A good floor plan turns a messy site visit into something a client, a contractor, or a council officer can actually use. The good news: you no longer need a tape measure, graph paper, and a desktop CAD seat to make one. This guide walks through creating an accurate, professional floor plan end to end on an iPhone - from the first measurement to a client-ready export.
What you'll need
- An iPhone or iPad. Any recent model can draw plans by hand; models with a LiDAR scanner (iPhone Pro and iPad Pro) can also scan a room automatically.
- RoomPlot - it handles capture, editing, documentation, and export in one place, so you never leave the device.
- Ten minutes per room. Less, once you've done a couple.
Step 1 - Capture the space
There are two ways to start, and you can mix them. If your device has LiDAR, scan: point the camera and walk the perimeter, and RoomPlot uses AR + LiDAR to detect walls, doors, and windows automatically in seconds. Prefer to start from zero, or working on a non-Pro device? Draw the walls by hand - smart snapping keeps corners square and respects 45° angles, so a freehand sketch still comes out clean.
Scan first, refine by hand. The fastest workflow is to LiDAR-scan the shell, then switch to manual editing to tidy a wall or set an exact dimension. A scan turns straight into a fully editable plan - it isn't a flat picture.
Step 2 - Draw or refine the walls
Whether you scanned or sketched, this is where the plan becomes precise. In RoomPlot's editor you can move and resize any wall, set its exact length, and rotate or duplicate elements. Work in 2D for speed, or jump into 3D to grab a wall and adjust it with live measurements as you drag. Every action has undo/redo - even in 3D - so it's safe to experiment.
- Drag a wall, or type an exact length for survey-grade accuracy.
- Snapping keeps walls aligned and corners at clean angles.
- Multi-select to move or rotate a whole section at once.
Step 3 - Add doors, windows, and openings
Drop in doors, windows, and wall openings and slide them to the right spot. Choose door types and styles, set widths, and the opening cuts into the wall cleanly. These aren't decorations - accurate openings are what make a plan readable to a builder or a fire officer.
Step 4 - Name rooms and calculate areas
RoomPlot detects enclosed rooms automatically and calculates each area for you - or you can set an area manually when you need exact control. Name each room, give it a colour or label, and you instantly have the room-by-room breakdown that listings and reports depend on. Switch the whole project between metric and imperial at any time and every dimension and area follows.
Step 5 - Add symbols, furniture, and detail
A plan's job depends on its audience. RoomPlot includes furniture and object libraries - sofas, beds, kitchens, bathrooms, stairs, electrical and exterior objects - with real sizes you can move, rotate, and resize. For trades, dedicated symbol libraries let you build fire-alarm, security, and access-control zone plans with colour-coded zones, a "you-are-here" marker, plan titles, and your company branding. You can also attach notes, photos, and voice memos to a floor so nothing is lost between site and office.
Step 6 - Check scale, units, and North
Before you export, set the things that make a plan trustworthy: confirm the unit system, make sure dimensions are shown where they matter, and set a North marker once so it stamps onto every export. For multi-storey buildings, stack several floors in one project and combine them into a single view.
Step 7 - Export a client-ready deliverable
Different desks want different files, and RoomPlot ships them all from the same plan:
- PDF - print-ready pages or a full professional report with legends, area summaries, client details, and branding.
- DXF - editable CAD geometry for architects and engineers.
- USDZ - an interactive 3D scan for AR and 3D workflows.
- Image (PNG/JPG) - crisp plan images for listings and decks.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Eyeballing instead of measuring. Scan or enter at least one known dimension so the whole plan scales correctly.
- Forgetting openings. A door in the wrong place changes how a room is used - and how a fire route reads.
- Skipping room labels and areas. They're the first thing a client looks for.
- Exporting the wrong format. Send a builder a DXF, a client a PDF, not the other way around.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a LiDAR iPhone to make a floor plan?
No. LiDAR makes capture faster, but you can draw an accurate plan by hand on any iPhone with snapping and exact dimensions.
Can I edit a scan after capturing it?
Yes - a scan becomes a fully editable plan. Move walls, add openings, and set exact dimensions just as you would with a hand-drawn plan.
What's the best format to send a client?
A PDF - either a clean print-ready plan or a full branded report. Send DXF to CAD users and USDZ when someone needs the 3D model.
Ready to try it on your next job? Browse more floor-plan guides, or make your first plan in a few minutes.