Design Your Kitchen

Measuring the Room

Perform the following steps in sequence around your room until you return to the starting point.

1. First, draw a rough sketch of your room

2. Now measure every wall (as described above), beginning at the left corner to the far-right corner. Write the total measurements in inches.

3. Measure from the left corner to the edge of the opening, window or door etc.

4. Now measure across the opening, from trim edge to trim edge.

5. Next, measure from trim edge to far wall. Compare this measurement to the total of the previous three. They should be equal. Make sure to mark exact locations of sinks, water lines, electrical outlets, and switches on the drawing. Measure to the center of these, not the edge.

6. Now we’ll measure all the openings in the room. For the windows, measure from the floor to the windowsill, then measure from the windowsill to the top of the window. Now measure from the top of the window to the ceiling. Now measure from the floor to the ceiling. Compare this measurement to the total of the previous three. They should be equal.

7. To measure door openings, measure the width of the door from trim edge to trim edge. Indicate the position of the door swing on your drawing.

8. Now get height, width, and depth measurements for all the appliances in the room, (stoves, refrigerators, microwaves, dishwashers, etc.), and mark their locations on your drawing. Keep clearance in mind as described above. Then go back and double check your measurements.