Measuring your room
Every interior decorating project begins with a site measure,
and on this one you’re in charge.
Start by downloading our specially designed grid paper.
You’ll need several sheets, so print out at least six.
Next, download our printable PDF step-by-step guide “How to Measure Your Room”, or scroll down to read the instructions online. Don’t let the task overwhelm you... It’s actually quite easy once you get going!
Once you’ve placed your order we’ll provide you with instructions on how to submit your drawings.
You will need:
• a sharp pencil• a good eraser
• a measuring tape• several sheets of grid paper
FLOOR PLAN STEP 1 - Sketch your room
Using the grid paper provided, fill in your name, the room name, and the drawing name
(Floor Plan, East Wall, etc.) in the area at the top.
Take your time and draw slowly. The more accurate your drawing the better. Your drawing does not need to be to scale, but do try to make it proportional so it represents your room as closely as possible. Use the grid to help guide you with proportions and straight lines. Your floor plan should fit on one page, but if you run out of room simply tape another sheet of grid paper from the back, making sure the grids line up, and continue your drawing. Please be sure that your drawing is clear and legible. Do not include free-standing furniture in your drawing.
Position your drawing in the center the grid paper, making sure to leave at least six boxes around the outside to fill in dimensions. Starting from one corner of the room, sketch each wall making your way around the room. Include all closets, windows, openings and doors, and indicate the direction of door swings. If you are drawing a kitchen, be sure to draw and measure from wall to wall and not from the front of cabinetry.
Draw in any fixed elements like built-in furniture, kitchen
cabinetry, radiators, fireplaces, floor vents or stairs, and
add labels as necessary.
WALL
WINDOW
DOOR
DOUBLE DOOR
SLIDING DOOR
FLOOR PLAN STEP 2 - Add dimension lines
Before starting to measure, draw in your dimension lines. These are the lines that show which part of the wall your measurements are referring to, and will help ensure you don’t miss anything. Start by skipping two boxes on the grid away from the walls around the outside of your drawing and add a line just a bit longer than each wall. Next, draw perpendicular lines to each place where the wall changes, including corners, openings, doors, windows, and built-ins until every section of every wall is indicated and ready for measurements.
Try to avoid putting dimension lines on the inside of your drawing, unless you don’t have space or it is too confusing to put them on the outside. You may draw one set of dimension lines above another, but make sure your lines do not cross each other.
DIMENSION LINES Note that dimensions are taken from the inside corners of the walls, not the outside thickness of the walls
STEP 1:
Begin your drawing by
sketching your room
STEP 2:
Add dimension lines
Tip: To accurately measure long walls, run the measuring tape from wall to wall along the floor, rather than having someone else hold up the other end. To keep it in place, you can walk along it as you pull it out and move across the floor. If you have baseboards, don’t forget to add the thickness of the baseboard on each side into your overall dimension.
FLOOR PLAN STEP 3 - Add measurements
Measure the overall dimensions of the room and note them on the drawing.
Use only inches to mark your dimensions (do not include the inches sign).
Next, measure each wall in detail, following along with your drawing. Start in one corner and measure each section, making your way to the opposite end of the wall. For doors and windows, include the casings in your measurements and measure from outside edge to outside edge. Note the dimension of each section on your drawing in the space provided by the dimension lines. Double check your measurements by adding up the sections of the wall. The total should be equal to the overall dimension. Add in any additional measurements for built-ins, radiators, fireplaces, overhead lighting etc. At the top of the page in the box next to the letter N draw an arrow to indicate which direction is North, and fill in the rest of the required information.
DIMENSIONS IN INCHES
STEP 3:
Fill in your dimensions in inches and add any additional labels and information
Elevations are two dimensional drawings of a vertical plane. Here you’ll draw elevations of each wall to show the heights and details of windows, doors, built-ins, radiators, light switches, power outlets, and other architectural elements. You should have at least four elevations - one for each wall - but you may choose to draw more if there are elements in your room that require a more detailed drawing.
ELEVATION STEP 1 - Sketch your wall
On your grid paper, be sure to fill out the information at the top, including the label for the wall you are
drawing (West Wall, for example).
Start by drawing a rectangle that illustrates the shape of your wall. The top and bottom lines represent the ceiling and floor, and the sides represent the corners. Take a step back and look at the wall in its entirety - if there is an alcove or a closet that juts out, include them in the sketch. If the wall briefly changes direction, as with an alcove or around an HVAC duct, draw a vertical line from floor to ceiling to represent the corners where the wall changes direction.
Next, draw in your baseboards and your crown mouldings (if you have them). Now you can start sketching the wall as it appears. Include windows, doors, casings, bulkheads, built-ins, radiators, wall sconces, fireplaces, and any other fixed elements. Also include any wall switches and electrical outlets. Do not try to draw in perspective (3D). Elevations are flat, two dimensional drawings.
STEP 1:
Begin your elevation by sketching your wall.
Below is an elevation drawing of the wall in the
photo. It corresponds to the West wall
(at the top of the drawing) in the floor plan.
Photo of living room wall with
fireplace and panel moulding
ELEVATION STEP 2 - Add dimension lines & measurements
Draw in your dimension lines as you did for the floor plan, and measure the height of each element. Starting at the floor, measure from the floor to the bottom of the window ledge, from there to the top of the window casing, and from there to the ceiling. Repeat this same process for doors, radiators, fireplace mantles etc.
If there are any horizontal measurements that you did not note on your floor plan (like the panel moulding in the drawing above), make note of them here. You do not need to repeat measurements that you indicated on your floor plan. For power outlets and light switches, measure to the center of the plate.
STEP 2:
Add dimension lines...
... And dimensions
ELEVATION STEP 3 - Repeat for remaining walls
Repeat steps 1 and 2 for the remaining walls in your room... And you’re done!
Living room
North wall elevation
The ceiling height, baseboard height, and the height of the panel moulding are the same all the way around the room. Since we’ve already indicated those measurements on the elevation for the West wall there is no need to repeat them here.
Living room
South wall elevation
Living room
East wall elevation
