At a glance

Overview

An iGUIDE Site Plan is a schematic view of a property's exterior, covering walkways, driveways, garden beds, pools, patios, waterscapes and lawn areas. When added to an iGUIDE Standard or Premium, it appears as a dedicated floor in the iGUIDE Viewer alongside the interior floor plans, so viewers get the exterior context they would otherwise have to imagine, without leaving the tour.

Don't confuse an iGUIDE Site Plan with a civil, lot grading, topographical or survey drawing. A Site Plan is built to show how the home sits on the property and how the interior and exterior spaces connect, not to certify exterior property measurements or boundaries.

What's included with a Site Plan

Each Site Plan adds the following to your iGUIDE delivery:

• iGUIDE Viewer integration. The Site Plan appears as a dedicated floor for viewers to explore.
• Professional reports. Included in your PDF report for easy sharing and printing.
• Downloadable formats. High quality JPG for marketing, or editable SVG for customization.
• Patios, porches and decks on both plans. These building adjacent features appear on both the interior iGUIDE Floor Plan and the Site Plan when applicable.
• Premium furniture consistency. For Premium iGUIDEs, furniture that would otherwise be exclusive to the Site Plan, such as a BBQ or a patio set, also shows on the interior Floor Plan for any attached patio, porch or deck.
• Waterscapes. Lakes, beaches and shorelines are drafted where they can be identified.
• Outdoor details. A library of 40+ common outdoor objects such as trees, gazebos and sheds, plus 5 area types such as grass, driveway and garden.
• Estimated lot size, where available. An approximate lot size derived from third-party aerial data, when provided. It is a reference estimate only. It is not measured by the camera, and it neither represents nor implies a drafted or surveyed property boundary. If aerial data is unavailable or insufficient, lot size is not reported.

What affects the level of detail

Detail scales inversely with lot size. Small to mid-sized suburban lots are typically drafted with full feature detail, including walkways, driveways, porches, patios and garden beds. Larger properties such as estates, acreages and rural parcels are limited by scale and are therefore drafted at a reduced level of detail, generally limited to core landscape features such as grass and lawn extents, tree lines and bodies of water.

Not every feature is guaranteed to appear. Landscaping, fencing, trails, docks and water features are shown only when they can be reasonably visualized in your on site capture or identified from available aerial data, and where scale permits.

Roof lines and covered exterior spaces. We prioritize showing ground features over roof lines. If there is a covered porch, we show the detail of the porch instead of the roof line covering it.

Boundaries and accuracy

iGUIDE Site Plans do not depict a surveyed or legal parcel boundary. Boundary lines shown are derived from available third-party aerial imagery and, where visible, natural or constructed cut-off features such as tree lines, fence lines, hedgerows, waterlines and pavement edges.

• Availability and accuracy of this imagery vary by provider coverage and are not guaranteed for every property. Where boundary indicators are not visible or the imagery is inconclusive, the Site Plan reflects the best available approximation of the property extent rather than an omitted boundary.
• This depiction is schematic only and must not be relied upon as a legal or authoritative determination of parcel boundaries, easements or setbacks. Planitar assumes no liability for boundary accuracy or completeness.

Pricing

Site Plans are a flat rate for all eligible residential properties, at any lot size:

Capturing for a Site Plan

Site Plans are designed to require minimal additional capture beyond the interior of the property. Many iGUIDE Operators choose to go further, either to highlight certain aspects of the property or to customize the experience in the 3D virtual tour.

The minimum

At minimum, scans should be taken at:

• Every building entry and exit point, capturing the transition from inside to out.
• The area immediately surrounding the subject building, providing scale while capturing the building adjacent features like decks, porches, patios and walkways.

This supports both the virtual tour and reliable Site Plan drafting. Nothing beyond it is required, even on large rural properties.

Scanning beyond the minimum

Everything past the minimum is a choice. Here is when it is worth making.

Keep in mind that all discrete site features drawn in the Site Plan must be scanned using an iGUIDE PLANIX camera system. Aerial imagery covers general lot extent, tree lines and boundary depiction, so property boundaries do not need to be scanned individually.

As with interior iGUIDE floors, you can always hide scans on the Site Plan if you would rather they were not part of the tour.

Two examples of what additional capture looks like:

A Site Plan with additional exterior capture to highlight detailed landscaping.

A Site Plan with additional exterior capture to highlight a garden walk.

Best practice alignment advice

• As always, the PLANIX camera needs to be level on each scan for reliable triangulation and alignment.
• Scans must be placed on and aligned to the main floor of the property, either while you are capturing in Survey (the mobile app capture experience) or after capture in Stitch (desktop data alignment and personalization).
• To help with exterior scan alignment, use visible structures, trees or other reference points. This is particularly helpful in rural or open settings where there will not be enough reference points for automatic alignment.

Frequently asked questions

Ordering and eligibility

Q: Can I order a Site Plan on its own, without an iGUIDE?

A: No. A Site Plan is an add-on to an interior Standard or Premium iGUIDE. The interior dimensions are required to create the Site Plan, so there is no standalone Site Plan product.

Q: Can I add a Site Plan to an iGUIDE that has already been delivered?

A: Yes, as long as the original capture met the minimum requirement of a scan at every building entry and exit point plus the area immediately surrounding the building. Add it from the Packages and Add-ons menu on any existing Standard or Premium iGUIDE. If the minimum capture is not there, the property needs to be rescanned.

Q: How much does a Site Plan cost?

A: A Site Plan is a flat rate at any lot size: $35.00 USD, $45.00 CAD or $25.00 AUD. The price does not change with acreage or property complexity.

Q: Which property types are eligible for a Site Plan?

