Calculating the square footage of a house can be a daunting task depending on the size of the house, but it is necessary for multiple reasons. The primary reason is that the square footage of your house directly correlates to its value. If you’re putting your house on the market, you will want to be certain you have an accurate calculation of its square footage to ensure you receive full value in return.
Before beginning the calculations, we recommend that you list out every room and hallway in your house. Then, as you work through the measurements, check off each room and hallway as it is completed. This will ensure that no areas get missed during the process and you calculate the true square footage of your house.
It is important to note that in the United States, the square footage of your house includes the living areas only. Garages and other “non-living” areas of a house do not count towards its square footage.
The next step is to grab your tape measure and get to work. Square footage is calculated by measuring the length and width of the room or hallway, and then multiplying the two together. For example, if a room is 12 feet wide and 15 feet long, the square footage of the room is 180 square feet. Many rooms are not perfect squares or rectangles, though. For these, do your best to section off the different areas of the room into their own rectangles or squares. Measure these spaces individually, and then add them together to get the total square footage of the room.
Write down the square footage of each room and hallway as you work through your list to be certain nothing gets forgotten in the final calculation. Once all rooms and hallways have been measured and calculated, add them all together to get the total square footage of your house.