How to Measure & Sketch a Room

Oct 13

Tackling a room design on your own? Taking advantage of our E-Design or Virtual service? No matter which guided route you take, one of the first things you will need to do is measure and sketch your room. Measuring and sketching your room can be a breeze if you follow our grOH! Playrooms Pro-Tips!

grOH! Pro-Tip 1:
Outline Your Room

Grab your pencil and (maybe) a ruler! Use a plain white piece of paper, or grid paper if you have some, to draw an outline of your room.

Your elementary school art teacher will remind you, "This is a bird's eye view!" Imagine yourself sketching from that perspective.
Your sketch will not be to scale, but you can approximate by noting wall lengths relative to each other.
Most rooms are not simple rectangles and squares. Note all areas where the walls of the room turn and angle as best you can.

grOH! Pro-Tip 2:
Note Window and Door Locations

Include approximate locations of windows by drawing a rectangle over your outline.
Include approximate door locations and note door swings.

grOH! Pro-Tip 3:
Measure the Walls

Use a measuring tape (or better yet, a laser measuring tool!) to measure your walls and note the lengths on your sketch. If you are measuring for E-Design, you can measure in just inches or feet and inches (or even cm if you prefer!)

Measure the length and width of the room.

Measure the wall lengths in between wall turns, windows, and doors and walls, etc.
Measure the wall only; do not include the window and door trim in your measurement.

grOH! Pro-Tip 4:
Measure the Ceiling Height (CH) and Window Height (WH)

Grab a long-armed buddy or a step stool. Drop the end of your measuring tape to the floor and extend it to the ceiling to note the room's ceiling height (CH).
Confirm that all of your windows are the same distance from the floor. If they are not, note each one individually. Measure the distance from the floor to the bottom trim of the window.

grOH! Pro-Tip 5:
Note the Light Switches and any Funky Stuff

Draw a dollar sign with only one line through it to show the locations of light switches.
Does your room include any access panels or outlets that can't be blocked? Is your baseboard extra large or ornate? Note anything out of the ordinary on your floor plan.

Ta-Da! Congrats! We can't wait to see your room transform!