Space Planning Turn Off Calculations and Drawing

(Mail contains chapter links.  If you make a buy using them, I get a minor commission that helps back up running this blog)

How to Create a Floorplan in Excel

Confession time: I'g a slight spreadsheet nerd.  My dad worked for IBM and I recollect seeing him working on spreadsheets on our home computer at a pretty young age.  I got hooked in late high school/early higher, creating spreadsheets for my budget, comparing prices at various grocery stores, etc.  Then naturally, when I started working as a school librarian, I wanted to utilize spreadsheets in my work there.  The physical space of our library was horribly cluttered when I starting time got there, so I immediately started dreaming up ways of changing the infinite.  Pretty shortly, I decided that I NEEDED a spreadsheet of the floorplan of our infinite.

My outset couple of layout designs came out pretty bad, but gradually I started getting the hang of creating floorplans using Microsoft Excel.  At present I realize that there are probably better programs out in that location for creating floorplans.  Programs that might even exist less labor intensive.  Simply there's really method to my madness in using Microsoft Excel:

PROS

1. Almost reasonably tech savvy people know how to use information technology: A generalization yes, only y'all're probable to find more than people with Excel experience than with Google Sketchup.
2. Nosotros often already have access to it: I researched interior design programs when I showtime started putting together my layout, and near of the practiced ones were pretty expensive, while the complimentary ones didn't give me plenty customization.  Nearly people tend to have a copy of Excel on their work or home computers, fifty-fifty Mac users like me.
3. Highly customizable: There's a lot of means to customize your diagrams in Excel.

CONS

1. Labor intensive to start: When you make your first floorplan, it will accept a skillful amount of work and elbow grease.  But later on you do it the kickoff time, it's pretty easy to continue modifying it.
2. Doesn't cater to unusual shapes: I love our Interior Concepts Collaboration table, merely it'due south Actually difficult to draw that in Excel.  Bones rectangles and circles are a breeze though.
3. Previous feel in Excel is needed: This post isn't an intro to Excel, so if you don't know how to do things like resizing columns and inserting objects, you'll want to learn that commencement.

All this bated, I think it is worth your fourth dimension to endeavour out making a floorplan using Excel.  Now I'm going to testify y'all how I do it.

Creating your floorplan

Click here to download the floor program I used at Stewart.

i. Create a rough draft on graph newspaper (or sketch it out on regular paper)

This might seem counter-intuitive, but information technology's easier to sketch out your floorplan on graph paper first, and and so take that information to make a spreadsheet.  Catch a record measure, and measure the boundaries of the room(s) you're creating the floorplans for.  If you have access to the blueprints, awesome!  Using ane square on the graph paper to represent one square foot, describe out the bones boundaries of the infinite.  Now it's time to put the stuff in your space 🙂

2. Measure ALL THE THINGS!

Measure the length and width of every tabular array, desk-bound, chair, storage unit, etc in your space.  Write downwardly the measurements on a notecard.  For now, you don't need to worry nigh exactly where they autumn in the space,  What y'all DO need are a listing of how many of each particular you have and what their sizes are (ie. Half dozen 30×lx tables, Four 36×90 bookshelves, etc)  Don't worry most the meridian – that won't be represented in the spreadsheet.  Once you've got all the data written downwards, it's fourth dimension to transfer that to the computer.

three. Setup your spreadsheet like a grid

Excel spreadsheets kickoff out with broad columns, which doesn't piece of work well for floor plans.  I like to create a filigree of squares where each square represents one square foot.  That makes it the easiest for planning out the space.  This website offers a great tutorial for figuring out exactly what numbers work best for you lot.

4. Create the boundaries of your space in Excel

Decide how many square feet each square on your grid volition represent.  I adopt one sq ft per square, but that'due south me.  Count out the boundaries of your space based on your calibration and highlight those squares.  Create a bold boundary effectually this area to aid you come across the scale you have.

5 . Create stock-still objects

If there are certain elements of your space that are fixed, such as wall mounted library shelves, add together them straight to the grid.  For our shelves, I highlighted the areas where they are and colored those squares burgundy.  This helps me to get a visual thought of where they are and information technology'll be useful in the next step when creating article of furniture.

6. Create and arrange your furniture items

Using the measurements you took earlier, start to create the piece of furniture items of your space.  This can be as simple or complex as you like.  Basic rectangle shapes tend to work all-time for most things.  I similar to color code my shapes in colors like to the furniture items, every bit it helps me to remember what they are.  Try to position the items relatively equally they are now.

vii. Grouping items as needed

If at that place'due south a certain grouping of piece of furniture that e'er goes together (ie. chairs at computer tables) you can group the items together using the group role in Excel.  Hold downward control (PC) or control (Mac) and select each of the items you desire to grouping.  Then choose group items.  Now when you move ane, you tin movement all of them

eight. Play house

Now that you have all your article of furniture items in place the style your space is set, save your file.  Then save as and create a new file for experimentation and ideas.  Motility your piece of furniture all over and experiment with new layouts.  Create shapes for furniture items y'all're thinking about purchasing and play effectually with your space.  This is my favorite part of creating an Excel layout – it makes it so easy to experiment with new ideas.

Bank check out my book, Reimagining Library Spaces, to go more ideas for transforming your space!

golddebut1980.blogspot.com

Source: http://www.renovatedlearning.com/2016/08/29/floorplan-space-excel/

Share this post