A: Single family homes, townhomes, duplexes, triplexes and quadplexes, each with their own dedicated parcel of land. Rural acreages and waterfront lots are included.

Q: Are Site Plans available for commercial or multi-unit properties?

A: Not yet. Site Plans cannot currently be ordered for condo or apartment complexes, buildings larger than a quadplex, hotels, motels, resorts, retail or warehouse properties. Commercial and multi-unit residential Site Plans are in development. Separate guidance will be published when they are released.

Q: Can I order a Site Plan for an IRC or AEC project?

A: No. Site Plans are not currently sold for the IRC or AEC product lines. AEC work typically requires a detailed site survey to assess utilities, grade differences and other factors for planning builds or demolitions, which a Site Plan is not designed to provide.

Capturing for a Site Plan

Q: What is the minimum I have to scan for a Site Plan?

A: One scan at every building entry and exit point, plus the area immediately surrounding the building, capturing the adjacent patios, porches, decks and walkways. That is the entire requirement. You do not need to scan the whole yard, and this holds true even on large rural properties.

Q: Do I need to scan the entire property on a large lot or acreage?

A: No. The minimum is the same regardless of lot size: every building entry and exit point plus the area immediately around the building. On larger properties the level of drafted detail is limited by scale anyway, so additional capture across the wider lot does not add proportional detail.

Q: What do I get if I scan more than the minimum?

A: Three things. Features you scan directly get drafted, since we only draft what we can see. Each scan you place becomes a location the viewer can click into and look around from. And scanning closer together gives a better navigation experience through connected exterior spaces, which suits a garden walk or a property where the outdoor areas flow together.

Q: Which features have to be scanned to appear on the Site Plan?

A: All discrete site features must be scanned with an iGUIDE PLANIX camera system to be drafted. This includes walkways, driveways, garden beds, pools, patios, porches and detached structures such as a garage or shed. General lot extent, tree lines and boundary depiction come from third-party aerial imagery and do not need to be scanned individually.

Q: Which floor should exterior scans be placed on?

A: Place exterior scans on the same floor as the primary living space interior scans, typically the main or ground floor. The processing team separates the outdoor spaces onto the dedicated Site Plan floor for the final delivery.

Q: Do I need any additional equipment to capture a Site Plan?

A: No. A standard iGUIDE PLANIX camera is all that is required.

Q: Can I capture exterior scans without having them appear in the virtual tour?

A: Yes. As with interior iGUIDE floors, scans can be hidden on the Site Plan if you would rather they were not part of the tour. This lets you capture freely for drafting purposes and still control what the viewer sees.

What appears on the Site Plan

Q: Why do some features not appear on my Site Plan?

A: A feature is drafted when it was scanned on site or can be identified from available aerial data, and where the scale of the property permits. Landscaping, fencing, trails, docks and water features fall into this category. If a feature was not scanned and aerial imagery cannot confirm it, it will not be drafted. This is most noticeable on rural or large-acreage properties, where detail is reduced by scale.

Q: Will roof lines appear on my Site Plan?

A: No. Ground features are prioritized over roof lines. Where there is a covered porch, the Site Plan shows the detail of the porch rather than the roof line covering it.

Q: Do patios, porches and decks appear on the Floor Plan as well?

A: Yes. These building adjacent features appear on both the interior iGUIDE Floor Plan and the Site Plan when applicable. On Premium iGUIDEs, furniture that would otherwise be exclusive to the Site Plan, such as a BBQ or a patio set, also shows on the interior Floor Plan for any attached patio, porch or deck.

Q: Is an estimated lot size included?

A: Where available. An approximate lot size is derived from third-party aerial data when that data is provided. It is a reference estimate only, it is not measured by the camera, and it neither represents nor implies a drafted or surveyed property boundary. If aerial data is unavailable or insufficient, lot size is not reported.

Boundaries and measurements

Q: Can I use a Site Plan for property measurements?

A: No. An iGUIDE Site Plan is a schematic view providing only visual context to the exterior of a property. It is not a legal boundary or a property measurement survey, and the measurements and layout shown are for visual representation only.

Q: How accurate are the boundary lines on a Site Plan?

A: Boundary lines are a schematic approximation. They are derived from available third-party aerial imagery and, where visible, natural or constructed cut-off features such as tree lines, fence lines, hedgerows, waterlines and pavement edges. Imagery coverage and accuracy vary by provider and are not guaranteed for every property. Boundary lines must not be relied upon as a determination of parcel boundaries, easements or setbacks. For an actual parcel boundary, contact your city, state, provincial or municipal authority of record.

Delivery and turnaround

Q: How long will it take to receive my completed Site Plan?

A: 24 hours from the time of iGUIDE submission for conventional suburban residential lots. Up to 48 hours for larger rural residential properties.

Q: What formats is the Site Plan delivered in?

A: The Site Plan appears as a dedicated floor in the iGUIDE Viewer, is included in the Floor Plan PDFs and image files, and is available as a high quality JPG for marketing or an editable SVG for customization.

Q: Can I request updates or upgrades after the Site Plan is delivered?

A: Yes, following the same process as existing workflows. If the property address is missing from the iGUIDE, you will need to edit the iGUIDE and add it, because the address is required to retrieve aerial photography.

Troubleshooting

Q: Nothing shows in the 3D tour when I select the Site Plan floor. Why?

A: This usually means external scans are turned off in the 3D tour. Enable some external scans and the Site Plan floor will display correctly.

Q: What happens if my scan data or the available aerial imagery is insufficient?

A: The drafting team will work with the data available, but accuracy may be limited. If very little scanning was done, the request may be rejected and the property will need to be rescanned. If aerial photography coverage is unavailable for the area, estimated lot size may not be included.