How to work out square metres?

Before you begin any semi-substantial DIY or renovation work, measuring the internal area of a room, house or piece of land is a must. Square metres are one of the most common forms of measurement in the UK. So, we’ve broken down how to work out square metres step-by-step.

What are square metres?

Square metres usually measure a two-dimensional space, like land or a floor. Whether the area you’re measuring is to be used for storage or living space, many DIY jobs can’t be done without first working out the square metres.

How to calculate square metres

Knowing how to work out the square metres of a room is essential if you’re planning any tiling, wood flooring, or kitchen/bathroom renovation work. Once you’ve got to grips with it, figuring out the square metres of space is easy – especially if it’s a square or rectangular area.

Simply measure the length and width of the surface in metres, and multiply them together.

For example, if you want to tile a kitchen floor that is 5 metres long and 3.5 metres wide, that’s 5 x 3.5 = 17.5, which is a surface area of 17.5 metres squared (m2).

How to work out square metres of my whole house

All you need to do is measure the length of the building and then multiply this by the width to determine the square metre of the area. Then, double this figure to work out the square metres of a two-story home.

Essentially, you’re measuring one floor and multiplying it by 2 for a two-story house. However, this only works if the upstairs is the same as the downstairs.

Let’s say your house is 10 metres long and 5 metres wide.

In that case, you can use this formula:

10 metres x 5 metres = 50m2 x 2 = 100m2

If you have a basement or loft space, don’t include that in your measurements of your whole house. Instead, measure the loft per the above, and add this amount to the total.

How to work out square metres UK

Always use the UK metric system (metres and centimetres) when working out the m2 of any space, to ensure you can buy what you need from a UK DIY store.

Other ways to work out square metres

Here are some tips on calculating square metres;

• Use a tape measure in metres or a metre stick ruler
• If your measurement tool uses non-metric units like feet, you can convert the results to square metres after measuring
• For square and rectangular spaces, measure from one corner to the other
• Always include the centimetre part of the measurement
• If you can’t measure the entire length of a floor, do it in stages by laying out your measuring tool and using a marker, then repeat
• Use the same tools to measure the width, ensuring the width side sits at a 90º angle away from the length

To make life easier, why not hire a professional tradesperson for your renovation project? Whether you need a kitchen fitter, tiler, joiner, or builder, any of our trusted tradespersons will take the required measurements correctly and complete the work to fit the space perfectly.

Our guide to finding a tradesperson can help you get started.