How to Draw a Floor Plan to Scale: 7 Steps

2024 Author: Samantha Chapman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 09:13

Drawing a floor plan to scale is a fundamental phase of the design and is very useful for getting an idea of the arrangement of the furniture. Follow the instructions in this article to learn how.

Steps

Step 1. Measure the length of the longest wall

If you intend to draw the floor plan of a real space (as opposed to an imaginary project), take the measurements with a tape measure.

Step 2. Scale the measurement obtained so that you can report it on a sheet of graph paper

First of all, count the squares on the longest side of the sheet (for example, 39), where the longest part of the floor plan will be drawn. Then reduce the size of the wall to scale: the best thing would be to divide it evenly as it is easier to remember that a square corresponds to a meter rather than, for example, to 1.27; obviously, if the length of the wall does not allow you to obtain precise divisions, you will have to work with an imperfect staircase.

If you need clarification, see the examples below (in feet and meters):

• If the wall measurement is an even number (for example, 90 feet), try dividing it by 2, 3, 4, and so on, and see if the result you get is less than the number of squares on your paper (dividing by 2 you get 45, so too big for your sheet of 39 boxes; instead, if you divide by 3 you get 30, which is an adequate measure and you would have more free space).
• If the wall size is an odd number (say, 81) try dividing it by 3, 5, and so on (81 feet divided by 3 is 27, which fits perfectly within your limit of 39 squares).

• If the size of the wall is less than the number of squares on your paper (for example 27 meters), you can reduce it to a scale of 1 to 1 (1 meter = 1 square; your wall will therefore be 27 squares long).

  If the number of units is very small, you would get a tiny drawing (for example, 15 meters of wall length correspond to 15 squares on the paper and most of the page would remain blank). In this case, try to double or at least increase the number of squares (if you use 2 squares for each meter, the wall would be 30 squares long)

• If you are not satisfied with your simplified scale measurements or if the number is not evenly divisible (e.g. 89 feet), try dividing the larger number by the smaller one. However, if you do not want the wall design to take up the entire length of the graph paper, do not consider the full number of squares in the calculation; leave at least one square on both sides of the paper - this will give you 37. By dividing 89 feet by 37, you get 2.4 feet (almost 2 feet 5 inches) for each square and you will have free space on both sides. sides of the page.

Step 3. Take the measurements of the other walls and convert them to scale

For example, if you have decided that each square is 3 feet, a 40-foot wall will take up 13 1/3 squares; if instead it were equal to 1 meter, a wall 18 meters long would occupy 18 squares.

Step 4. Measure the doors and windows in the room (excluding window frames) and convert these to scale as well

Step 5. Insert all walls, windows and doors into your floor plan

Draw the windows with a double line and each door with a line (indicating the door itself) and with an arc representing the actual path it takes when it opens - useful if you are working on arranging furniture.

Step 6. Also measure the length and width of all built-in devices (such as masonry worktops), convert them to scale and insert them into the project

Step 7. You can also add furniture components if you wish

• Measure the length and width of each piece of furniture that will enter this room and convert them to a scale.

  

• Draw the furniture on another sheet of graph paper.

  

• Cut out the individual pieces with a pair of scissors.

  

• Then stick them on a cardboard with glue or tape.

  

• Arrange the cards on the map to decide on the most appropriate location.