How to read a condo site plan and floor plan like a pro

Site plan vs floor plan - two different documents

A site plan shows the whole development from above: where the blocks sit, where the facilities - pool, gym, gardens, car park, drop-off - are placed, and how the units are oriented relative to the road, the sun and any neighbouring buildings.

A floor plan shows a single unit: the layout of its rooms, the dimensions, the doors and windows, and where fixed elements such as the kitchen, bathrooms and air-conditioner ledge sit.

You need both. The floor plan tells you whether a unit works; the site plan tells you whether that unit's position in the project works.

Reading the site plan

Things worth checking on a site plan:

• Orientation. Which way does the unit face? North-south-facing units take less direct afternoon sun than east-west ones. The site plan usually carries a north arrow.
• What the unit faces. A unit can face the pool, a quiet garden, the car-park entrance, the bin centre, the main road, or directly into another block. The site plan shows this before you ever see the view.
• Distance between blocks. Closely packed blocks can mean windows looking straight into windows.
• Where facilities and traffic sit. Being directly above the function room, beside the tennis court, or over the driveway can mean noise.

Reading the floor plan

On the unit floor plan, look for:

• Total area, and how it is split. The strata or saleable area can include the air-conditioner ledge, planter boxes and bay windows. Two units with the same headline size can have very different usable internal space.
• The shape of the space. Long corridors, awkward corners and angled walls reduce how much of the area you can actually furnish. Regular, squarish rooms are easier to use.
• Dimensions, not just the picture. Plans are scaled drawings; check the marked dimensions of each room against furniture you actually own. A bedroom that cannot fit the bed you need is a bedroom in name only.
• Doors, windows and ventilation. See which rooms have windows, whether the unit gets cross-ventilation, and whether doors clash with each other or with cabinetry.
• Fixed elements. The kitchen, bathrooms, household shelter and AC ledge are fixed. Everything else costs money to move.

A note on bay windows, planters and ledges

Singapore's rules on what counts as saleable area, and on features such as bay windows and planter boxes, have changed over the years, so older and newer projects can measure space differently. Treat the headline floor area as a starting point, not the full story - and Check how a specific project defines its strata area.

Efficiency: how much of the area you can use

"Efficiency" is the share of a unit's area that is genuinely usable internal living space, after corridors, ledges and voids. A higher-efficiency layout gives you more real room for the same price. Comparing efficiency - not just price per square foot - is one of the most useful things a buyer can do.

Common red flags

• A long internal corridor that you pay for but cannot furnish.
• Bedrooms that fit a bed only with no walking space.
• A "study" or "flexi" area with no window or ventilation.
• A main living area facing directly into a neighbouring block at close range.
• A unit positioned over the car-park ramp, the bin centre or the function room.

Use the plans, then verify on site

Plans are reliable for layout, orientation and dimensions. They cannot tell you the real light, the real noise or the real finish. Use the floor plan and site plan to shortlist - then confirm at the showflat or, for a resale unit, at the actual unit. A licensed salesperson can walk you through the plans for any specific project.