# Gridsnap

> Gridsnap is a free browser-based floor plan editor (CAD) with millimetre
> precision: draw walls, doors and windows to exact dimensions, get all four
> elevations and a 3D walkthrough generated automatically, check the plan for
> layout errors, and export true-vector PDF sheets at standard scales plus a
> layered R12 DXF. The drafting core and exports are free with no watermark
> and no signup. The expert layer — plan checks, an AI assistant and
> auto-dimensioning — is paid, either as a one-time $19 pass covering one
> project for 90 days (no subscription) or ongoing at $9/mo · $90/yr.

Key facts:

- The editor runs at https://editor.gridsnap.app — browser only, nothing to
  install, works on any OS. No account needed to draw and export.
- All geometry is stored in integer millimetres; dimensions stay anchored to
  the geometry as the plan is edited.
- Free exports: true-vector PDF sheets (title block, scale bar, A4–A0,
  1:20–1:2000), layered R12 ASCII DXF (opens in AutoCAD, LibreCAD, QCAD),
  and PNG.
- Built-in plan checker: overlap and in-wall errors free; blocked doors and
  windows, circulation, room sizes and daylight rules on Pro.
- AI features (Pro, metered by monthly credits): generate a starting plan
  from a text brief, explain and fix plan-check findings, furnish rooms.
- Trace mode imports an image of an existing plan (scan, photo, PDF
  screenshot), calibrates the scale against one known distance, and lets you
  draw over it — the standard way to convert a paper plan to CAD.
- Done-for-you tracing service: from EUR 29 per floor (walls, doors, windows
  and dimensions; furniture +EUR 20/floor), details on the Floor Plan Image
  to DXF page.
- Plans can be shared via read-only links and duplicated by the viewer.
- Every page on this site has a markdown representation. Send
  `Accept: text/markdown` with the page URL, or append `index.md` to it
  (e.g. https://gridsnap.app/features/index.md). It carries the page's title,
  description and canonical URL as YAML frontmatter, the body as markdown, and
  the page's JSON-LD verbatim — no navigation, no styling, about 60% fewer
  tokens than the HTML.

## Product

- [Editor](https://editor.gridsnap.app): the floor plan editor itself — free, no signup
- [Features](https://gridsnap.app/features/): full feature list with screenshots
- [Pricing](https://gridsnap.app/pricing/): Free vs One Project ($19 once, 90 days) vs Ongoing ($9/mo or $90/yr)
- [AI Floor Plan Generator](https://gridsnap.app/ai-floor-plan-generator/): describe a home in text, get an editable starting plan
- [Floor Plan Checker](https://gridsnap.app/floor-plan-checker/): the automated plan-check rules explained
- [Deck & Terrace Planner](https://gridsnap.app/deck-and-terrace-planner/): outdoor structures — decks, terraces, steps, railings
- [Plan a Renovation](https://gridsnap.app/plan-a-renovation/): the homeowner workflow — trace the as-built, draw the change, check the layout, hand a priceable drawing to the builder
- [Edit an Existing Floor Plan](https://gridsnap.app/edit-floor-plan/): renovation workflow — trace, edit, re-export
- [Floor Plan Image to DXF](https://gridsnap.app/floor-plan-to-dxf/): convert a blueprint, scan or PDF to a CAD file; includes the EUR 29/floor tracing service
- [Best Free Floor Plan Creators](https://gridsnap.app/best-free-floor-plan-creators/): honest roundup of 8 free tools, including what each free tier actually includes
- [What's New](https://gridsnap.app/changelog/): release notes — every user-visible change, newest first, with the date it shipped

