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For spec home builders

Same Plan, Next Lot. Setbacks Read in Minutes.

Spec building is a lot-fitting business: will the 2,400-square-foot plan fit this parcel with the setbacks, the driveway and the coverage, and what will the permit site plan cost in time. PlotForge™ loads any parcel from the address or the parcel number, you drop the footprint at its size, and the front, side and rear distances tell you in minutes whether the plan fits. The same drawing becomes the permit sheet, and a Site Feasibility Report screens the lot before you make the offer.

How does a spec builder check whether a house plan fits a lot?

Load the parcel from the address or parcel number so the recorded property lines draw to scale, place the house footprint at its real dimensions, and read the front, side and rear setback distances as you slide it. If the distances meet the zoning and the lot coverage stays under the limit, the plan fits. PlotForge™ does this in minutes and the same drawing becomes the permit site plan.

What a spec builder needs from the site plan

Three jobs from one drawing: the fit test before the offer, the permit sheet for the building department, and the marketing exhibit for the listing. All three want the same thing done to scale on the real lot:

Any parcel, fast — load the lot by address, or by parcel ID when the subdivision lot has no address yet

The plan at its size — the footprint from rectangles at exact dimensions, saved in your account and reopened on the next lot

Setbacks on every side — front, side and rear distances label themselves; corner-lot and road-centerline setbacks too

Lot coverage — structures and hardscape total on the sheet, the number behind the coverage limit

The lot's problems before the offer — flood zone, wetlands, soils, slope and road frontage screened from public data in one report

A permit sheet and a listing exhibit — the clean PDF with cover sheet for the office, a PNG for the listing or the lender

How a spec builder uses PlotForge™ lot after lot

Screen the lot

Load the parcel and run a Site Feasibility Report: flood, wetlands, soils, slope, frontage, and a buildable-area sketch from the setbacks.

Drop the plan

Open the saved project with your footprint, or rebuild it from rectangles in a minute, and set it on the lot.

Read the fit

Front, side and rear distances label themselves. Try the plan flipped. Trace the drive and read the coverage.

Export

The permit PDF with the cover sheet, the DXF for the designer, and a PNG for the listing.

The tools spec builders use

Address → parcel, automaticallyAny parcel by address or by parcel ID, PIN or APN, every side dimensioned, nearly every U.S. county.How it works → Saved projects + autosaveSave the plan with its footprint and reopen it from any computer; reopening never uses a plan credit.How it works → Structure builderThe footprint from rectangles at exact sizes, merged into one outline, duplicated to the next lot.How it works → Automatic setbacksFront, side and rear distances label themselves; slide the plan until they read what the zoning allows.How it works → Slope analysis shadingOne click tints the lot by ground slope from public lidar, for the lots that will cost extra in foundation and grading.How it works → Live quantity takeoffStructures, hardscape and impervious coverage totaled and printed on the sheet.How it works →

Which plan fits a spec builder

Several lots a month

Contractor, $199/mo

Twenty permit-ready plans or feasibility reports a month, every lot saved, the footprint reused. Higher-volume plans include team seats; ask us.

Lots in the pipeline, permits later

Studio, $29/mo

Save every lot study in your account, share plan files with your partner, and buy plan credits as lots close. See Studio.

The lot check

Site Feasibility Report

One plan credit screens a parcel for flood zone, wetlands, soils, slope and road frontage, with a plan check of the footprint you drew. See the report.

▶ Watch the lessonHow to Draw a House Footprint for a Site Plan ▶ Watch the lessonHow to Show Building Setbacks on a Site Plan ▶ Watch the lessonHow to Find Your Property Lines by Address

Spec home builders FAQ

Can I reuse the same house footprint on different lots?

Yes. Save the project on a subscription and reopen it on the next lot, or export the plan file and open it on another computer. Rebuilding a footprint from rectangles takes a minute either way, and the dimensions label themselves.

Can I check the lot before I make the offer?

Yes. Load the parcel and run a Site Feasibility Report. It screens flood zone and the percent of the lot in it, mapped wetlands, soils with septic suitability, slope bands, road frontage, and sketches the buildable area from the setbacks, from public data, every source named and dated on the sheet. It is a screening, not a survey or a flood determination.

What if the lot does not have an address yet?

Search by parcel ID. Pick the state and county, enter the parcel number, PIN or APN, and the lot loads the same way. You can also load a neighbor's address, add the lot next door and remove the first one.

Does PlotForge know my subdivision's setbacks?

The setback lines are computed from the lot geometry; the required distances are the jurisdiction's. Where PlotForge carries a jurisdiction's building rules, the feasibility report pre-fills front, side and rear setbacks and links each to its code section. Everywhere else you enter the distances from the zoning or the plat.

Can I show a corner lot's two fronts?

Yes. Setbacks compute from every lot edge, so a corner lot shows the distance to both street lines. Add a specific corner distance with the corner tool, and hide the distances that do not matter.

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.

Fit the plan to the lot in minutes

Load the parcel, drop the footprint, read the setbacks and the coverage, export the permit sheet. Free for 30 days, no credit card required; a clean export is $29.

Test a Lot Free → See Every Drawing Tool