Dimensions are shown in which unit of measurement in architectural drawings?

In architectural drawings, dimensions are primarily shown in inches, particularly in the context of residential building projects in the United States, including Virginia. This is because the imperial measurement system, which includes inches and feet, is commonly used in construction and architectural practices across the country.

Inches provide a level of precision that is suitable for many construction applications, especially when detailing specific measurements for building components like doorways, windows, and fixtures. While other measurement systems, such as metric units like millimeters and centimeters, may be used in some international contexts or specific disciplines of engineering, they are less frequently employed in standard residential architecture in the U.S.

Furthermore, feet can also be used in architectural drawings, but they are typically expressed in conjunction with inches rather than as the sole unit of measurement when detailing dimensions. Therefore, the focus on inches aligns with common practice among local contractors and builders.