## Guides

- [How to Draw a Floor Plan](https://gridsnap.app/guides/how-to-draw-a-floor-plan/): step-by-step method from measuring to printing to scale
- [How to Read a Floor Plan](https://gridsnap.app/guides/how-to-read-a-floor-plan/): the buyer's and renter's skill — symbols, real room sizes, red flags
- [Floor Plan Symbols](https://gridsnap.app/guides/floor-plan-symbols/): the complete visual legend — walls, doors, windows, stairs, roof lines, fixtures, furniture and dimensions
- [Door Symbols](https://gridsnap.app/guides/door-symbols/): hinged, double, sliding, bypass, pocket, bifold, cased opening and garage doors, each drawn as the convention states it and as CAD renders it
- [Window Symbols](https://gridsnap.app/guides/window-symbols/): the three-line symbol, coupled pairs and bays — and why a casement, a fixed pane and a sash are identical in plan
- [Staircase Symbols](https://gridsnap.app/guides/stair-symbols/): treads, the walk line, UP and DN, the break line, and L-shaped, U-shaped and winder flights
- [Room Sizes & Clearances](https://gridsnap.app/guides/room-sizes-and-clearances/): minimum room sizes, door and corridor widths, kitchen and bathroom clearances
- [Standard Door Sizes](https://gridsnap.app/guides/standard-door-sizes/): 900 × 2100 mm and 36" × 6'-8" doors, bathroom and double doors, and opening vs leaf vs clear width
- [Wall Thickness on a Floor Plan](https://gridsnap.app/guides/wall-thickness/): 400 mm external, 250 mm load-bearing, 120 mm partition — with the layer-by-layer build-ups behind the numbers
- [Kitchen Layouts](https://gridsnap.app/guides/kitchen-layouts/): straight, galley, L, U and island compared in real millimetres
- [Floor Plans on Graph Paper](https://gridsnap.app/guides/graph-paper-floor-plan/): the squared-paper method and when a grid editor is better
- [Porch, Patio, Terrace or Deck?](https://gridsnap.app/guides/porch-patio-terrace-deck/): eight outdoor spaces told apart
- [The Architect's Glossary](https://gridsnap.app/guides/architects-glossary/): jamb, mullion, riser, soffit, FFL — drawing vocabulary explained

## Help

Task-level answers for the editor. Every number on these pages is read
out of the source that draws it.

- [Help Center](https://gridsnap.app/help/): all topics

### Get started

- [How do I build a floor plan from Spaces?](https://gridsnap.app/help/space-planning/): Choose Start with spaces, arrange named Spaces and resolve their boundaries, then use Build plan to create ordinary editable walls and rooms.
- [How to draw a wall](https://gridsnap.app/help/draw-a-wall/): Press W, click where the wall starts, click where it ends. Each further click continues the chain, and clicking back on the first corner closes the outline.
- [How to draw a wall to an exact length](https://gridsnap.app/help/exact-lengths/): Start drawing, then type the number. It goes into the Length field of the readout by the cursor, and Enter places the point exactly there.
- [Selecting, moving and deleting](https://gridsnap.app/help/select-move-delete/): Press V for the select tool. Click to select, drag a box for several, drag to move, arrow keys to nudge, Delete to remove.
- [Snapping, the grid and the reference point](https://gridsnap.app/help/snapping/): The cursor is pulled to real geometry first — endpoints, corners, intersections, midpoints — and falls back to the 100 mm grid. G toggles the grid, Shift locks to 45°.
- [Keyboard shortcuts](https://gridsnap.app/help/keyboard-shortcuts/): Every key the Gridsnap editor uses — tools, editing, the numeric tracker while drawing, and moving around the 3D view.
- [Where your plans are saved (and how to get them back)](https://gridsnap.app/help/where-plans-are-stored/): Without an account, plans live in your browser and autosave as you draw. Nothing is uploaded unless you sign in and sync, or make a share link. Export the Gridsnap file for a real backup.
- [Panning and zooming — mouse, trackpad and pinch](https://gridsnap.app/help/pan-and-zoom/): A mouse wheel zooms, a two-finger trackpad drag pans, and a pinch or ⌘/ctrl+scroll always zooms. If your device is read wrongly, set it by hand under ⚙ → Navigation (this device).

