How to Measure & Draw a Space

Tool List:

-       25’ Heavy Duty Tape Measure – Preferably with the 1/8” increments

-       Laser Measure – Good for overall measurements & ceiling heights

-       Mechanical Pencils

-       Grid Paper

-       Ruler or Scale

-       Plum Bob (optional)

Step 1: Draw the Space

It should look something like this. It doesn’t need to be perfectly to scale. You can do that in your drawing software. Show the locations of all the windows and doors, showing the direction of the swing. Leave enough space around the outside of the drawing to have 2 rows of dimension lines.

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Step 2: Draw Dimension Lines

You will need space to draw 2 rows of lines - one of your incremental dimensions, and the second row for your overall measurements. These should go on the far outside of the drawing as a single row. Sometimes you will need to note internal dimensions as well.

It's going to get a little crowded so using a mechanical pencil is best to erase mistakes and keep the lines skinny.

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Step 3: Begin Taking Your Measurements

This is when in assistant is super helpful. One person can measure while the second one annotates the drawing.

ALWAYS:

-       Call out in feet and inches (or metric if not in US)

-       Example 12’ – 8 ½” is “Twelve Feet, Eight and one half inches”

-       Round to the nearest 1/4 inch. Don't bother with fifth or eighth inch increments. We aren't designing Swiss watches here.

-       The person writing down the measurements should ALWAYS repeat back to the person measuring to avoid mistakes.

-       Measure to openings - NOT to the trim. Be consistent. You might make a note of the trim width.

Begin with the laser measure and get your overall measurements.

Then start with your tape measure in one corner of the room going clockwise until you have every incremental measurement.

Start from the corner to the first opening. Inside width of opening (door or window). Then the inside corner of the opening to the next opening and so on until every opening and distance between is accounted for.

When you are done, get the ceiling height using the laser measure. If you have a sloped ceiling, get the lowest and tallest dimensions.

 Example of your measurement path

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Step 4: Note the locations of outlets, vents, switches, and any other obstructions

I can't emphasize enough how important this step is. Knowing where vents, outlets, and other obstructions or elements are will save you endless headaches.

Here's what to capture:

-       Switches

-       Outlets

-       Thermostats

-       Vents/Returns or other HVAC elements

-       Any other obstructions

Example of sketch with dimensions

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Step 5: Measure the location of light fixtures

This is optional depending on your project needs. Knowing where your existing junction boxes (JBox’s) are located can help you understand if they are symmetrical or not. In turn you will develop a floor plan that makes the most sense. Sometimes lights will need to be moved so you'll want to account for that. Other times you can work with existing locations.

Person #1 will hang the plum bob from the center of the fixture while person #2 will measure the distance from 2 walls. You must get the distance from an X&Y axis to get the accurate location.

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