1. Begin by measuring the room wall-to-wall. (You will be recording all measurements in millimetres. An 8 metre tape measure is the preferred option of most kitchen designers to measure a room with, as it is easy to use and rarely does a wall exceed 8 meters in a kitchen.
NOTE: Measure each wall at three locations; floor level, 900 mm from the floor (typically bench top height) and just below the ceiling level. Use the smallest dimension, and note variation on the chart. (example: FL (floor level) - 2350 mm, Bench Height - 2360 mm, Ceiling - 2371 mm. Record as: 2350 mm (variation at 1000 mm is 15 mm, variation at ceiling is 25 mm)). 

Also check the wall for plumb with a level (if you have one) and record your findings on the chart below. If the wall is out of square then you may need to find out by how much, one method is to use the "3,4,5" method whereby you measure 300 mm along one wall and mark the wall with a pencil, then measure 400 mm along the other wall and if it is suppose to be a 90 degree wall then the diagonal measurement between the two points should be 500 mm. If the kitchen has other angles then you will need to work with triangles marked on the floor to determine the true angle of the wall

Record dimensions on a chart like this one.

	TOTAL DIMENSION (+ - variations)
Wall #1
Wall #2
Wall #3
Wall #4

2. Make a neat well detailed drawing of the shape of the room and the dimensions. Represent each wall, door, window and any protrusions or recessed areas as needed on the drawing. This plan does not need to be exactly to scale', it can be printed on grid paper or it can be done free hand. Only accuracy counts, not artistry! You will need to make it clear enough that someone else can understand it. Designers are not mind readers, so if you want something particular do your best to draw it out for them.

3. Measure each wall section and record on the drawing. (A wall section is from one corner to a door way or window.) Measure each window and door and record.
NOTE: windows and doors are measured from outside edge to outside edge of casing or trim (architrave). Remember that the Designer wants to know the space where they can put cabinets, so it's of little use measuring the inside of the window when you really need to measure from both extremes of the windows architrave, because that's where the cabinets are going to butt up to, generally.

4. Add up all dimensions on each wall and verify that the total is equal to the total wall dimension listed on the chart. (If not, re-measure!)

5. Locate the centreline of the plumbing waste, by measuring from one corner of the wall. Record this dimension on your rough drawing. Also make mention if the waste is NOT coming directly up from the floor (example; a waste that comes horizontally through the wall). As this could effect the cabinetry construction.

6. Measure from floor to ceiling at several locations. Record the smallest dimension in the body of the rough plan. (For vaulted ceilings, record smallest dimension at the point it occurs on the floor plan and record the greatest dimension at the point it occurs on the floor plan.)

7. If your kitchen has bulkheads, measure their height and depth. Using a red pencil, indicate the location with dotted line.

Record dimensions.

8. Using a symbol, indicate location of each electrical outlet, switch or light fixture. Indicate the height from the floor and distance to nearest corner. (EX: $ 1000 mm x 1450 mm  Outlet $ = Switch F = Fixture) This illustration shows these symbols indicating the location of electrical outlets, switches and fixtures. To avoid too much confusion on one plan, you may wish to do a separate drawing for this purpose.

9. Identify preferred height for wall mounted cabinets and bench tops, particularly if your height differs from the average.

As you can see, there is a lot that just goes into the measuring of the walls, not to mention the actual kitchen designing itself. A tip for the author is to measure twice and cut once! If in doubt then it's time to engage a professional, otherwise happy measuring!

Contact Information

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Fax -  02 6241 8068

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