### Drawing

- [How to add doors and windows](https://gridsnap.app/help/doors-and-windows/): Press D for a door or N for a window, then click the wall. A door takes a second click to set which way it swings.
- [How to add a second storey](https://gridsnap.app/help/add-a-storey/): Open the floors menu in the top bar and choose "Empty floor" or "Duplicate current walls". The new storey stacks on top and opens straight away.
- [How to add a basement](https://gridsnap.app/help/add-a-basement/): Open the floors menu in the top bar and choose "Empty floor below". It is added under the bottom floor at a negative level, and the 3D view digs an excavation for it.
- [Adding stairs — straight, L-shaped and U-shaped](https://gridsnap.app/help/stairs/): Press S, pick a shape, click to place. A U (switchback) can turn on a landing or on winder treads, and the flight width, length and number of steps are set in the panel.
- [Drawing a roof — gable, hip, mansard and the rest](https://gridsnap.app/help/roofs/): Press H, pick one of nine roof forms, drag a rectangle over the building. Pitch, overhang and the wall plate height are edited afterwards, and overlapping roofs merge into one form.
- [Flat ceilings and rooms open to the roof](https://gridsnap.app/help/ceilings/): Press L and draw a zone around the rooms that get a flat ceiling. Anything you leave outside it stays open to the roof slope, which is how a vaulted living room sits beside flat-ceilinged bedrooms.
- [Terraces, decks and entrance steps](https://gridsnap.app/help/terraces/): Press Y, click the corners of the deck, Enter to close. Corners snap to the wall faces, and the level, material, steps and railing are set afterwards in the panel.
- [Ground level, paving, fences and pools](https://gridsnap.app/help/site/): The site around the building — the plinth that sets ground level, paved surfaces and lawn (P), fences with gates (J) and pools (B), all drawn to the same millimetre as the building.
- [Split levels — a sunken or raised floor inside one storey](https://gridsnap.app/help/split-levels/): Press U and draw the area whose floor sits at a different level. Steps and upstands are generated along the boundary, and the level tags are measured from project zero.
- [Placing furniture from the catalog](https://gridsnap.app/help/furniture/): Press O for furnishing and C for structure, pick an item from the thumbnail picker, click to place. Items that habitually back onto a wall align themselves flush when dropped near one.
- [Checking clearances with a scale figure](https://gridsnap.app/help/scale-figures/): Place a standing, seated or wheelchair figure from the People category to see how much room a person really has at a counter, a basin or in a passage. The wheelchair carries a dashed 1500 mm turning circle.
- [Drawing lines, arcs, rectangles, circles, triangles and crosses](https://gridsnap.app/help/sketch/): Press K for the sketch tools — free lines, arcs, rectangles, circles, triangles and crosses with fills, for everything on a drawing that is not a wall. Combine them with union, subtract, intersect and exclude. They never affect rooms, m² or the plan check.
- [Tracing over a scanned plan or a photo](https://gridsnap.app/help/trace-a-plan/): Drop the image onto the canvas, calibrate its scale against one known distance, then draw over it. Trace mode fades what you have drawn so the image still shows through.
- [Adding a north arrow to a plan](https://gridsnap.app/help/north-arrow/): With nothing selected, use Add north arrow in the Site section of the properties panel. Drag its body to move it, the handle at its tip to rotate — and it prints on every sheet.
- [Elevations — how Gridsnap draws them](https://gridsnap.app/help/elevations/): North, south, east and west elevations are generated from the plan, not drawn. Openings punch their own void and are drawn with real joinery, and heights can be dimensioned on the elevation itself.
- [The 3D view — render modes, hiding the roof and walking through](https://gridsnap.app/help/3d-view/): Three render modes (Simple, Clay, Shaded), a roof you can hide, floors up to the one you are on, and a first-person walkthrough that opens doors as you reach them.

### Dimensions & annotation

- [Does Gridsnap support feet and inches?](https://gridsnap.app/help/units/): Yes — flip one setting and you draw, dimension and print in feet and inches. Type 12'6" while drawing; export on ARCH paper at 1/4" = 1'-0".

