Measurement Guide
Measurement Guide
We've got some simple tips to help you understand how to measure your space!
Tools Needed
- Tape measure
- Pencil and paper (graph paper if you have it!)
Definitions
- Width: Measurement from side to side
- Depth: Measurement from front to back
- Height: Measurement from bottom to top
How to Measure and Draw Your Space
- Draw your room shape on a piece of paper.
- Mark the walls with numbers as shown in the diagram (see figure 1).
- Measure each wall’s exact width and height (see figure 2).
- Draw the obstacles (see figure 3), referencing the obstacle guide below.
How to Measure and Draw Your Space
Grab your paper and pencil and sketch your room outline. It doesn’t have to be perfect! Now you’re ready to measure. Your final drawing will look similar to this kitchen sketch.
This measurement will determine the size of your upper cabinets so measure from the floor to the ceiling. If you have a soffit or drop-down, measure from the ceiling to the bottom of that item as well.
Obstacles in your kitchen or other rooms that will break up the cabinetry can include windows, doorways, pass-throughs, or HVAC needs. For doors and walk-throughs, measure the width, height, and how much space there is between the door and the adjacent wall(s). For pass-throughs and windows, follow the same rule of thumb but also measure how far up they are from the countertop.
You can skip this step if you provide your project specialist with the model numbers of the appliances in your space! Or, measure the width and height of your refrigerator, and the width of your dishwasher, hood, microwave, cooktop, stove, and/or wall oven.
Place the end of your tape measure at the end of a wall, and measure as much as you can before you get to an obstacle like a refrigerator or doorway. Confirm you have already captured the width of that obstacle and then measure the wall from the obstacle on. Complete these measurements for the remaining walls in your space.
