Design project/design student

3 years ago

I'm a landscape design student and I figured to get practice with drawing to scale and taking measurements, I would make up a to scale rendering on the current property I live on. The house is a tiny home. 28ft. Wide x 16ft long. 15 feet from the back corner of the home is a conifer and going 176ft. South from the home are a trail of conifers.
Whats throwing me is that im using the largest scale avaible on the scale ruler i have. 3/32 which is every 1 inch = 10 ft.
So theres no possible way to get the exent if the line of conifers on paper with the house with that scale. Do I need another scale ruler?

Featured Answer

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

3 years ago

If I am reading this correctly, you just need a larger piece of paper, not another scale :-)

Architects, landscape architects and landscape designers all tend to use an architect's scale for the bulk of their projects rather than an engineer's scale.......it ls pretty standard for the industry. Using an engineer's scale will produce drawings that are too confining or small and the detail can't be seen clearly. Okay for site plans but not much use for anything else. The standard scale an architect or landscape designer uses is 1/8" equals one foot as that tends to be the easiest to read clearly and with sufficient detail to make sense for both client and contractors. On smaller projects or partial designs (like a single planting plan) an even larger scale might be used......1/4" = 1'

3/32" is the smallest scale on an architect's scale. Using this scale, to fit the trail of conifers at 176', you need an 18" x 24" piece of drafting paper.

I got my first degree ( M Arch) before CAD became a thing and my second degree in landscape design and ornamental horticulture many years later but still when hand drafting was the most common practice. It is pretty much second nature to me now after some 35 years in professional practice.🤗

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Comments (9)

Seabornman
3 years ago
You need an engineer's scale, with scales ranging from 1"=20' on up (or is it down?).
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Patricia Colwell Consulting
3 years ago
Yep.
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HU-490179836
Original Author
3 years ago
Exactly what I needed to know. Im going to have to draw up what I can while I wait for a new rule to come in. I get now how a design can take weeks to finalize. The whole process, as tedious as it may seem at times, really is a huge joy.

Now I just need to see if I need a business lisence to freelance.
3onthetree
3 years ago
^ Pretty much sums it up. 1/4" is the scale to shoot for, but usually must go smaller to fit on your paper. Overall site plans would be in engineer's.

Just to add, as you are illustrating presentation drawings and finding your personal drawing style, for (landscape) drawings shadows (not just adding greys), lineweights, leaders (the line and arrowhead from text), and text alignment can set apart presentations from others.
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
3 years ago
In my world, measuring a property is the ultimate tedium (would be faster if I had a laser measure but I'm kinda old school) but scaling a drawing off of those measurements is speedy fast.

And if you intend to operate as a business, freelance or not, you will need a business license.
HU-490179836
Original Author
3 years ago
Didn't know if there was a way to freelance that didn't involve under the table or business lisence but apparently governments gotta be able to tax one way or another.

Have you heard of moeasure? Its a really neat sort of device for measurements. Cant really do justice by trying to explain but I can link you or you.
HU-490179836
Original Author
3 years ago
https://www.moasure.com/
3onthetree
3 years ago
I have that app, thinking it would come in handy. It sits idle for me for real work but is neat for party tricks. I have no questions of reliability in the back of my mind when I stick to laser measure and tape. For general or representative landscape softscape design that may be sufficient, but when you work with hardpoints of hardscape, grading, or installation, you need to bring in transits, lasers measures, tapes, stakes, and strings.