How To: Reading Construction Blueprints & Plans | #1 

This video is first of MANY.. I didn’t go in depth on many architectural details, as it’ll be a separate video. Bear with me, I’m not a public speaker, but I packed some info in here.. This video was SIMPLY flipping through the plans explaining the architectural. I’m going to get framing started on this build, and film a couple videos showing the details in person and on paper.. It’s difficult to explain without showing in person.

I am a general contractor in training. Learning to do residential and commercial and I have huge respect to people like you that take your time and drop some knowledge for people like me.

I dropped out of high school to pursue a career in the trades. Im 19, its an everyday fight but im determined to succeed. Thank you for teaching.

I'm an intern architect and I struggle with some of these drawings. I loved seeing it from a contractor's perspective. Please do more of these.

“I dropped out of high school and went to framing” big respect

Great video Matt! I'm a Construction teacher at a CTE center in VT. I linked this video for students in our Construction Drawings unit! The best take away about this is how so many carpenters on site don't take the time to learn. Often the foreman or lead carpenters are the ones on a job hording the plans and studying them at home but all you have to do is ask to learn. 🤗Thank you!

4:45 Difference between architect and structural engineer: "Architects make things pretty, and engineers make things work" Beautifully put in concise way (:

I'm 36 with 4 boys and have always been interested in carpentry. I'm eager to learn as much as I can to help my dad grow his small stucco/construction business and make a career of my own building furniture. Thank you for sharing this information with us!

Greetings Matt. I lost my job during COVID and got picked up by a developer. Which has been trial by fire, so lots of fun & a great opportunity. As playing the single Dad slot with our 9th month old. You're videos have been invaluable to me. To learn and achieving what my new boss needs to be done. (I watch at least 1-3 videos a day & keep on repeat) Thanks for taking the time to do these. Will be signing up for you monthly subscription. I have learned a ton, look forward to more. Cheers mate. Ian

For someone who claims to be a high school dropout, you clearly are a pretty well-educated young man -- certainly in what matters. Autodidact!!!!

a big thumbs up . I am 67 trying to break into house building ( I want to work 6 more years ). Still strong as an ox, but when it comes to plan reading, dumb as an ox too. So yeah , I will take plans home and study so I am more effective at work . Tired of avoiding the plans . I am a carpenter who don't do layout or use lasers, but I can build . Even at my age I will be absolutely delighted if I can stay sharp and keep learning .

Very impressive walk-through - clear, concise, straightforward, and just enough detail to not bore, but making sure your audience is in step. Nice work! Also, great advice on taking a set of plans home and on your own time and speed, walk through them.

Thank you for this informative lesson. I'm a 63 year old retired teacher turned handyman. I decided to build my own house scratching my head while looking at the new plans. It was all foreign to me. I've watched a lot of RU-vid videos, yours is one of the most informative. Another is Essential Craftsman. Now I am more confident with my plans knowing how to navigate through every little detail. Just finished charting my foundation using batter boards and Pythagorus calculations. So cool! Ready to dig the footings and so on. Thanks once again for your videos. They are extremely educational.

Solid tutorial with no fluff. Exactly what I needed to refresh my understanding of the basics to help me show up amongst others on site. Thanks man for all you do to share your expertise!

This is awesome, I am also a carpenter/general construction worker in CA and I love learning new tricks and new things. I appreciate your RU-vid channel and thank you for this awesome content.

You are a great young man , your dad gave you this gift , you will be an employer and not an employee . God bless you all .

I did my Bachelor's in civil engineering, and it's a real embarrassment how little we were taught about plans. A few hours' worth of tutorials in a single second-year class was all we got. Only the students "in the know" about that being the limit of what we'd learn had taught themselves AutoCAD (which we only did a bit of) and reading complex drawings properly. Most of us coasted by with having a designated "AutoCAD/drawings" person in our groups, and learning via osmosis. So, here I am trying to understand all this properly. Looking forward to catching up with the rest!