### Schedules & building data

- [Room, door and window schedules](https://gridsnap.app/help/schedules/): Open Tables in the top bar for live schedules read straight from the plan — rooms with their areas, doors and windows grouped into types and marked D-01, W-01. Nothing to number by hand.
- [Build-ups and U-values](https://gridsnap.app/help/build-ups-and-u-values/): Give a wall, roof, ceiling or floor slab a layered build-up and its U-value is computed from the layers. Assigning one sets the element's thickness, and the name can be called out on the plan.
- [Quantity takeoff — measured quantities off the drawing](https://gridsnap.app/help/quantity-takeoff/): The Quantities tab totals what the plan contains — wall lengths and face areas, roof covering, slab, openings, terraces and paving, grouped by build-up. Pro. (Pro)
- [The heat-loss sheet (Σ U×A)](https://gridsnap.app/help/heat-loss/): Every wall, roof, ceiling, slab and opening in the envelope with its U-value and area, totalled in W/K. Fabric transmission only — indicative, not a compliance calculation. Pro. (Pro)
- [How to calculate wall area in m²](https://gridsnap.app/help/wall-area/): One wall is Length × Height from the properties panel — free. On Pro, select a room for the wall surface enclosing it, or open Tables for every wall in the plan grouped by build-up — openings deducted and junctions counted once in both.

### Export, print & share

- [Exporting a PDF at true scale](https://gridsnap.app/help/export-pdf/): Pick the paper (A4–A0) and the ratio (1:20 to 1:2000), tick the pages you want, download. The PDF is true vector output with selectable text, so it measures correctly when printed.
- [Sharing a plan with a link](https://gridsnap.app/help/share-a-plan/): Press Share, create the link, send it. Whoever opens it sees the plan read-only in the browser — no account, no download — and can duplicate it to edit their own copy.
- [Layers — what shows on screen and what prints](https://gridsnap.app/help/layers/): Every object belongs to a system layer by type, and each layer has its own Show and Print switch. One drawing becomes a permit set, a furniture layout and a working drawing without deleting anything.

### Plan check & AI

- [The plan check — what it looks for](https://gridsnap.app/help/plan-check-rules/): A live badge and a findings panel that check placement and circulation as you draw. The mechanical impossibilities are free; the expert rules — room sizes, daylight, clearances, blocked doors — are Pro.
- [Explain & Fix — the assistant's notes on a finding](https://gridsnap.app/help/fix-suggestions/): Press Explain on a plan-check finding for a short architect's note on why it matters, and Fix to let the editor apply the change — checked against every rule before it lands. Pro. (Pro)
- [Furnishing a room automatically](https://gridsnap.app/help/furnish-a-room/): Select a named room and press ✨ Furnish room. The assistant reads what the room is and what shape it is, and places furniture that fits, snapped to the walls. Pro. (Pro)

### Account, projects & billing

- [What is free, and what Pro adds](https://gridsnap.app/help/plans-and-pricing/): Drawing, 3D, elevations and vector PDF/DXF export are free forever with no watermarks. Pro adds the expert layer — deeper plan checks, AI notes and fixes, unlimited synced projects, design options and version history.
- [Working on several plans at once (tabs)](https://gridsnap.app/help/tabs/): Every open plan is a tab across the top, with its own undo history and its own cloud project, and you can copy and paste between them. Closing a tab asks first.
- [Design options — several schemes of one plan](https://gridsnap.app/help/design-options/): Keep the existing layout and the alternative side by side in one project, switch between them from the Options chip, and put two on one screen with Compare. Pro. (Pro)

