Blueprint Reading Course Online
Learn how to read a set of construction blueprints for residential and commercial construction projects through real-world learning experiences.
Learn how to read a set of construction blueprints for residential and commercial construction projects through real-world learning experiences.
Master essential concepts such as drawing types, scale, and the connection between architectural and engineering documents for residential and commercial construction projects. You’ll learn to navigate blueprints, understand symbols, and analyze technical drawings for real-world projects. Perfect for trades professionals, drafters, designers, and interns, this course will help you confidently interpret and apply blueprint knowledge on the job. This blueprint reading course is also available in Spanish.
This course develops core blueprint reading skills by covering construction document organization, drawing relationships, and the interpretation of symbols, legends, and notations. Students learn to analyze title sheets, site plans, floor plans, elevations, structural drawings, and MEP layouts, while gaining an understanding of construction details, sections, and schedules as they apply to both residential and commercial projects.
Unit 1 10 Hours
Taught by a licensed architect, this Residential Blueprint Reading Course is designed to provide you with a thorough understanding of how to interpret and analyze residential construction blueprints. This comprehensive, instructor-led course is ideal for beginners looking to gain essential skills, as well as for seasoned professionals seeking to improve their ability to collaborate on residential projects.
Unit 2 20 Hours
Learn to interpret and analyze commercial construction blueprints in this Commercial Blueprint Reading Course taught by a licensed architect. Designed for construction professionals and students, this course focuses on mixed-use commercial projects, including hotel, retail, and parking structures. You’ll develop skills to read architectural, structural, mechanical, and electrical plans.
From our immersive, hands-on training and world-class instructors to our meticulously crafted curriculum, we consistently deliver results that our alumni proudly endorse.
My experience with the Blueprint reading courses was truly enlightening! I had several "aha" moments as what was previously gibberish to me became a language.
Glenda Martin
This course has been instrumental in moving me to the next step in my career that will serve as the basis for my ultimate career goal.
Brittany Tyrrell
It helped my career a lot by helping me understand and to better communicate with others. I had plenty of time to train and understand the course.
Jose Ordonez
I really enjoyed how informative the course was. It was very clear the instructor was quite knowledgeable.
Samuel Eli
It has helped me immensely when working with architects and engineers in my sales career. Knowing and understanding my way around blueprints has helped me in sales when communicating about specifics on a project.
Steven Negahbani
The training has helped me to understand how to read commercial blueprints in my day to day job. I use the skills I've learned everyday to easily dissect blueprints quickly and efficiently.
Lisa Bromberg
The commercial side was definitely more challenging for me, but I learned a lot and am so glad I took these courses!
Dawn Wright
This course was very informative to me and definitely helped broaden my knowledge of how blueprints are interpreted. I enjoyed learning the different types of callouts and symbols associated with a blueprint and how its used.
Andrea Reyes
I'm a marketing guy and had never read a blueprint before. I am grateful my employer encouraged me to take this excellent course, as it will help me succeed in my new career in window and door sales. The instructor responded promptly to an issue I had. Overall, I was very impressed!
Ken Lukaska
I was personally struggling with reading blueprints but now i better understand them and what's going on in the detail.
Dylan Blickemstaff
I would rate this course a 5 out of 5 because of its comprehensive and well-structured content. The self-paced format allowed me to balance work and other commitments while completing the course on time, and the clear, beginner-friendly videos made learning straightforward and approachable. Taking this course helped me in my career by providing me guidance for the requirements of the job. VDCI truly was the best choice for me and would definitely recommend to others that I know who decide to choose the same path as me!
Cristian Hernandez
I give this course a 5 out of 5. It was amazing! What I enjoyed the most is that the videos weren't too long but very informative and simple. It helped me grasp the basics of engineering construction documents beyond just architectural ones and improved my understanding of how to navigate through a blueprint.
Edward Arroyo
What I enjoyed most about learning with VDCI was the vast knowledge that I gained from the instructor and class materials, and of course, scoring well on the tests! After earning my Blueprint Reading Certification with VDCI, I received a promotion and a sizable raise. Thank You!!!
Carlos Escobar Guillen
Amazing. What I enjoyed the most was the practical, real-world focus of the training. The content was well organized, easy to follow, and directly related to what I encounter on the job site. The flexibility of the program also allowed me to balance training with my full-time responsibilities in construction. As a foreman in the construction industry, VDCI’s training has helped me improve my understanding of construction documents, digital drafting, and project coordination. It gave me the tools to better communicate with architects and engineers, review plans more efficiently, and guide my crew with greater precision. This training added real value to my role and made me more effective in managing complex projects.
Gustavo S.
What I appreciated most about VDCI's Blueprint Reading training was how clearly the concepts were explained and how practical the examples were. The course layout was intuitive, and the hands-on approach made it easy to stay engaged. I especially valued how it broke down construction drawings in a way that felt accessible yet thorough. The training gave me the confidence to interpret blueprints more efficiently on the job site, which directly improved communication with subcontractors and allowed me to catch potential issues earlier. It also strengthened my project planning skills, giving me an edge in managing scope, schedules, and budgets. Thanks again for a great learning experience!
