How to Calculate the Height From Floor Plans

Floor plans and blueprints provide a visual guide for the layout and construction of a building. To keep the size of the plans manageable and to include as much information as possible, floor plans are drawn to a precise scale. The scale of the plans should be printed in the lower left corner in a box. For example, home construction plans might be printed in a scale of 1/4 inch for every foot of actual construction space, so 1 inch equals 4 feet. Knowing the scale, you can calculate the height in seconds.

Things You'll Need

• Ruler or tape measure
• Calculator (optional)

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Instructions

1. • 1

     Write down the scale equivalancy printed on the floor plans. For example, if 1/4 inch equals 1 foot, 1 inch of distance on the floor plans equals 4 feet in the building under construction.

   • 2

     Measure the height of the wall from floor to ceiling on the floor plans, using a ruler or tape measure. For example, the height listed on the plans might be 3 inches.

   • 3

     Multiply the measurement in Step 2 with the scale measurement converted into feet. In this example, 3 inches on the floor plans equals a height of 12 feet for a vaulted ceiling, since each inch equals 4 feet (3 x 4 = 12).