Measuring Guide
A guide on how to properly measure a room and draft a basic floor plan.
Use our step-by-step guide to measure your space properly. Doing this will help us make informed decisions and plans for your space, and it really doesn't take a lot of time! You know your own space better than anyone, but in order to make improvements, you must take accurate measurements.
You will be needing:
Plain or 1/4" grid paper (if using plain paper you'll also need a ruler)
A pencil or a black pen.
Measuring tape.
If your space is large, you will need a second person to help you.
Keep in mind that you will be measuring using feet and inches.
Step 1
Draw a basic sketch of the outline of the room as if you're looking down at it from above the space. Make sure one-quarter of an inch equals one foot on 1/4-inch grid paper.
When you are drawing the floor plan, please include all doors (and which way they swing open), windows, and doorways and their placements. You can see how a basic floor plan drawing should look like below. Make sure to label and specify permanent fixtures in the room, such as fireplaces or built-ins.
Step 2
Take measurements of the full length of each wall and write them down on your plan. It is important to do the overall measurement of the space first because it will help to ensure you measure everything else correctly. Below is an example of what overall measurements look like. Notice that walls have depth, so while the markings are on the outside of the room, the measurements taken are of inside the room.
Step 3
Measure the length of each doorway and window, and make a note of the distance from each window and door to the wall. Remember to not include door or window frames - only measure from where the actual window (glass) and door begins, till where it ends. Please double check to make sure your measurements are correct by adding up all detailed measurements on each wall to make sure the number is equal to the overall wall measurement. If it doesn't add up right which means you might have measured something wrong.
Step 4
Now that you have a floor plan, it’s time to do a rough sketch of each wall in the room as if you're looking at them face on. Use the wall measurements from the floor plan, and make note of the ceiling height. This is called an elevation plan, an example of which can be seen below.
Don’t forget to note measurements of windows or other architectural features or objects like heaters, fireplaces and staircases. You can also quickly pencil in the general placement of outlets.