Jose B.
I enjoyed learning more about commercial construction and all the planning that goes into the mechanical systems. I was assigned a remodel that included a lot of new structural steel. I was able to identify it and was able to ask appropriate follow up questions.
Nety C.
Easy to understand. Broke it down so a layman with no experience could learn the material. Videos were excellent. As a new building inspector and never having had to read blueprints before this job, the training definitely helped me to read and understand blueprints.
Travers H.
I am rating this class a 5. I enjoyed how the class was structured and how each section built on one another. I also enjoyed that it was self paced so I could take notes and review videos as needed. This training helped me in my career because now, I can take on more responsibility on job sites and further my career to becoming a project manager.
Lauren H.
I enjoyed the easy to understand nature of the presentation. Nothing was passed over. Allows for a proper foundation of terms to be built. The course gave me a foundation to be able to read plans. I am new to the industry, and I went from not contributing to being able to simply read and begin to mark up plans. This course helped turn a “foreign language” into something I am comfortable navigating.
Joe B.
Blueprint Reading Course Online is rated 4.6 stars by 1,956 students
Great information and great course for someone who had only some blueprint knowledge. Thank you!
I think it was well structured. Some of the information did feel like it was repeated constantly throughout the topics, like how to read the detail symbol so you know what page to go to, but I get why. It's important, and that helps reinforce the learning. Other than that, I have no complaints. This was a great intro to blueprints for me, and it's made me very excited to begin the commercial side of the course. Instructor replied to me right away when I asked a question and was very professional and polite. Great instructor.
It's been a pleasure and an enjoyment to gain, learn, and obtain this invaluable knowledge afforded and provided to me through this course!
I thought the instructor videos were very well done and timed well. I found them engaging and informative without getting dry or boring. I would highly recommend this course even for experienced contractors to fill any gaps they may have in their training or knowledge.
Loved this course and learned a lot.
The course layout was easy to follow and allowed you to build off of the information you just learned. It doesn't skip around.
I really have nothing extra to add because the quality of the course is top-notch in my opinion.
The instructor was very knowledgeable and easy to follow through the course.
I thoroughly enjoyed the course and its step-by-step process. It was interesting to see what technology is being used and how it is used to create blueprints now, since the last time I took a drafting class was in high school. I'm now interested in how to use Revit as a layman draftsman.
Sufficient information and testing.
Loved to learn a little more. Loved my instructor too, he always helped me.
The Blueprint Residential Course was very adequate for understanding residential drawings, and it wasn’t passive or inactive because the instructor responded clearly to all questions asked.
This course was fun to go through! I feel like I learned so much. The way it was laid out and presented made it easy to follow and understand
Very satisfied with this course.
Thanks for a great course! I learned a lot!
Very satisfied with the course.
It was a great course that hit every topic that I had concerns with.
I found it very good and timely for expanding my knowledge in plans; the teacher quickly addressed my questions, just grateful.
This class is a 5 out of 5. I enjoyed the thorough breakdowns for each topic paired with videos that even further helped me understand the topic. The videos were thorough, and they had fantastic examples to learn from. As a new junior estimator with no prior experience reading blueprints, this class enabled me to fly through blueprints picking up what I knew I needed rather than fumbling through hoping I find what I need.
This was a really good course for me. I’m an office manager for a small commercial construction company, and I see drawings for different jobs, but I don’t have much to do with them. I also never really thought about what I was looking at. It’s really very interesting. The course is very clear, to the point, and broken into enough small bites that you cannot become overwhelmed.
The course was well thought out, had a lot of relevant information. I found the site to be easy to navigate. The reference materials were complete and had all of the information needed. I have 30 years in the construction industry, 23 in construction management. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount that I was able to learn from this course. I am continuing my education, getting certifications to bolster my field experience. I will definitely be enrolling in more courses through the VDC Institute.
I appreciated the format of the course and the attention to detail the instructor demonstrated. The material is presented in a way that's easy to understand! Every detail is broken down and after, you get an explanation on why it is important. The quizzes make you recall the information you just learned so it's more likely to stick!
Completing this course has been an incredibly valuable experience for me. The course provided a clear, in depth understanding of commercial blueprints and construction documentation. The lessons were well-structured and easy to follow, making it an excellent resource for anyone looking to enter or advance in this industry. This course has given me confidence and knowledge to excel in my career, and I highly recommend it to anyone serious about improving their blueprint reading skills. This Blueprint Reading Certification was a game changer for me - it gave the knowledge and confidence to understand commercial drawings and apply them on the job. It's invaluable course for anyone looking to grow in the construction industry.
This was a great course. It was nice and short and I did learn a good amount of new information. Everything was explained clearly and in a way that was easy to understand. The information provided was extremely valuable and practical for real-world use. I highly recommend this course to anyone looking to strengthen their estimating skills.
The course was comprehensive and very detailed, making it easy to follow and apply to real-world situations. The instructor was knowledgeable, clear, and engaging, which made the learning experience even better. Overall, it gave me a strong foundation in blueprint reading for commercial construction. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting a strong foundation in commercial construction.
