Estate agents estimate that 90% of homeowners don’t know the dimensions of their rooms. We usually imagine them as larger or smaller than they really are (not the estate agents, the rooms!) according to how we view the space. As we live in a space and see it repeatedly, it becomes set in our mind and it can be difficult to see the new potential but here is why it is worth the effort:
It will save you time
Once you’ve got the details you won’t have to keep going back to remeasure at each stage of your project. You have enough to be doing without doing it all twice, haven’t you?
If you’re in a shop and see the perfect piece of furniture or shelves, when you know the dimensions of your room you can make a decision without having to go back home again to check.
It will save you money
No expensive mistakes over-ordering and no expensive mishaps buying furniture that doesn’t fit.
Knowing the room dimensions ensures you have all the information at your fingertips when you need it; buying the correct amount of wallpaper or paint will bring you savings.
It will save your sanity
Having a floor plan will help you make the decisions about how your room will be used. Anything that makes decisions easier has to be good.
You can use it to check alternative arrangements before moving the furniture in reality. Not only is this fun, a bit like a grown up version of playing with dolls houses, but it’s a lot less work that shifting everything round ‘just to see’ if it will work.
It’s so easy in large shop floors and showrooms to be swayed by the displays where everything looks tempting but so easy to make wrong decisions if we rely on guesswork. The scale of the rooms is often not in line with what we have at home (often? never! unless you live in a warehouse). Not to mention awkward things that get in the way like windows, chimney breasts, small children, any supporting structures which usually mean we don’t have endless free space to play with. Having your floor plan with you means you have a visual reminder of scale.
It will help you work out your ‘flow’ AKA stop you walking around awkward furniture, bumping into corners or having a sitting room that feels more like a waiting room than a comfortable space, or a bathroom where you can’t open the shower door properly.
You will feel like you know you what you are doing and be in charge of your destiny! OK slight exaggeration, but it is the first step to planning your space and you will feel better by being in charge.
Coming soon: steps to draw your own plan
play project home 
Looking forward to steps to draw your own plan ! I am wanting to update my large kitchen and were only discussing yesterday how to draw up the ideas we have !
Thanks Jayne – that will spur me on to get it finished an uploaded. In the meantime have a think about how you use your current kitchen – what works well and what you’d like to change? Deep drawers for under worktops are easier than cupboards with low shelves and something you could incorporate if your kitchen hasn’t changed in a while. If you have a large room you may be able to sacrific some worktop space and have some floor to ceiling cupboards which also give you some very easy access just at hand height. We have one for all plates and crockery, and one as a larder. You can place drawers within these at lower levels too.
Most kitchen companies will draw designs up for you, but it’s good to get a clear idea of your wishlist before you go into a showroom.
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