Understanding how to calculate a home’s square footage is crucial for real estate investors. Whether you’re buying, selling, renovating, or simply measuring rooms for furniture placement in a rental property, knowing the square footage is essential.
In this article, we’ll discuss the importance of calculating square footage and provide a step-by-step process for doing it accurately.
Why Calculating Square Footage Matters
Square footage represents the total flat area of a space, with each square foot equalling one foot by one foot (or 12 inches by 12 inches, totalling 144 square inches). For example, a 100-square-foot room can be divided into 100 equal squares.
Accurately calculating square footage is essential, as even minor errors can cost you hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Here’s why:
- Determining Fair Market Value: Square footage plays a significant role in assessing a property’s market value. If comparable homes in your area are selling for $200 per square foot and your measurements are off by 10 feet, you could undervalue your property by $2,000.
- Tax Assessments: If you believe your property’s assessed value is too high, recalculating its square footage can help you check if the assessor’s estimate is accurate. If your measurement is lower, you may be able to dispute the assessment and reduce your property taxes.
- Renovations: When renovating, calculating square footage is critical for estimating the amount of materials needed and ensuring that new furniture, appliances, or fixtures will fit properly within the space.
How to Calculate Square Footage
You can easily calculate square footage with a few basic tools:
- Tape measure
- Paper and pencil
- Calculator
Begin by sketching your space and labelling each room that needs measuring, including hallways, foyers, and vestibules. Treat each area as its own room. If your property has multiple floors, create a separate sketch for each one. Your drawings don’t need to be perfectly to scale, but the more accurate they are, the better.
Next, measure the length and width of each room, then multiply those two numbers to find the square footage. For example, if a bathroom is 10 feet long and 15 feet wide, its square footage is 150 square feet. Record the dimensions and square footage of each room.
Once you’ve measured all the rooms, add the totals together to determine the property’s overall square footage.
Calculating Square Footage in Different Types of Rooms
Ideally, your property would be a perfect square or rectangle, making the square footage easy to calculate. However, most properties have irregular shapes that require more detailed measurements.
Rooms with Closets or Immovable Fixtures
Some rooms include built-in closets or fixtures that follow the room’s contours. To measure these, divide the room into distinct sections around these features. Measure each section separately, then calculate the total square footage of the room, including the closets and fixtures. If you’re installing new flooring or want to exclude these areas, subtract their square footage from the overall total to determine the usable space.
Rooms with Odd Shapes
Irregularly shaped rooms can be tricky to measure accurately with a single calculation. The best approach is to break the room into smaller, regular shapes. While you may not be able to divide the room entirely into squares or rectangles, you can often split it into measurable sections like triangles. Measure the square footage of each section, then add them together to get the room’s total square footage.
What is Usable Square Footage?
Usable square footage refers to the amount of floor space available for use. It includes any area within the walls where flooring can be installed, such as carpet, tile, or hardwood. In other words, if you can walk on it or place furniture on it, it’s considered usable square footage.
What to Exclude from Your Square Footage Calculations
Not all interior spaces are counted when calculating a property’s square footage. Areas that you cannot walk or live in should be omitted from your measurements. For instance, crawl spaces should not be included.
Here are common areas to exclude:
- Garages: While useful for storage and parking, garages are typically not considered living spaces and are excluded from square footage.
- Basements: Even if finished, basements are usually excluded because they are below grade (below ground level). However, some states may include basements in square footage if they have safe entry and exit points.
- Attics: Unfinished attics are not part of the square footage. Finished attics, however, may be included if they meet specific criteria, such as minimum ceiling heights and safety regulations.
Conclusion
When ordering flooring materials, it’s wise to leave room for error by purchasing 10% more than your calculated need. For instance, if your kitchen floor is 100 square feet, order 110 square feet of tile. The extra cost is minimal compared to the hassle of running short during installation.
Hiring a professional appraiser or flooring expert, though it may cost a few hundred dollars, can prevent costly mistakes if your measurements are off. Even if you’ve measured your home’s square footage carefully, it’s a good idea to have a professional double-check your work—especially in properties with irregularly shaped rooms or built-in fixtures. For peace of mind and accuracy, consider finding a local expert to ensure the job is done right.
