How to Figure Out Square Footage: Measuring a House by Yourself

Figuring out how to calculate square feet and measure your new property's square footage is not a top priority for most purchasers. Still, the fact of the matter is that it is crucial.

Square footage remains one of the most important metrics in determining a house's value and can impact it to a great extent if not measured correctly. You might be surprised, but there is no government-approved all-American standard for measuring your home's square footage, which is why everyone measures differently. Ask any real estate agent - they've all encountered properties with outrageously incorrect measurements.

Some states require you to reveal the precise dimensions of your home, while others don't. Measuring square footage rules and guidelines vary widely depending on where your property is. Hence, it is important to do your homework before you perform any kind of calculations or home improvements.

Why do you need to know the square footage of your house?

The simplest way of answering that question would be to state that square footage is exceptionally important. What makes it so important? There are several important factors at play here. Knowing the precise measurements of your property is important when you plan to sell it, renovate it, add more living space, or just call the latest tax assessment into question.

The first factor that makes knowing your property's measurements important is that overall square footage greatly impacts your property's final price. Since the price per square foot varies greatly, even the smallest miscalculations can cost you thousands of dollars. Knowing the exact dimensions of your property is a critical part of all kinds of real estate deals, especially those dealing with a mortgage.

Outside of loans and selling, the precise square feet of your home will surely come in handy if you decide to add more living space. For instance, if you want to finish a previously unfinished part of your property. You must figure out the exact square footage to get a building permit.

The reasons that solidify the importance of measuring home's square footage could go on and on. The main one is that if you don't know the exact dimensions of your residential property, you stand to lose money no matter what.

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Calculate the square footage of a house

As alluded to before, there are many ways people measure the size of their homes. It might depend on the state they live in, or it may be down to personal preferences. Either way, there are a few simple, commonly accepted ways of measuring space.

The simplest way to calculate home's square footage is this: you need to simply multiply the length by the width. For instance, if there is a room that is a perfect rectangle and its dimensions are 13 by 19, its overall square footage is 247 square feet (13 x 19 = 247). Add up the numbers for all rooms and other spaces to determine the total number of square feet of your house.

It must be noted that figuring out how many square feet you have in your home is usually more complex because not all rooms or spaces are perfectly rectangular. There are different measuring protocols for different, separate areas.

How to calculate square footage for different rooms?

For convenience's sake, it makes sense to split the rooms into different categories based on their geometrical shape.

• Rectangular rooms. To calculate the exact measurements of this kind of room, you just need to multiply the length by the width. It is a very simple calculation, so if the property consists of rectangular rooms only, in all likelihood, it will be a straightforward process with no assistance required.
• Rooms with closets. Measuring a room with a closet or closet is similar to the method described above. You need to think of closets as rectangles and measure them separately before adding them all up to come up with the definitive measurement.
• Irregularly-shaped rooms. The best way to tackle measurements for this type of room is to simply split them into different areas and measure them separately. You can calculate the square footage by adding all the results together. If there are many angles in a room, you can use the formula to measure the square footage area of a triangle - multiply the width by length and divide the result by 2. For example, if the length of a certain triangle-shaped area is 12 feet by 3 feet, its square footage is 36 square feet.

How to calculate the square footage of a roof?

There are two ways of determining the square footage of your roof. The first one is simpler since you won't have to climb onto the roof with measuring tape, but it does require lengthy calculations.

You first need to figure out your roof slope (or pitch). It is a measurement that shows how many inches the roof rises every 12 inches in the distance. For instance, if you have a low-slope house, its pitch angle is 2. You need to divide the slope by 12. Now we take that number and square it, so in this example, that gives us 1/36 (2/12>1/6 x 1/6 = 1/36). Then we add 1 (36/36) and take the square root. When we add one, we get 37/36 and take the square root, which gives us 1.0138. Now, you need to multiply this number by the square footage of a single story of your house. If, for instance, one floor of your property has a square footage of 1,800 square feet, you need to multiply that number by 1.0138 to get the final result of 1,825 sq ft.

The second approach is much more hands-on as it requires you to measure the length and width of the roof's surface, including every dormer. A dormer is a roofed structure that often contains a window and is always positioned upwards beyond the plane of a sloped rooftop. If there are triangular sections on the rooftop, you can use the formula mentioned above: Length x Width / 2 = Square Footage. Add all the sections together to measure the overall footage.

What is not counted in the square footage of a home?

There are many intricacies regarding what is included in the gross living area. One of the simplest ways of figuring out which spaces count towards the gross living area is to ask whether or not you can live in it or walk on it.

Areas that are excluded can vary from case to case. For instance, an unfinished basement is never included. Still, a finished one with an above-grade-level exit can be included. Heating is often important, but often isn't - a finished, unheated porch can be counted as part of the house's living area.

Your best bet is to exclude unfinished areas, namely an unfinished basement or attic, and ask for professional help. A skilled real estate agent can draft a listing that reasonably reflects your house's living space.

What tools to use to calculate the square footage of a house?

Real estate agents usually turn to laser measuring tools to accurately take length and width measurements. These devices replaced measuring tapes because they are more modern, efficient, and accurate. If you want to use that device to measure square footage, simply place it on one wall and point it at the wall on the opposite side. The device will be able to instantly calculate total square footage. In case you don't have such a device at hand, other tools can be used to measure the dimensions of your property, including:

• Measuring tape. It is used to simply measure the dimensions of a room.
• Pen and paper. It is used to write down the dimensions next to the corresponding space.
• Calculator (doesn't have to be a square footage calculator). Width measurements are multiplied by the length measurement.

What is considered a home's square footage?

A home's square footage is a measurement of the area of the interior space of the home. This measurement is typically calculated by measuring the length and width of each room in the home, then adding up the square footage of each room to determine the total square footage of the home.

The square footage of a home is usually calculated using the exterior dimensions of the home, including any bump-outs or additions, but not including areas such as garages or unfinished basements. The square footage of each room is calculated by measuring the length and width of the room, then multiplying those numbers to get the square footage. For example, if a room is 10 feet by 12 feet, the square footage would be 120 square feet.

In some cases, the square footage of a home may be calculated differently depending on the region or country. It's always a good idea to check with a local real estate professional or appraiser to determine how square footage is calculated in your area.

How does an appraiser determine the square footage of a house?

The answer depends on your real estate agent, as they measure square footage differently. Some people prefer to do it the old-fashioned way - they use a measuring tape and write the numbers down on a clipboard before carrying out the appraisal. Others prefer to use laser devices that measure square footage instantly and conveniently. Industry veterans might size up hard-to-measure places with their naked eyes and determine a ballpark number based on nearby properties or similar-size houses. Using different methods for determining the total square footage of a house is the biggest reason why the same house will fetch different prices based on who was measuring it.

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