What site plan software can I use on a computer?

Any program that draws to a true scale can make a site plan, but none of them knows your lot unless it starts from the land records. CAD holds a scale most reliably. A vector drawing app or a modelling program can do it once you set real units. A word processor places shapes but does not hold a scale. A site plan app that starts from the address saves the two slow parts, the boundaries and the distances.

What does any program need from you first?

the length and direction of every boundary, from the survey plan
the size and position of the house and every other structure, measured on site
the size and position of the new work
easements and the sewer line

Without these the result is a picture of a yard, not a plan anyone can read distances from. The post on drawing a site plan for council lists the rest.

Can I use a word processor or spreadsheet?

You can place lines and boxes, but neither is built to hold a scale. Shapes snap to the page rather than to real distances, and the print can come out a different size from the screen.

What about a drawing app or a modelling program?

A vector drawing app does better, because many let you set a document scale, so a unit on the page stands for a set distance on the ground. Lock the scale before you start and export a PDF at a stated paper size. A modelling program draws at real size and gives you the elevations from the same model. Either way, tracing over an aerial brings its errors in with it, which the post on drawing from an aerial photo covers.

Is CAD worth learning for one job?

Rarely. CAD draws in real units, keeps the boundaries, the buildings and the new work on separate layers, and prints to any scale. For one shed or carport, learning it takes far longer than drawing the sheet.

Where does the boundary data come from?

From the survey plan behind your title, which gives each boundary’s length and direction. Your state’s land titles office sells copies, and the post on your lot and plan number shows what to ask for. Lines on a council map are a guide, and finding the boundaries on the ground can take a surveyor.

How do I check the plan before it goes in?

Print it at the stated paper size and measure a known length against the scale. Check that the boundaries close and match the survey plan, that each distance runs square from the outermost part of the work, and that the scale, north point and address are on the sheet.

Reading it for your own lot

RapidSiteplan reads the council and building rules for your lot from its address, checks the design against them as you place it, lets you edit it as often as you like, and prints the site plan. Site plans and assessments in minutes. It runs in your browser with nothing to install, and the lot and the scale come loaded from the address.

Search your address, or see what the plan shows for a shed, carport or other outbuilding. The Hobart page lists what we hold for that council, and site plans by council covers the rest of Australia.

Common questions

What site plan software can I use on a computer? Any program that draws to a true scale: a CAD program, a vector drawing app with a document scale, a modelling program set to real units, or a site plan app that starts from the address. A word processor places shapes but does not hold a scale well.

Can I draw a site plan on a computer without CAD? Yes. A vector drawing app or a modelling program can do it if you set real units and a stated scale before you start.

What does a site plan creator need from me? A tool that starts from the address loads the lot, and you add the size and position of the new work. You still check the boundaries against the survey plan.