How to find your house's dimensions (without a tape measure)
Check your papers first: the approved building plan, the sale deed set or the property tax receipt usually gives each room's size or the built-up area. No papers? A phone app measures a room as you walk it, and a laser distance meter does one wall in a second. Then give the inside size of each room, in feet.
1. Check your papers first
Easiest and most accurate. Most homes already have the numbers written down:
- Approved building plan or floor plan. Look in the sale deed set, the registration papers or the home-loan file. It lists each room's size (for example 10 ft × 12 ft) and the total built-up area.
- Property tax receipt or assessment. Shows the registered built-up area.
- Builder brochure or your society's app. Flats and gated layouts usually have the unit layout with room sizes.
2. Use your phone
- iPhone or iPad Pro with LiDAR (iPhone 12 Pro and later Pro models): the built-in Measure app, or apps such as Polycam, Canvas or Magicplan. Walk the room; it snaps to the corners and draws a floor plan.
- Any Android or other phone: Magicplan or CamToPlan use the camera (AR). Point at where the floor meets the wall and tap each corner. Less accurate than LiDAR, so check one wall with a tape.
3. A laser distance meter
The best tool for the job, at roughly ₹1,500–₹3,000 online. Hold it against one wall, aim the dot at the opposite wall and press. Most have an area mode (length × width) and a volume mode. Faster and more accurate than a tape.
Nothing to hand? Floor tiles are often 2 ft (600 mm) square, so counting them across a room gives a fair first size, and a normal step is about 2½ ft.
Which area is which
| Area | What it includes |
|---|---|
| Carpet area | The usable floor inside the walls: where a carpet can actually be laid. |
| Built-up area | Carpet area + the thickness of the walls + private balconies. |
| Super built-up area | Built-up area + your share of the common spaces: corridors, lobby, stairs, lift shaft. |
Plot2Plan's plans work from your plot and room sizes, so for an existing house give the inside (carpet) size of each room.
Then put the house on screen
With the sizes in hand, make a floor plan of your existing house by splitting it into rooms one wall at a time, or photograph the plan you have on paper.
Frequently asked questions
Which area does RERA make builders quote?
Carpet area. Under RERA a builder must state the carpet area of an apartment when selling it, so the price can be compared on the floor you can actually use. Brochures may still print built-up or super built-up figures beside it.
Why is my flat smaller than the brochure says?
The brochure figure is usually the super built-up area: your built-up area plus a share of the corridors, lobby, stairs and lift shaft. That share is often called the loading. The rooms you can furnish add up to the carpet area, which is noticeably smaller.
Are phone apps accurate enough?
For a floor plan you will edit, yes. A phone with a LiDAR sensor is usually within a few centimetres; camera-only (AR) apps can drift more, so check one wall with a tape and correct the rest to match. For a contract or a sanction drawing, have a professional measure.
Which size should I give Plot2Plan for an existing house?
The inside (carpet) size of each room, in feet: wall to wall, measured at floor level. For the whole house, give the outside size: the front wall corner to corner, and one side wall front to back.