I am a Truss Designer in Arizona. I wanted to learn more about framing to better understand my trade. Your videos have helped me tons! hope to frame my own home here soon based off of what i learn from you. Thank you for doing this!

Great info! You’re a natural teacher and provide tremendously helpful instruction. Thanks for reducing the intimidation of blueprints.

Good job Matt. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had people ask me about this subject as well. Bang on. 🤘🏻

I don't work for a contractor and would love the opportunity to work at a construction site. It's a great idea to get a set of old plans and learn from it when you have time to sit and read... It's amazing what you can learn just by studying plans. Great videos Matt.

Man I love your channel. I have been doing carpentry off and on my whole life but until the last few years, I have decided to make a career out of it. This video in particular has been extremely helpful to me because like you said, nobody has the time to stop and teach in this much detail. I have been recently really applying myself to learn how to read the drawings and it’s been much easier than I expected. I appreciate your help and detailed breakdowns of things in the simplest way. Thank you bro. Keep it coming.👍

Tks Matt I'm in carpentry school right now your vids help out a lot especially when u show how to apply the theory that u are talking about

Hi Matt. Fantastic video!! Everyone needs to learn and this is how you go about it. Thanks for taking the time to show. Enjoy the day. Ray L

great video, you explained it perfectly and you saying not enough time for anyone to educate themselves on the job is an understatement been a carpenter for years and it's always been about production and speed no time for teaching. time is money

Matt I’m blown away with your knowledge better yet how you teach and explain thank you so much for keeping it simple is all I have to say👍 teaching me a lot and it’s much appreciated🤟🤟🤟

Im a carpenter and masonry from philippines thanks i will keep watching this until i understand evrything. Thanks man you really are helping us.

I always watch your instructional videos for start to finish. I really appreciate the blue print videos because that is what I am learning at the moment. If you could make a few more that would really help. I’ve watched other ones on RU-vid but they are not as well explained. Thanks:)

This is great, thank you so much! Looking forward to watching the rest of the build series.

Thanks a lot bro I’m learning a lot from your vlogs I never did framing back home the right way you guys are doing it your videos are awesome thank you for documenting your work and sharing it 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽✊🏽🙌🏽❤️

Real great work Matt explaining in the perfectly logical organized way ... Congrats !

This was AWESOME! I agree with almost everything you said about not having time to learn in the job. This has helped me to understand plans. I haven't checked your other content yet to see if you did a structural video, but I will.

I'm a 3d Artist for Tv and film going into the construction and remodeling field this was definitely helpful since I just received my first set of plans to learn from. Appreciate the video!

Thanks Matt this video was in my opinion, the most useful tool for getting introduced to plans I have seen as of yet. I watched a ton, but this answered alot of questions, so many I f***ing laughed in a sigh of relief. Thanks dude your a beast...

Im no framer, but that was a very useful, especially the laying out of doors and windows. As when your framing it seems to flow so smooth and quickly, Looking forward to next series. 👍👍👍👍

Matt i like what youre doing here on your channel. Thanks for the advice and straight forward instructions. Keep up the great work.

This video has been very helpful to understand how to read drawings. You do a great job of explaining different concepts and how you and your staff approaches the problem and how to resolve it. I am interested in seeing a structural video as that will be how the real construction is done.

I love your page. You are great at breaking down the processes and information and making it easy to understand and further execute when on a job👌

Your a natural teacher and a great communicator. Keep it up 👍🏽

Your lecture was fast, clear and concise. Thank you for the video. I did learn something here and I will be watching it again.

Thanks for the video's. These have helped alot. I've always just been the guy doing the work now I own a small residential construction company so all the tips and info definitely help for someone like me who knows enough but can always use wisdom and knowledge of a multitude of aspects of building. So thanks again and best wishes for your continued success in business and reputation as a builder.

I just started working for a commercial plumbing company and I know this information will definitely help me in my line of work. Thank you!! And mos def, looking forward to the structural video!

