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Download this page in an easy-to-read PDF: Self Survey Form
Download and print this graph paper: Graph Paper A4
Download the Self Survey form
Draw your existing house and new extension
Upload the form to us when you use the Plans Portal
How Do I Measure My Home?
Carrying out your own measured survey of your property is simple.
All you need is:
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tape measure
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graph paper (download here)
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ruler
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calculator
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pencil
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camera
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Then, just follow these easy steps.....
Internal Space
go straight to External Space
Familiarise yourself with the layout
You might know your home very well but it’s surprising how much you don’t know when it comes to putting the layout down onto paper. Sometimes it helps to do a simple rough free hand sketch of each floor as aguide before you start.
Have a walk around your house and familiarise yourself with the general layout and how each of the rooms are connected and relate to each other. Make a note of how all the internal walls relate to each other and be aware of any walls that might seem to line through but are in fact ‘staggered’ or offset from each other. This applies to walls running between rooms on the same floor as well as vertically between floors; this is particularly important when trying to determine floor spans and load bearing walls.
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If you haven't done so already, print of a few pages of graph paper (download here)
Starting your survey
Start with the largest room on the floor and mentally position this on your graph paper, taking into account where this sits on the overall floor plan and where the other rooms will fit on the page.
Note: When you start your drawing, orientate you plan the same way for all floors with the front of the house facing the bottom of the page.
Measure the extents of the room
Take the overall dimensions of the room to establish the main extents.
Using the graph paper, measure out 2 squares for each 1m measured. Place dots for each of the four main corners of the room.
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Note: Remember, there will be other rooms to measure and draw, so ensure your first room is positioned correctly on the sheet to allow for the rest of the rooms to be drawn. If you are not sure, erase the dots and relocate to a better location.
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Add overall dimensions
Once you are happy with the position of the dots, draw straight connecting lines between the dots using a ruler and record the dimensions in each direction. Check that the dimensions are correct and applied to the right directions.
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Remember the carpenters’ old adage, “measure twice, cut once....”
Note: Don’t worry if there are some walls that have returns or short lengths, these will be dealt with later.
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Add returns and recesses
Now, if there are any parts of the room which may have sections of build out or returns or maybe recesses, then these can be added now. These are done with ‘running dimensions’ and are a series of smaller measurements between different parts of the room.
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Add doors and windows
We have the basic shape and size of the room and now we can add other relevant features such as doors and windows. Again, use running dimensions or single dimensions from a known location, to fix these into position onto the plan.
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Annotate
Finally, write a label for the room, such as ‘Lounge’ and add any notes and any other features you think may be helpful.
Take plenty of photos, inside and out and that’s the first room done!
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Repeat this process for each room on each floor remembering to position all the rooms in accordance with the general floor layout of the property. You can if it helps do each room individually with a separate sketch of each floor, at a suitable scale and we can ‘stitch’ the floor plans together ourselves.
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Don't forget to take lots of photos!
Once you have completed all the room measurements and put together the overall layout, your final plan(s) should look something like pictured below.
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External Space
Now you need to create a survey of the outside area of your property. This is best done on the same page as your internal survey, but it can also be done on a separate sheet of paper if you don't have room. There is no need to start again.
Measure the available space
Start by measuring the space where your extension is going to be placed.
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Measure the total width of of you property parallel to the existing building. Then measure the space away from your existing building.
You also add a dimension to any alleyways you might have between buildings.
Ground features
Next, plot out any ground features that you think may potentially cause an issue or might need to be incorporated into the design.
This could include:
• manhole covers
• back inlet gullies, taking waste water from kitchens and ground floor cloakroom toilets
• uneven ground
• large areas of concrete or hard standings
...and anything else you see. It’s better to put more information down than less!
If you are unsure simply take some photos, send us an email and we’d be happy to give you some advice.
Note: At this stage only constraints that can be seen can be recorded and put onto the plan. Anything else will require further investigation, such as buried drainage, services, existing foundations, ground conditions, etc.
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External dimensions and features
Now have a look at the exterior of the building. Your going to need to plot any external features that you building has, particularly ones that might impact your extension.
This could include:
• rain water down pipes
• external soil and vent pipes (from upstairs bathrooms etc.)
• back inlet gullies, taking waste water from kitchens and ground floor cloakroom toilets
• satellite dishes and high level telephone lines
Measure the exterior of the existing building including any returns and recesses. This will help in determining the external wall thickness.
Vegetation
Now you need to add any vegetation that might impact the construction of your extension.
Are there any bushes or vines within 5 meters of the location of your proposed extension?
If there is, roughly plot the locations and note the species.
Are there any trees (including tree stumps) within 20m of the proposed extension?
If there is, roughly plot the locations and note the species.
Note: Don't worry if you don't know the species of a plant. Take a photo and upload it along side your survey form.
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If you are unsure about anything, or just need some advice, feel free to give us a call or send us an email... we’ll be more than happy to help!