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For remodelers and addition contractors

The Addition Against the Real House, Setbacks Included.

Every addition, bump-out, second-story and attached garage permit needs a site plan that shows the existing house, the new footprint at its real size, and the distances from the new walls to the property lines. PlotForge™ loads the recorded lot from the address, drops the existing house on it from public records, and labels the addition's setbacks as you place it. The interior work is your plans; the site plan is done in minutes.

What does a site plan for a home addition need to show?

A site plan for an addition shows the property lines with dimensions, the existing house and garage, the new addition drawn to scale at its real size against the wall it extends, the distances from the new walls to the property lines, the driveway and walks, and any easements. Lot coverage before and after is often required too. PlotForge™ draws it from the address.

What the plan reviewer looks for on an addition site plan

The addition review is a setback review: does the new footprint stay inside the building envelope, and does the lot stay under its coverage limit. The sheet has to show both without a calculator:

The lot, dimensioned — the recorded property lines with every side's length, loaded from the address

The existing house — placed from public footprint records in one click and lined up with the roof on the aerial, so the setbacks read from the real walls

The addition at its size — a rectangle at the width × depth against the existing wall, merged into one outline with the house

New setbacks — the distances from the addition to the nearest property lines label themselves and update as you adjust it

Lot coverage — structures and hardscape total in square feet in the on-sheet takeoff, the number behind the coverage limit

Driveway, walks, easements — hardscape traced over the aerial and any recorded easement drawn at its width

How a remodeler draws the addition site plan

Type the address

The recorded lot loads to scale on the aerial with the owner and parcel number filled in.

Add the house

One click places the existing house; drag a corner onto the roof edge on the aerial so the walls are where they really are.

Place the addition

Drop a rectangle at the addition's size against the wall it extends and merge it. The new setbacks label themselves.

Dimension and export

One click dimensions the whole footprint, the coverage totals on the sheet, and the PDF exports to scale with the cover sheet. Export the DXF for the designer.

The tools remodelers use

Auto-add existing buildingsThe existing house from public records in one click, corners draggable onto the roofline, every footprint editable.How it works → Structure builderThe addition as a rectangle at its size, merged with the house into one clean outline; L- and T-shapes dimension as a whole.How it works → Automatic setbacksThe new walls measure themselves to the lot lines as you place the addition.How it works → One-click draftsman dimensionsOne click adds true extension-line dimensions to the merged footprint, with a side picker and overall extents.How it works → Live quantity takeoffStructures and hardscape in square feet and the impervious coverage, printed on the sheet.How it works → DXF for CADA layered DXF with the lot, setbacks, structures and dimensions for the designer or engineer who draws the rest.How it works →

Which plan fits a remodeler

Design-build, permits every month

Contractor, $199/mo

Twenty permit-ready plans a month, every drawing tool and the DXF, plans saved so the design revision is a reopen. Higher-volume plans include team seats for the office and the field; ask us.

A few additions a year

Job Pack, 12 plans for $144

Twelve clean exports at $12 a plan, no subscription, credits that never expire. Compare plans.

Your logo on the sheet

White-Label add-on

Your company logo in the title block of every exported sheet in place of ours, +$50/mo with Contractor or +$100/mo with Studio. See White-Label.

▶ Watch the lessonSite Plan for a Deck, Shed or Addition Permit ▶ Watch the lessonLine Up a Building Footprint With the Roof ▶ Watch the lessonHow to Dimension Any Feature on a Site Plan

Remodelers and addition contractors FAQ

Do I need a site plan for an interior remodel?

Usually not. Interior-only work stays inside the existing walls and most building departments do not ask for a site plan. The moment the project changes the footprint, adds a story, builds a deck or moves the driveway, the site plan comes back into the submittal.

Does a second-story addition need a site plan?

Most jurisdictions ask for one even when the footprint does not change, because the review checks height, lot coverage and the setbacks of the whole structure. PlotForge draws the existing footprint with its setbacks, and you note the second story on the sheet.

How do I show lot coverage before and after?

The live takeoff totals structures and hardscape in square feet and prints the impervious coverage on the sheet. Export once with the existing house for the "before" number and once with the addition merged in for the "after", or note both in a text block.

Can I hand the drawing to my designer in CAD?

Yes. The DXF export carries the property lines, setbacks, structures, hardscape, easements, dimensions and text on named drafting layers, so the designer starts from the real lot instead of redrawing it.

The existing house in the record is a few feet off the aerial. What then?

Drag the footprint's corners onto the roof edge on the aerial, or swap to another source's trace with one click. Once the footprint matches the house, the addition and every setback measure from where the walls actually are.

Is a PlotForge™ site plan a survey?

No. The property lines are the recorded parcel lines from public records, drawn to scale over an aerial photo. That is what most building departments accept for a permit site plan, and it is not a boundary survey or an engineered drawing. If your office requires a sealed survey for this project, PlotForge can trace that recorded survey as the boundary and the sheet prints a notice saying so.

Does it work where I am?

PlotForge™ covers all 50 states and Washington, D.C.; the only exceptions in the country are named on the coverage page. It is also expanding into Canada, starting with select counties in Ontario and Alberta. The most reliable check is free: sign up, type the address, and watch the lot load.

Draw the addition site plan in minutes

Load the lot, add the house, place the addition, read the setbacks and the coverage. Free for 30 days, no credit card required; a clean, permit-ready export is $29.

Start an Addition Site Plan Free → See Every Drawing Tool