Congratulations to you, from a high school drop out to now you are teaching others. I have been a high school tech ed teacher for over a dozen years, Congrat's again, keep up the great videos.

Great video Matt! I have no clue about all this stuff but found my homes plans online in AZ and I can totally follow along. Thank you for making this possible!

i have been building furniture for years and never needed to learn how to read prints but my new day job might ask me to. your breakdown was easy to understand. thank you.

I learn something from all your videos, greatly appreciated!!

Good job! I’m a lawyer, but framed my way through 7 higher education (I had no debt when I graduated). Keep up the good work!

I have always liked this young man. He is very informative and keeps things simple.

Dude, I can’t even emphasize how helpful that video was, you’re killing it by sharing this knowledge! Looking forward to the structural video and any other ones you got on reading plans, thanks Matt!

Wow, that was some good stuff!!! As always you break it down step for step!! Great job Matt😎!! Bang on!!🤘

Hey Matt, I really enjoy your videos. One thing to keep in mind when framing for your window and door openings.......many times on the architectural plans the size shown is a nominal size (not actual) unless the manufacturer was known at the time the plans were drawn and the actual dimensions for the window and door can vary by manufacturer. The manufacturer would supply you with the actual rough opening size you need unless it was known prior to the plans being completed and the architect added that info on the plans. Also, you have to keep in mind how many trimmers (also known as jack studs) are required which can affect the king post locations. If the window or door is carrying an unusually large load above it may require more than 1 trimmer (jack) on each side which means the king stud would be spaced further apart. I am an architectural draftsman with my own business and I try to include as much information as possible on my plans including structural information. So my plans aren't just pretty, they are able to withstand what ever mother nature can throw at them. Here where I live in NC, it isn't extremely common to have your architectural plans to be sent to a structural engineer unless there is something unique going on with the design that the building inspector would require an engineer for. For that reason, I have to include structural information on my plans and I have experience working with a structural engineer. My background consists or working with traditional stick framing, SIPS Panels for walls and roofs, engineered floor & roof systems, timber frame and log homes.

Much needed bro. I’m a framer/ foreman assistant building some homes near Vacaville Ca atm Learning how to read blueprints and these videos are really helpful !

Hey Matt, I’m new to your channel and I’m glad I ended up watching your video talking about the buckaroo belt ‘cause after that I knew I had to subscribe to your channel. Thank you for using your extra time to teach us everything you know, I really appreciate that, may god bless you and your father with a lot of projects, pal. Greetings from the Bay Area.

Enjoy watching your vids, reminds me when I was a younger with the crew. On a side note, my sons walk in around 19:00, when almost at the same time go, "hey, that guy looks kind of like Pip Boy", I was like, "who's that?".

Loved the video man. It's a nice starting point for me, since I'm beginning to study for my GC license soon.

Dude thank you for all your videos! I live in LA, I'm 23 and started working in general construction about 8 months ago and I love it! Framing, foundation and demo in particular. 👍🏼

Great video can’t wait for the next!! Framing with a GoPro sounds like fun!!

Thank you matt for take the time and share this videos, it' s very value information and helpful.

A man who knows what his talking about and does it well without all the unnecessary yapping.👍🏽😊 I was fortunate enough to go to school to learn how to draw and understand blueprints so I have some knowledge of this.

Thanks bro I'm a structural concrete carpenter I've been doing heavy commercial construction for years, just switched over to wood framing for a small company in Montana. Building a 10 million dollar house, and Ive taken the plans home 2 days in a row now trying to learn thanks for the video brother

I found my career as a carpenter love the work so much it’s everything to me🇯🇲🇯🇲

Thank you very much for sharing this video I am a draftsman and I am still learning, you are definitely a pro. God bless

Your video is so well explained, I'm currently starting my as a general contractor and have so many questions that you eanswered on your video. Framing is something that scares me a bit in terms of plan reading, and I want to thank you for doing videos like this since so many people are found in my same situation and they can get helped with your experienced trade. I'm currently residing and working in Los Angeles, CA, and getting on the profession, I want to raise up my skills and knowledge to get beter, let's go for it 😅

Structural video please!! Love the details, keep these informational videos coming! Thanks man and good job with everything!