### Reference — architectural standards

- [Minimum room sizes for bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchens](https://gridsnap.app/help/minimum-room-sizes/): A bedroom wants at least 7 m² and 2.0 m of clear width, a living room 10 m² and 2.4 m, a kitchen 4.5 m² and 1.7 m, a bathroom 2.0 m² and 1.2 m. Gridsnap flags a room under those on the Pro plan check.
- [Wall thickness presets and settings in Gridsnap](https://gridsnap.app/help/wall-thickness/): Gridsnap starts with 400 mm Outer, 250 mm Bearing and 120 mm Inner wall presets; edit them for one wall, one project or future plans.
- [Door sizes and settings in Gridsnap](https://gridsnap.app/help/standard-door-sizes/): Gridsnap draws a 900 × 2100 mm metric door or a 36″ × 6′-8″ imperial door by default; edit its opening, leaf, frame and variant in the properties panel.
- [Standard window sizes and sill heights](https://gridsnap.app/help/standard-window-sizes/): A standard window sill sits 900 mm above the floor with the head at 2100 mm, giving 1200 mm of glass height. Gridsnap draws 1200 mm wide by default and raises the sill to 1400 mm in wet rooms.
- [Door swings: how much clear space a door needs](https://gridsnap.app/help/door-swing-clearance/): A hinged door needs a quarter-circle of clear floor its own width in radius, plus about 800 mm of walk-up on the other side. Gridsnap's Pro plan check flags furniture in either zone and two doors swinging into each other.
- [Corridor and circulation widths](https://gridsnap.app/help/circulation-widths/): A corridor wants 900 mm minimum and 1000–1200 mm to be comfortable. Gridsnap's route check guarantees a 600 mm walkable path to every door, use-face and stair foot, and flags a named hall narrower than 900 mm.
- [How much window area does a room need? The 1/8 rule](https://gridsnap.app/help/daylight-rule/): The rule of thumb is glazing of at least one eighth of the floor area — a 16 m² bedroom wants 2 m² of window. Gridsnap's Pro plan check measures it per room and flags anything under.
- [The kitchen work triangle: rules and measurements](https://gridsnap.app/help/kitchen-work-triangle/): Sink, stove and fridge should form a triangle with no leg longer than 2.7 m and the three legs adding up to no more than 7.9 m. Gridsnap's Pro plan check measures it and flags a stretched one.
- [How wide should a galley kitchen aisle be?](https://gridsnap.app/help/galley-kitchen-width/): 1050 mm is the minimum aisle between two facing kitchen runs and 1200 mm is what two cooks need. Gridsnap's Pro plan check flags a galley or island aisle under 1050 mm.
- [Clearance in front of a toilet, basin and shower](https://gridsnap.app/help/bathroom-clearances/): A toilet needs 600 mm clear in front and 400 mm from its centreline to anything either side; a basin 600 mm in front; a shower 600 mm and a bath 700 mm to step out into. Gridsnap's Pro plan check tests the toilet and the basin.
- [How much space around a dining table?](https://gridsnap.app/help/dining-table-clearance/): Leave 700 mm from the table edge to a wall to pull a chair out, 900 mm where someone also walks behind the seated diners, and 600 mm of table edge per person. Gridsnap's plan check does not test this — the layout engine does.

## Tools

Free metric building calculators. Each states its formula and assumptions
on the page; results update as you type and are shareable via URL
parameters.

- [Flooring & Tile Calculator](https://gridsnap.app/tools/flooring-calculator/): Room area to packs and cost — waste allowance by laying pattern, pack coverage, price per pack; handles L-shaped and combined-rectangle rooms with a live shape preview.
- [Paint Calculator](https://gridsnap.app/tools/paint-calculator/): Wall area to litres — doors and windows subtracted at standard sizes, coats and spreading rate adjustable.
- [Stair Calculator](https://gridsnap.app/tools/stair-calculator/): Floor-to-floor height to riser count, riser height, going, pitch and total run — checked against the 2R+G comfort rule.
- [Floor Plan Scale Calculator](https://gridsnap.app/tools/floor-plan-scale-calculator/): Convert between paper millimetres and real metres at 1:20–1:500, or find the scale of a drawing from one known dimension.
- [U-Value Calculator](https://gridsnap.app/tools/u-value-calculator/): Stack real construction layers — or your own materials — into a hatched section drawing, get the U-value (EN ISO 6946 form), and the insulation thickness needed to reach a target.

## Comparisons

Dated, fact-checked comparison pages; each states when the other tool is the
better choice.

- [Gridsnap vs Floorplanner](https://gridsnap.app/vs/floorplanner/): Drafting tool vs interior visualisation tool — accurate drawings vs furnished renders.
- [Gridsnap vs RoomSketcher](https://gridsnap.app/vs/roomsketcher/): Free CAD drafting vs presentation floor plans behind a subscription.
- [Gridsnap vs Planner 5D](https://gridsnap.app/vs/planner-5d/): Millimetre CAD drawings vs a consumer home-design app with renders.
- [Gridsnap vs SmartDraw](https://gridsnap.app/vs/smartdraw/): Purpose-built floor plan CAD vs a general diagramming suite.
- [Gridsnap vs Sweet Home 3D](https://gridsnap.app/vs/sweet-home-3d/): Two genuinely free tools — modern browser CAD vs open-source desktop veteran.
- [Gridsnap vs AutoCAD LT](https://gridsnap.app/vs/autocad-lt/): Purpose-built floor plan tool vs the industry-standard 2D drafting package.
- [Gridsnap vs magicplan](https://gridsnap.app/vs/magicplan/): Design and draft in the browser vs capture existing rooms on site by phone.
- [Gridsnap vs ArchiCAD](https://gridsnap.app/vs/archicad/): The honest one: when you need professional BIM, and when you don’t.
- [All comparisons](https://gridsnap.app/vs/)

