Simple Architectural Design

Anyone can draw simple floorplans using easy online tools. Photo copyright Oli Kellett / Getty Images

Updated .

A new homeowner writes that she would like to draw a simple floor plan to help with remodeling and decorating projects. "I figured I could find some simple tools on the web, but all I can find is software intended for 3-D design, " she says. "Most do not make drawing to some scale or designating distance easily."

Where can she find tools to draw a simple floor plan? Are there simple online tools to help draw floor plans?

Use the Right Tool:

A good home design software program will let you create some pretty fancy renderings with elevation drawings and 3D views. But, what if all you really want is a basic floor plan? Do you really need high-powered software just to draw shapes and lines?

Absolutely not! Several easy, online tools will let you whip together a simple floor plan without any special training.

Last year I drew up a floor plan of an existing space. Sure, it has a few goofs, but it took me less than an hour to create—and it helped me rent an apartment to a prospective tenant.

Go Digital: Nothing beats the old pen sketch on a napkin. Don't all great ideas happen that way? But how do you share a napkin sketch? Many of today's floor plan programs are cloud-based applications. Because you're creating on the Web, you can easily share your work on Facebook, Twitter, by e-mail, or with most any Web-based application. The downside is always security and the personal information you give up, so choose the tool you're most comfortable with.

Favorite Online Floor Plan Tools:

A variety of easy online tools will let you draw scale drawings to envision your remodeling and decorating projects—and most are free!

Or, you could more easily email him from the info at McQuillen Interactive or About Simple Diagrams. Tell him the plugin libraries you need for your project! He even wants to know if he's wasting his time with this product. Now, how often to you get to send your gripes to the source?

Favorite Mobile Floor Plan Apps:

Tablets and Smart Phones are just more fun than sitting at your computer all day. And every day there seems to be more applications than you could possibly use. Here are a few of the most popular:

• ROOMSCAN by Locometric would be fun to use even if you didn't need to draw a floor plan! Simply hold your iPhone up to an existing wall, wait for the beep, and the calculations apparently are made using the phone's GPS and gyroscope functions. Or maybe it's Siri's new skill.
• MagicPlan by Sensopia uses the camera function of your mobile device to turn a 3D room into a 2D floor plan—Survey & Transform your Space says their Website.

Join the Conversation: Connect with our Facebook community and let us in on your favorite mobile app. We know you have one. Or two. Or three.