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The training has helped me to understand how to read commercial blueprints in my day to day job. I use the skills I've learned everyday to easily dissect blueprints quickly and efficiently.
- Lisa Bromberg
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We want you to leverage the skills you’ll learn. In addition to 30 hours of hands-on, self-paced training, you’ll receive one live 1-on-1 training session where you can:
Upon completion of this course, you’ll receive an official certificate testifying to your mastery of the curriculum. We’ll send you a link where you can download your certificate, share it online with your friends, post it to your professional network on LinkedIn, and view all your earned certificates. Congratulations on your achievement!
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This course is perfect for anyone looking to build or enhance their blueprint reading skills, including:
Yes, this course is open to beginners. Students must be comfortable using a computer. No other prior knowledge is required.
This course does not qualify for payments plans or student financing. See our Payment Options FAQ to find related programs that qualify.
This program is available for 60 days.
You can choose when to start your access period. Once you activate, you will have 60 days to complete it (access the course materials, quizzes, projects and videos). You may request one extension of seven (7) days. Other extension requests will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Videos are not downloadable.
For this series of 2 courses, you are entitled to a 90% refund (your payment less the nonrefundable 10% registration fee) within 30 days of purchase for any course in the bundle that you have not accessed.
There are no extra fees or taxes for our courses. The price you see on this page is the maximum you’ll pay us.
This program is a discounted package of classes that is 15–25% off the individual class prices, so additional discounts do not apply.
These related courses share skills and topics with Blueprint Reading Course Online. Select up to two and tap Compare selected courses to view a side-by-side comparison.
Gain a thorough understanding of blueprint reading and construction cost estimating to navigate both residential and commercial projects. Learn to interpret construction documents and develop cost estimates for construction projects, from single-family homes to mixed-use commercial buildings.
Learn the fundamentals of blueprint reading for residential construction, from understanding drawing types to interpreting complex construction documents, to gain a solid foundation for your career in the construction industry.
Gain the skills to read construction blueprints for mixed-use commercial projects, including hotels, retail spaces, and parking structures, with an emphasis on interrelationships between drawings and how 3D models simplify construction documents.
Build a strong foundation in construction estimating and master digital takeoff techniques using industry-standard tools. This comprehensive training prepares you for the Bluebeam Certified Professional Exam and equips you with the skills needed to produce accurate, real-world cost estimates.
The Blueprint Reading Course is a structured, self-paced training program designed to equip students with the skills needed to accurately interpret residential and commercial construction drawings. This hands-on course covers blueprint interpretation, architectural symbols, drawing scales, and technical documentation, ensuring that students develop a deep understanding of how construction projects are designed and executed.
By completing this course, you will:
The Blueprint Reading Course provides structured, industry-aligned training for individuals looking to enhance their understanding of construction documents.
This course is designed for individuals looking to develop blueprint reading skills applicable to residential and commercial construction projects. Whether you're new to the industry or looking to refine your expertise, this program provides structured, real-world training to help you achieve your professional goals.
This course provides industry-standard training to help participants become proficient in blueprint interpretation and construction document navigation, ensuring they are well-prepared to apply these skills in real-world settings.
Blueprint reading is a critical skill in the construction, architecture, and engineering industries, as professionals across these fields rely on accurate interpretation of construction documents to bring projects to life.
Blueprint reading is an essential skill in today’s construction and design landscape, and professionals who master this ability gain a competitive edge in their field. This program provides practical training and expert-led guidance, helping students develop the confidence needed to read, analyze, and apply blueprint reading skills in real-world residential and commercial construction projects.
Each installment is charged to your card on file every 30 days or before you begin your next class.
| Installments | List Price | |
|---|---|---|
| $279.00 | Deposit – Residential Blueprint Reading Course Online | $279 |
| $279.00 | Commercial Blueprint Reading Course Online | $329 |
| ▴ The certificate discount of $50 has been applied | ||
| $558.00 | Total You Pay | |
See the Installment plan FAQ for more information.
Instructor
Luis has a Bachelor of Architecture Degree from the University of Southern California and over 10 years of professional AEC industry experience. He has made extensive use of AutoCAD, SketchUp, Revit and Photoshop in his work, and is happiest when helping others achieve success. He’s an avid traveler who has run 10 marathons and enjoys reading, yoga, camping, volunteering and attending music festivals all over the world.
Instructor
David is the AEC Software Specialist at VDCI, with a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management and an Associate’s degree of science in Drafting and General Design from ITT Technical Institute. A San Diego native with over 12 years working in the Design Industry and construction industry, David brings his construction and design expertise to help all students achieve their goals in the field. Outside of his professional life, David loves attending concerts, festivals, playing his guitar and restoring and repairing all types of vehicles.
Credentials:
Instructor
Matt Franzen is a well-rounded construction professional with a diverse background of construction industry experience. Matt has strong experience working on major commercial and residential construction projects, overseeing projects from pre-construction through to closeout. He also has a deep knowledge of the construction technology space, having hands-on experience with many of the major players in the construction technology landscape. Matt loves sharing his industry knowledge with others and continuing to learn about the newest trends in construction technology.