## Templates

Free, fully editable floor plan templates — each opens directly in the
editor via its "Open in editor" link. All of them, with sizes, net
areas and room schedules in one table: [Floor Plan Examples](https://gridsnap.app/floor-plan-examples/).

- [Garden Room with Deck](https://gridsnap.app/templates/deck-and-terrace/): A living room opening onto a 6.3 × 3.6 m deck: sliding doors, railings on the open sides, and a step flight sized from the real 450 mm drop — around 22 m² net indoors.
- [Single-Storey Rear Extension](https://gridsnap.app/templates/rear-extension/): A single-storey rear extension drawn with the wall it joins: the knock-through, a kitchen run and garden doors — around 19 m² net.
- [Studio Apartment](https://gridsnap.app/templates/studio-apartment/): A compact studio flat with a full kitchen run, a separate bathroom and a real sleeping corner under floor-height windows — around 27.5 m² net.
- [2-Bedroom Apartment](https://gridsnap.app/templates/2-bedroom-apartment/): A two-bedroom flat with a 33 m² open living, dining and kitchen room, a main bedroom and a second room that works as a child’s room or home office — around 57.7 m² net.
- [Single-Level Tiny House — 17 m²](https://gridsnap.app/templates/tiny-house/): A single-level 17.3 m² tiny house on a 7.2 × 3.0 m footprint, with a full kitchen, a window-side dinette, a fixed double bed, storage and a separate wet room — no sleeping loft.
- [3-Bedroom House](https://gridsnap.app/templates/3-bedroom-house/): A single-storey three-bedroom house planned around one 46.5 m² living, kitchen and dining room, with a split family bathroom, a master suite and a real plant and utility room — around 127 m² net.
- [Garden Studio (ADU)](https://gridsnap.app/templates/adu-granny-flat/): A self-contained garden studio with an open living and kitchen space, a separate bedroom and a full shower room — around 30.5 m² net.
- [Small Bathroom (1.8 × 2.4 m)](https://gridsnap.app/templates/small-bathroom/): A 1.8 by 2.4 metre bathroom that still takes a full-length bath, a toilet and a basin — around 4.3 m² net.
- [L-Shaped Kitchen with Island](https://gridsnap.app/templates/l-shaped-kitchen/): An L of counters along two walls with a free-standing island and a work triangle inside the guidelines — around 12.6 m² net.
- [1-Bedroom Flat](https://gridsnap.app/templates/1-bedroom-flat/): A compact one-bedroom apartment with an open living and kitchen room, a separate bedroom and a full bathroom — around 41.1 m² net.
- [Family House — Ground Floor](https://gridsnap.app/templates/family-house-ground-floor/): The ground floor of a two-storey family house: kitchen/dining, living room, office, and a staircase up — around 76 m² net.
- [Garage / Extension](https://gridsnap.app/templates/garage/): A single garage with a workbench and storage — around 26 m², sized for one car plus a workshop corner.

## Floorplan Rescues

Real floor plans submitted by readers, reviewed and fixed in public.

- [The room that felt wrong](https://gridsnap.app/rescues/bedroom-that-feels-wrong/)

## Optional

- [Use Cases](https://gridsnap.app/use-cases/): who uses Gridsnap and for what
- [Floorplan Rescue](https://gridsnap.app/rescues/): real submitted plans reviewed and fixed
- [About](https://gridsnap.app/about/): who makes Gridsnap
- [Privacy](https://gridsnap.app/privacy/): first-party, aggregate-only analytics; no cookies or ids
- [Terms](https://gridsnap.app/terms/): terms of service