I'm a second year apprentice, and this video was incredibly helpful. Thank you for making this. I can't wait to check out the other videos in this series.

Awesome content, and knowledge. Keep up the amazing work young man. Content like this is, by far, is overlooked by most people making videos for their you tube site

Well done boy my respect , you are blessed by sharing your knowledge

Nice Matt! Keep up the good work my man! Lunch is a great time to learn for those that want to learn and ask questions! I always packed my lunch and asked blueprint questions then.

Loved this informative vid... I knew nothing about construction Blueprints until now thank you for sharing your knowledge with us.

i am glad I came across this video, this is something I have been struggling with.

This is one of the exact videos I was hoping you put up on your channel!! Awesome!👏🏼👌🏼

Great video can't wait to see the rest of the series!

GREAT STUFF Matt!!!! Love to see the structural plans and can't wait for the video of you laying out from the plans. This is gonna be great!!! Your doing a great job of explaining too...

Great video. Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to the structural layout reading.

AMAZING! I'm so fascinated by this.

nice work, man. I'm fairly new to construction and am interested in learning how to read plans. you break it down nicely, without being condescending. I've subscribed and am looking forward to checking out your other videos.

Absolutely amazing Matt! Thank you so much from Muskoka Canada!

Hey Matt writing to you fron Serbia.. as an architect, very imressed with your approach... great to see a professionnal constructor like this ... keep up the great work.

Helluva channel you got here, Matt. Keep up the good work.

Useful information. Thanks a lot! Looking forward to see other videos too.

I enjoy your videos man good job getting info like this out there

This was SO helpful!! So glad I found your channel!

Love the content ! Help me out for sure 🤙 love your videos man !

You just gave me so much motivation. Thank you.

I think its pretty amazing that you take the time to share the knowledge! Thank you very much.

Great video. Thanks so much. I’ve been taking a class and my teacher is foreign so he doesn’t know how to explain things. This is a great overview and I don’t mind missing the finer points.

I’ve only watched 2 videos and this is my new favorite channel

Why is this so damn calming. Every time you tap the plan with your marker it was like a therapeutic tap. Great video.

Matt, looking forward to your structural, you got some great videos! I'm a structural design engineer and will be referring new engineers to your channel. With structural engineering education as it is now, many new engineers do not even have a good idea on how their designs are even going to be built. Who better to learn from than from someone in the field. Thanks!

The coffee stains are what makes this legit, haha. Don’t think a single set of plans have ever been made that haven’t had something spilled on them. Great video!

Brother thank you so much for taking the time to make this video it is the perfect video for anybody trying to take the initiative to advance in their job what you have done here brother is PRICELESS exactly the information I have been looking for to add value to myself as an employee PLEASE explain structural or make more videos on blueprint reading and thanks again brother MUCH APPRECIATED👍👍👍

I must say you make this information much easier to digest

Taught me alot today that i can use in my skills. Ty Matt. Have a 😃 for your disected advice. Im very happy i watched this channel this morning seriously thumbs up

Great job matt,i really enjoy watching your videos.

Excellent video! I hope to watch more videos like this. Thanks!

Good on you, fellow framer, for taking time out of your home life to put this video together. Do the structural vid and keep killin it at work bro.

You are awesome bro ,I highly appreciate you taking the time to even explain all that . Bro nowadays nobody likes to take the time to explain just a little. I'm the type of guy if you show me once and I'll pick it up quick. So yea for sure keep sharing bro. You are very helpful and I'll diffently tell my bros about . God bless bro.👊👍👍

Thanks for the video. I'm week one into reading blue prints since I just got promoted to foreman

Great topic! Thank you very much for your time and help!!

you're amazing brother... thank you for the amazing lectures.