Floor Plans & Measurements

The foundation of a solid redecorating plan includes accurate dimensions of your living space. To start, I suggest creating an accurate floor plan. Here is what you will need to get started.

Recommended Tools

25-foot metal tape measure. Look for one that locks and retracts.
Graph paper: The grid makes it much easier to sketch an accurate plan.
Drafting tools: A ruler, pencils with erasers, a clipboard.

Basic Measuring Instructions

Before measuring, make a rough sketch of the basic floor plan, including walls, hallways, closets and door placements. Don't worry too much about it being proportional at this point.

How to convert square feet into yards (for carpet)

Width of room x Length of room = Square Feet

Square Yards = Width of room x Length of room = Square Foot Area. Then divide by 9. There are 9 square feet in 1 square yard.

It is best to have me make final measurements to ensure that you purchase the correct amount.

As a professional I know how to include hallways and closets, match patterns, plan seam placement, work with room irregularities and account for rooms with widths greater than 12 feet. (most carpet is produced in 12' and 15' widths)

"The experience an installer brings to the job
will make a difference in the installation quality"
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Before measuring, make a rough sketch of the basic floor plan, including walls, hallways, closets and door placements. Don't worry too much about it being proportional at this point.

With your rough sketch in hand, start measuring. Measure in running dimensions as much as possible. Fix the tape measure at one end of the room and run the tape to the farthest side of the other end. repeat for the width of the room. take note of the measurement each time on your rough sketch.Make additional measurements and notes on the drawing as you see fit. These might include the doorway widths, alcoves, or steps, etc.

Measure the shortest width and length in the room. If you're measuring a room with no recesses or foyers, there will be only one width and only one length. But in this example, three lengths are shown. The shortest one should be recorded. The other two, with the red line crossing through them, should not.

Multiply the width and the length to get the main area measurement. If the room has no recesses or foyers, stop here. This is the measurement of the total floor area. Record this in the center of your drawing.

Calculate the area of individual recesses.

Square or rectangular recesses: Measure the width and length (shown in purple) of the recess (shown in green) as if it was a tiny room. Multiply the width and length to find the area of the recess. Record it in the recess area of your drawing.

Round recesses: Measure the longest width and length of the recess (usually through the center) up until the edge of the main area, which you already measured. In this example, the length is shown in gold and the width in blue.

Add all of the areas together to get the total floor area.