How to Measure a Room | Tips for Calculating Home Space before Home Improvement & Renovation
Congratulations on starting your home improvement project or decorating your new home!
Before discussing the details of how to improve our home, rooms, and décor design, it is necessary to know the area of our home in square footage. This information is crucial when deciding whether to hire a contractor or do the project yourself. It also helps you plan projects such as buying furniture, installing flooring, and painting walls more efficiently, and avoid waste. As a homeowner, knowing the area of your spaces is a must for optimal home improvement planning and implementation. Let's explore some tips and hacks for measuring our homes.
How to Measure a Room for Area and Perimeter
Prepare your pen, pencil, and measuring tape to begin measuring the room. Use the measuring tape to measure the length and width of the space.
Alternatively, if you have a HOTO Laser Distance Measure, you can obtain your measurements instantly by following these steps:
- Position the laser measure by the wall so that the laser points to the blank space on the opposite wall (avoid objects between the two measuring points) to record the length.
- Click the button to record the distance reading.
- Move to the next wall to measure the width of the space, and repeat steps 1 and 2.
- You should now see two sets of numbers on the laser measure: one for the length and one for the width.
To calculate the area and perimeter of a standard square or rectangular room, use the simple formulas below:
How to Measure the Area (Square Footage) of a Room
To measure the area of a room in square footage, multiply its length by its width:
Length x Width = Area
How to Measure the Perimeter (Distance Around) of a Room
To measure the perimeter of a room, add its length and width:
Length + Width = Perimeter
How to Measure a Room with Non-Square Space for Area
Measuring a regular room is relatively straightforward, whether using regular tools or a HOTO laser distance measure. However, measuring a room with a non-square area can be trickier due to closet spaces, bay windows, or other recesses or protrusions.
To measure such spaces, you need to separate the regular and odd areas. First, start with the length and width of the main regular space, and multiply these measurements to get the area of the main space. Remember to note it down. Then, measure the non-square space. Here's how to calculate the area for two common non-square spaces:
How to Measure the Area (Square Footage) of a Half-Round Space
πr²/2
3.14159 x length²/2 = Area for Half-Round *Note that this equation only provides an approximate measurement for non-regular round spaces.
How to Measure the Area (Square Footage) of a Triangular Space
Base Length x Longest Length = Area for Triangle
Calculating Area of Walls
To calculate the area of a wall, use the standard formula of length x width = area. Next, use the same formula to measure the individual area of windows and doors. Once you have all of these measurements, subtract the area of the windows and doors from the total area of the wall. This will help you calculate how much paint or wallpaper you need for a room without having excess materials when you finish.
Length and Width Dimensions in Newer Homes
Many newer homes built after 2000 have 9 or 10-foot ceilings. Some larger, modern houses even have lofted ceilings of 13 to 18 feet.
If you need to measure a wall's ceiling height in these homes, we recommend using a laser measurer for safety. Ceiling height is an important factor in pricing for America's most popular home improvement project: interior painting.
Taller ceilings often allow for larger openings, windows, and doors. To confirm this, you can measure each window or door and subtract their individual measurements, as mentioned above.
Moreover, painting a room with tall ceilings can be more complex. Keep in mind that larger homes generally have larger room sizes and interior features, which will undoubtedly affect your calculations and housing measurements.
Why not make things easier with HOTO Laser Distance Measure?
Most standard measuring tapes only go up to 15 to 50 feet (4.5 to 15 meters). While some specialized long tape measures come in greater lengths of 100 feet or more, they can be bulkier and harder to use. Measuring larger spaces can also be difficult with standard tapes and often requires assistance to hold the tape, making the process more time-consuming.
Fortunately, laser distance measurers can entirely solve these problems, making measuring larger spaces easier and more efficient.
Features of the HOTO Laser distance measure:
- Measures up to a maximum distance of 98 feet while only weighing 36g.
- Simple operation with just a single press.
- Accuracy to 1/16 inch (2mm).
If you are familiar with the Mi Home App, you can forget about using paper and pen, as all measurements are recorded for you.
HOTO Laser Measure PRO
If you have a large house and need to measure angles for designing and building stairs, the PRO version of the Laser Measure may be useful. It includes the following features:
- 5 modes: Distance/ Angle/ Angular Height/ Area/ Virtual Ruler
- Maximum distance of 164 feet (50 meters), accurate to 1/16 inch (2mm)
- Supports feet/inch and meters as units
- 1.8 inch LED large color screen
- Weighs approximately 90g and includes an 850mAh lithium battery.
If you want to make measuring your home's square footage and other dimensions easier and more efficient, consider using a HOTO Laser Distance Measure. With its accuracy, maximum distance coverage, and simple operation, it can save you time and effort in your home improvement projects. You can even forget about using paper and pen with the Mi Home App that records all measurements for you. If you have a big house with the need to measure angles, the PRO version of the Laser Measure may come in handy. Don't let traditional measuring tools limit your home improvement goals. Learn more about HOTO Laser Distance Measure, or HOTO Laser Measure PRO.
