How to Draw a Floor Plan to Scale

When painting a room, redecorating or laying new carpet, a room plan drawn to scale is always a good idea. Drawing to scale, or creating a proportional representation of a particular area, is just a matter of careful measurement.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• Notepad
• Graph paper
• Pencil
• Ruler

1. Measure the length and width of the room in question with a tape measure that reads in feet. Note measurements on a notepad being sure to include every wall. At this point you can label a small sketch with the measurements or just give each wall a title (i.e. connecting wall) and list them, whatever ever method works best for you.

2. Transfer the measurements onto graph paper using a pencil and a ruler. This means to take each measurement and draw it onto the graph paper using a scale of 1 foot is equal to 1 square on the paper.

3. Know that length multiplied by width will give the square footage of the room. This calculation is a good way of checking that you have filled in the right number of squares on your paper.

4. Include in the sketch any permanent pieces of furniture or built in shelving or cupboards.

5. Write down the location of all doors and windows in the room, measuring them and drawing them to the scale in Step 2 in the floor plan.

6. Outline the entire sketch in black ink with the help of a ruler. This provides a clear basic floor plan that is clear and easy to read.

7. Make several photocopies of the floor plan so you can try planning and design the room in several ways. It's a good idea to hold one copy back to save time on later projects.