For first-time home buyers, it may not be intuitive how to accurately calculate the square footage of a home. Here's a detailed answer to make your home buying journey easier and more comfortable.

What is square footage?

Square footage is a unit of area commonly used in the United States to describe the interior space of a home. Specifically, one square foot is equal to the area of a square with a side measuring 1 foot (about 0.3048 meters). If you're more comfortable using square meters, you can easily understand it by using the following conversions:

1 square meter ≈ 10.764 square feet

1 square foot ≈ 0.0929 square meters

How do I measure the area of a house?

In actual measurements, the square footage of a home usually includes only the “living area”, such as bedrooms, living room, kitchen, etc., and does not include the garage, attic, unfinished basement, etc. The following is a step-by-step procedure. Here are the steps to take:

Prepare Measuring Tools You can use tools such as a tape measure, laser range finder, etc. to ensure that the data is accurate enough.

Measure the length and width of each roomMeasure the length and width of the room separately (in feet) and then calculate the area using the formula:

Room Area = Length × Width (in square feet)

For example, a bedroom that is 10 feet long and 12 feet wide has an area of 10 × 12 = 120 square feet.

（house）

Calculating the Area of an Irregular Room If a room is irregularly shaped, you can divide it into multiple regular parts (e.g., rectangles, triangles) and calculate them separately, then add them together:

Rectangle: length × width

Triangle: base × height ÷ 2

Add up the areas of all the rooms. Add up the areas of each room to get the total living area of the whole house.

How do I get the square footage data for my house?

If you don't feel comfortable taking measurements, there are a number of ways to get square footage data for your home:

Check the property information. The seller or realtor will usually provide the total square footage in the property information.

A home appraisal report. During the home buying process, a home appraiser will give you a professional square footage measurement.

Check public records, some cities will indicate the square footage of the home in the property records.

What do I need to be aware of when calculating square footage?

When counting square footage, we usually only count “living area” such as bedrooms, kitchens, etc. However, whether or not certain special spaces (such as sunrooms or attics) are counted may vary by location or property type.

Also many architects use their own method of calculating square footage, measuring square footage from exterior walls. This explains why there are often discrepancies between your square footage calculations and those of a realtor, builder or other source.

Knowing the square footage of your home is a step in the home buying process that should not be overlooked. Whether you calculate it yourself with a measuring tool or rely on a realtor to provide you with the data, mastering this skill will help you better assess the value of your home and make an informed home buying decision.