How to calculate the square footage of your home
Feng Shui balances the energies in your home using the five Feng Shui elements - Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Wood - placing them in the specific areas required they are required.
But in order to enable the remedy to work most effectively, you have to have the right amount. This is why we need to know the size (either the square footage or square meterage) of your home.
Mostly, this information is available on the estate agent’s particulars however if you bought your house a long time ago, or simply don’t have that information, it is worth knowing how to calculate it yourself.
Put simply, calculating the square footage (or meters) of your home requires you to multiply the width of your home by the length, which is very simple if your home is a nice even rectangle or square (i.e. 50’ x 80’=4000sq’) but a bit trickier if your house is like mine and has bits sticking out and is very slightly narrower on one side etc!
If this describes your house, and you are like me and love a good step-by-step process, this is for you!
How to calculate square feet of a house
Before we start we need to gather a few bits and pieces you are very likely to have around your home:
a piece of paper and something to write with, or even better - a copy of your floorplan.
a measuring tape, preferably a laser measure but failing that, a standard builder’s measure would do. Or if you don’t have that, you can use a standard ruler to measure the length of your foot and pace it out.
a calculator (or your phone.)
As mentioned before, if your house is even and square or rectangular, just measure side to side and front to back, multiply the numbers and there you are!
However, most properties have a more complicated floor plan so it is helpful to use the following steps to ascertain the size.
1. Take a copy of your floor plan (or draw a very simple one on a sheet of paper)
2. Measure each room side to side and front to back, multiply them and write down the result. Do this for all the rooms. For example a 12’x9’ kitchen would be 108sq’
3. Once you have done that for the main rooms, split the hallways and corridors into their own ‘rooms’ and calculate their square footage.
TIP: If your hallways are cross-shaped or dog-legs, try splitting it into a series of small rectangles or squares and adding them up that way. This method also works for rooms with alcoves or other odd shapes.
4. Finally, once you have completed all the rooms and areas, add all your calculations up and you have your square footage!
Easy peasy!
