.draftingsteals.com/catalog-pencil-sharpeners---erasing-supplies-draftman-s-cleaning-pads.html

Thank God for Google

[MountainDon]

yessir!!   

[John Raabe]

Remember these? http://www.leadholder.com/point-hunt-ke-docs.html

And using a sanding board to get that chisel point on your lead for lettering...

[MountainDon]

I don't have a genuine "period" sanding board anymore, but I do have some leadholders and leads and an eraser shield.
http://www.dickblick.com/products/alvin-erasing-shield/




Somewhere I think I may still have my old drafting set, compasses, dividers, beam bars, tips, etc.   Zip up leather case.

[John Raabe]

Everyday tools around here...

[Don_P]

Took a picture of my "kit" but it looks way to shopworn compared to John's daily drivers. My eraser shield is gone... well repurposed, they make great wood putty shields, fit right over a nail hole or defect then you can work the goo in without filling the grain of all the surrounding wood.

[duncanshannon]

hi!   

I'm pretty new here too.... and have loved my experience so far. Very friendly people, fascinating tales of building, and most impressively is the willingness to help explain and problem solve with you!  its pretty incredible.

You should introduce yourself and tell us your plans!