How to Measure Your Home for New Cabinets and Countertops

As the spring and summer remodeling season picks up, we've been getting a lot of new customers stopping by the Stone & Cabinet Outlet showroom to get designs and quotes for new cabinets and countertops.

Unfortunately, many people forget to bring their layout drawings and measurements for their space, or they haven't even measured at all.

We always do our best to help our customers, no matter how little information we have to work from. But if you want a good, functional design and accurately priced quotes, you MUST measure and draw your space first.

Continue reading below to learn more about the importance of measuring, and go through a step-by-step guide for how to measure and draw a layout of your space.

Why You Need To Measure and Draw Your Space

Not every home or space is built the same. Even homes in cookie-cutter developments that recycle the same layouts will have differences and flaws that need to be accounted for when planning for your new cabinets or countertops.

Walls may not be straight, your old cabinets may not be standard height or depth, your windows could be below countertop level, and so on.

This is even more true for our Portland and Vancouver customers, many of whom are remodeling older homes built in eras when building codes and standards were more like "polite suggestions" than strict guidelines.

Measuring and drawing your layout helps you understand your space and any limitations or special considerations you need to make when choosing your cabinets and countertops.

It also makes life a lot easier for the staff at any home improvement stores you visit for plans and estimates.

How to Measure Your Space

Follow this step-by-step guide to measure and draw your space.

I. Measure your ceiling height

We need your ceiling height to determine which upper cabinet size to quote you. For our main in-store cabinet line, if your ceiling is less than 94", we'll use 30" uppers. If your ceiling is 94" or higher, we'll use 40" uppers.

If you're installing your cabinets on top of the flooring, measure your ceiling height from the flooring to the ceiling.

If you're installing your cabinets on the subfloor, measure from the subfloor to the ceiling, or from the top of the flooring to the ceiling, then add the thickness of your flooring.

If your ceiling has a soffit above the cabinets, measure from the flooring/subflooring to the bottom of the soffit.

II. Measure the length of all walls, and any doorways, windows, or wall openings

A lot of our customers make the mistake of measuring their existing cabinetry instead of the actual walls and fixed openings in their space.

This is a problem because different companies have different sizing strategies, and we may not offer the exact same sizes.

We need to make our cabinets work for your space.

To help us do this, measure the length of all walls in your space from corner to corner.

If there are windows or doorways, measure the distance from the corner of the wall to the edge of the door and window openings. If the doors/windows have trim, measure the distance to the outside edge of the trim.

Also, make sure to measure the dimensions of the windows and doorways themselves. If they are trimmed, measure the size around the outside edges of the trim.

For windows, also measure the height from the floor to the bottom of the sill, or from the top of your existing countertops to the bottom of the sill.

Our standard base cabinets (installed on the floor) are 36" high once a countertop is added. Making sure your windows are above-standard countertop height will save you a lot of headaches and additional labor costs from cutting down cabinet heights or changing the countertop layout.

III. Find and measure the location of all major appliances, plumbing, electrical lines/outlets, and gas lines.

If you're measuring a kitchen, we need to know the location and size of your refrigerator, stove, sink, and dishwasher, as well as the locations of all plumbing, gas lines, and electrical outlets.

If you aren't sure about the dimensions of your appliances, send us the model number, and we'll look them up online.

We also need the location of your sink or know where the drain is. If you want us to quote you for countertops, we need the measurements of the "center of sink" to cut your sinkhole and faucet holes accurately.

To find your "center of sink" dimensions, measure the distance from the nearest edge of the countertop or sink cabinet to the center of the drain hole. It's also a good idea to check the width between the water supply valves to make sure they fit within the sink base cabinet.

If you're measuring for bathroom vanity cabinets, please include the location and measurements of any showers, tubs, or toilets. We need to make sure any cabinets or counters are an appropriate distance from these items.

IV. Measure your existing countertop space (if replacing counters only)

If you're just replacing your counters, measure around the tops of your existing cabinets. Make sure to note if there are walls on any sides that the counters will butt-up against.

Knowing where the walls are helps us calculate whether you need polishing. Our slabs come factory polished on three sides to save our customers money, but any exposed rough edges need to be polished after trimming the stone. If a rough edge can be placed against a wall, it won't need polishing.

We also need to know the location of walls to know where to put any backsplash if you order it with your countertops.

V. Check and add any additional important details

Check and make sure whether there is anything else you need to measure that you may have missed that could affect your layout, like pony walls, random wall openings, and so on.

Also, if you want us to help you with installation, include any important details that will impact our team's work. For example:

• What floor is the work area on? If our teams have to carry cabinets and stone up stairs, we may charge a handling fee.

• Are there any tight hallways or corners that would be difficult to move materials around? If so, this may limit the size of countertop slab that can be used without seaming.

• If we're installing tall pantry cabinets or stone shower panels, is there enough ceiling clearance for our teams to stand them up to move them into place?

• What is the address of your worksite? If you're requesting installation, we charge a travel fee if your site is more than 20 miles from our Portland showroom at 14130 NE Airport Way.

VI. Draw your layout

Draw an overhead view of your space, including all of the relevant measurements, like this one:

Don't worry - we know you're likely not an architect. Your drawing does not have to be to scale. Just make sure to include all the measurements and information we need to properly design your kitchen or bathroom.

It also helps if you can take photos of your space and email them to sales@betterhomecabinet.com so we can use them as a reference.

And if you haven't already, go to our website, www.betterhomecabinet.com, and have a look at our cabinet and stone options to see which ones you'd like us to quote for.

Finally, if you get stuck, feel free to give us a call at 503-285-5606, and we'll talk you through measuring your space. We can also come out and help you measure your space for a fee, which will be deducted from your total purchase cost if we install your cabinetry or stone.

Get in touch with us and let us know how we can help!