How to Print Your Plans for HOA Approval
Before an architectural review committee says yes to your deck, fence, shed or addition, it usually wants paper it can pass around the table and mark up. Applications rarely get held for bad design. They get held because a site plan is missing, a set comes up one copy short, or a 24×36 drawing was shrunk onto letter paper and nobody can read the setbacks. This guide covers what to put in the packet, how to print it, and what it costs.
Have your PDF? Order your HOA prints → $1.95 a sheet in black and white, $3.75 in color. The price is the same at 18×24, 24×36, 30×42, 36×46 and 36×48, and there’s no minimum. Order by 3 PM ET, ships same day, arrives as soon as the next day. New customers get 20% off their first order with WELCOME20.
Start with your community’s rules, not ours
Your HOA’s design guidelines or management company decide what counts as complete. Before you print anything, get answers to these:
- How many copies? One per committee member is common, but some communities set a fixed number.
- What sheet size? Some committees want full size, others prefer something smaller that’s easier to handle.
- Color or black and white? Color usually matters only when the committee is reviewing finishes or paint.
- Do they also want a PDF?
- When is the cutoff? Many committees close the agenda days before the meeting.
If the written guidelines don’t answer a question, ask the management company and get the answer in writing.
What goes in the packet
| Project | Sheets committees commonly ask for | Color? |
|---|---|---|
| Fence | Site plan with the fence line, plus an elevation or the product sheet | Rarely |
| Shed | Site plan with setbacks, footprint, elevations | For siding or roof color |
| Deck | Site plan, framing plan, elevations, railing detail | Rarely |
| Addition | Site plan, floor plan, all four elevations, roof plan | Often, for finish selections |
| Exterior paint or siding | Elevations or photos with color callouts | Yes |
Treat this table as a starting point. Your guidelines have the final say.
The site plan does most of the work, because it shows where the project sits and how far it is from the property lines. If you don’t have one, many homeowners start from their property survey. Our guide to printing a survey or plot plan for a fence, deck, shed or pool covers that sheet in detail.
If a contractor, designer or deck company gave you a PDF, you already have what you need. If you bought house plans online, see how to print house plans you bought online.
Get the PDF print-ready
- One page per sheet, at the size it was drawn. “Fit to page” exports shrink the drawing and throw off the scale. If your designer works in CAD, they can follow exporting PDFs from AutoCAD or Revit at the right scale.
- Check the scale bar at 100% zoom. Committee members do pull out rulers.
- Put the pages in reading order: site plan, then elevations, then plans and details.
- Label every sheet. Include your lot number or address, a short project name (“Rear deck”), a sheet number, the date, and a north arrow and scale on the site plan. A committee reviewing six applications in one night will thank you, and a revised sheet can be matched to the one it replaces.
We print your PDF to scale, exactly as uploaded, so these checks are worth the five minutes. More detail: preparing a PDF plan set for printing and our file requirements.
Size and color
We print these sizes: 18×24, 24×36, 30×42, 36×46 and 36×48. Price doesn’t change with size, so pick whatever reads best:
- 24×36 is the most common full-size plan sheet and keeps dimensions legible (about 24×36 ARCH D).
- 18×24 is easier to spread out on a committee table. Order it only if your PDF was set up at 18×24, since we print the page as uploaded. Before going smaller, check that the text still reads, using half-size vs full-size plan sets.
- If your drawings use letter-coded sizes, ARCH vs ANSI sheet sizes explains how they line up.
Line drawings look fine in black and white. Save color for the sheets where it changes the decision, like a rendering or an elevation showing siding and trim colors. You can put both in one order as separate items, each with its own PDF. Showing a rendering at the meeting? See color plan prints that hold up in the room, or the overview of color plan printing.
Order one more set than they ask for
Keep one set for yourself so you can follow along if the committee calls with questions. Once you’re approved, it becomes the contractor’s set. If your town also requires a permit, the building department usually wants its own copies; see permit set printing or our town-by-town permit guides.
Why HOA packets come back
- A missing sheet, usually the site plan or one elevation.
- One copy short, which can push you to the next meeting.
- Dimensions too small to read because a full-size drawing was printed on small paper.
- Black and white where finishes are under review. If the committee is approving colors, show the colors.
- Mixed revisions. After changes, reprint the revised sheets so nobody is comparing old and new.
Working back from the meeting date
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| 2–3 weeks out | Confirm copy count, size, color and the submission deadline |
| 1–2 weeks out | Get the final PDF; check scale and labels |
| Before the deadline, with a cushion | Order prints |
| When they arrive | Count sets, spot-check the scale bar, set aside your copy |
| After the meeting | Reprint only the sheets the committee asked you to revise |
What a typical HOA set costs
Print totals before shipping. Sheet size doesn’t change the price.
| Packet | Sheets | Price | First order with WELCOME20 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fence: site plan + elevation, 2 copies, B&W | 4 | $7.80 | $6.24 |
| Shed: 3 sheets, 2 copies, B&W | 6 | $11.70 | $9.36 |
| Deck: 6 sheets, 3 copies, B&W | 18 | $35.10 | $28.08 |
| Addition: 5 B&W + 1 color elevation, 3 copies | 18 | $40.50 | $32.40 |
| Color finish elevations, 4 copies | 4 | $15.00 | $12.00 |
| One revised sheet, B&W (a reorder) | 1 | $1.95 | — |
Full price list: pricing. For a wider breakdown, see how much it costs to print blueprints.
FAQ
How many copies does my HOA need?
It’s set by your community. Many ask for one per committee member. Others name a fixed number in the design guidelines. Ask the management company if the guidelines don’t say.
Do the plans have to be in color?
Usually not. Color helps when the committee is judging exterior finishes, paint or a rendering.
Is there a minimum order? Does size change the price?
There’s no minimum, and the price is the same at all sizes: $1.95 per sheet black and white, $3.75 color.
The committee wants one sheet revised. Can I print just that page?
Yes. Upload a PDF of just the revised sheet and order the copies you need.
How fast will prints arrive for my meeting?
Order by 3 PM ET, ships same day, arrives as soon as the next day. Plan around the committee’s submission deadline, not the meeting date.
What files and paper do you use?
Upload a PDF at checkout. If you only have another file type, such as a DWG from your contractor, email support@printmyplans.com and we’ll help sort it out, or ask the contractor for a full-size PDF. Everything prints on bond paper. We don’t offer vellum or Mylar.
Will the committee be able to measure from the prints?
Yes, as long as the PDF was exported at full size and you order the size it was drawn at. Check the scale bar at 100% zoom before you upload.
What if you make a mistake on my order?
We reprint it and ship it free of charge. For anything else, email support@printmyplans.com.
Do you have a discount?
WELCOME20 takes 20% off your first order. Students can use STUDENT25 for 25% off instead. WELCOME20 can’t be combined with other codes.
More answers are on our FAQ page. Comparing a copy shop counter with ordering online? See copy center vs online blueprint printing.
Ready to send your packet to print? Upload your PDF and choose your sizes. If something about your file looks off, email support@printmyplans.com before you order.
