How to Measure My Land (2024)

Measuring Your Property

When you decide to build, you need to measure the size of your lot in order to determine how much room you have for your building.

You can often find your lot size and property lines by searching public records, but with those, you run the risk of the lines being defined by a hedge that has been chopped down, or a little stream that dried up years ago. The deed or other documents in your purchasing paperwork should have a description that can help you determine the size if it does not explicitly say what size the lot is.

If you have not bought the land you want to build on yet, and you cannot find the lot size in public records, there are tools online to help measure the lot size for you. General Steel has an interactive tool that allows you to determine how big of a building you can fit on your property, and then gives you a quote for the building based on that.

Floor Area Ratio

Now that you have measured your lot size and determined what setbacks you have to conform to, you need to determine your floor area ratio. Floor area ratio is the building’s floor in relation to the total size of the lot the building is on. It is usually a decimal and is derived from dividing the building’s area size by the lot’s area size.

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Other Considerations

When buying land for your home, keep in mind the layout of the land itself. If it is on a slope, you will have to get it excavated to level the land out before you can begin building.

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Collect a few soil samples for a soil test while you are driving stakes into the ground around the perimeter of your property. A soil test is one of the most popular geological studies because it can uncover potential issues such as expansive soil that can threaten the lifespan of your building if you plan to build a pole style structure.

“Also, it is wise to carry out a Geotechnical Investigation to determine the ground classification – if rock, the cost for a rock breaker to do the excavation is on an hourly rate and could result in huge amounts more before you even commence construction of your home. Alternatively, if the ground is too soft or there is a natural spring or groundwater you will also be looking at additional costs to drill foundations down through this to stable ground,” says Marnie Beauchamp, a real estate expert at McGrath Estate Agents.

Utilities, Tap Fees and Construction Costs

Determining your water source and electrical connections is another big thing before you begin building. You should be able to get an idea on that by contacting your local utility companies, and you may be able to get quotes for how much it may cost you monthly. The total cost of construction it will take to complete your project can be dependent on the conditions associated with the land you buy or own. Driving pylons into bedrock, blasting away granite or bringing in new soil should all be accounted for if necessary.

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Cost to Build a Garage

From running electricity to pouring a concrete slab, here's the costs linked with building a detached garage.

Cost to Build a Garage

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Cost to Build a Home

Steel homes are more popular than ever and typically save you money, learn how much it costs to build a metal home.

Cost to Build a Home

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Steel Building Construction Costs

A successful project hinges on proper planning including how much it will cost to construct your steel building.

Steel Building Construction Costs

How to Measure My Land (2024)

FAQs

How to Measure My Land? ›

Mark and label the four points of the property with visible yard stakes. Measure the distance between each point walking clockwise with the wheel. Measure the diagonal distance between points A & C and then points B & D. Plug your measurements into an online calculator like this one.

How do you measure your own land? ›

Calculating a parcel of land's acreage is done by determining the length and width, and then calculating the total size in square feet, meters or yards. Once you have this figure you can concert it into acres by dividing it by however many of a given unit of measurement go into an acre.

Can you measure land size on Google Maps? ›

Right click on map and select “Measure distance.” 4. Click on map repeatedly to draw polygon around area you would like to measure. Close the shape and Google Maps will automatically show the area measurement within the polygon.

How do you measure your lot size? ›

Start by identifying the boundaries and then calculate the length and width of the property. Multiply these figures to get the square footage. For irregular shapes, divide the area into regular shapes, measure each, and then sum up the areas.

How to calculate land size? ›

The formula to calculate the area of a rectangular or square piece of land is to multiply its length and width. The formula to use is A = length x width. You can also use online area calculators to calculate the area in a flash second.

Is there an app to measure land area? ›

Do you own the field and want to place marker, measure the distance, perimeter, or area of it? GPS Fields Area Measure is a free app that allows you to evaluate your fields as you need: measure the distance, perimeter, or area and share it with your colleagues straight away! "Very accurate and precise.

What does 1 acre look like? ›

Perhaps the easiest way for US residents to envision an acre is as a rectangle measuring 88 yards by 55 yards ( 1⁄10 of 880 yards by 1⁄16 of 880 yards), about 9⁄10 the size of a standard American football field.

How to find property dimensions online? ›

The plat map is also your best bet to find your property lines online, as your assessor's office may provide plat map snapshots through its website.

Can I measure my property with Google Earth? ›

You can measure distances between locations and along paths. You can also measure the size of polygons that you draw in Google Earth. Measurements of distances may not be 100% accurate, especially in areas with 3D terrain and buildings.

How do I calculate my lot size manually? ›

Position sizing based on risk percentage

This percentage represents the trader's risk per trade. Once they have established the amount they are comfortable risking, they can calculate the appropriate lot size for a specific trade using the following formula: Lot Size = (Risk Amount / (Stop Loss in pips * Pip Value)).

What is the average size of a lot? ›

Over the last few decades, the typical lot size in the U.S. has decreased significantly—from 18,760 square feet in 1978 to 13,896 in 2020. While lot sizes are getting smaller overall, there are still large discrepancies in lot sizes from state to state.

How big is 2 acres on a map? ›

l' =87120 ft^2/66 ft =1320 feet. r = sqrt(87120 ft^2/pi) = sqrt(13865.6 ft^2) =166.49 ft say 169.5 feet. The size of 2 acres on a map depends on the scale of the map. On a large scale map, 2 acres may only occupy a small portion of the map, while on a small scale map, 2 acres may be too small to be visible.

How big is 10 acres visually? ›

An American football field is 120 yards long by 53.3 yards wide, or 360 feet by 160 feet, which is 1.32 acres. If standing at the corner of a square 10-acre property, the property boundaries are 660 feet in each direction or 3 football fields in length.

How big is my lot in acres? ›

To calculate the acreage, the length and width of the land, which is usually given in feet, is multiplied to get the area in square feet. Then, this area in square feet is converted to acres by using the conversion factor of 43560.

How big is 20 acres on a map? ›

An acre is roughly the size of a football field. So imagine 20 football fields, and you roughly have 20 acres. FYI 1 acre is 43560 square feet. 20 acres of land is equivalent to 87,120 square yards or approximately 161,874.24 square meters.

What is 1 acre in length and width? ›

The most standard shape for an acre is one furlong by one chain, or 660 feet by 66 feet. To find the linear measurements of other rectangular acres, just divide 43,560 by the number of feet you want on one side. A square-shaped acre would then be about 208.7 by 208.7 feet (because 208.7 x 208.7 = ~43,560).

How big is 1 acre visually? ›

If you can picture a football field, that's pretty close to an acre in size. Officially, it is 43,560 square feet, and a football field is 48,000 square feet.

What is it called when you measure your land? ›

At a minimum, a land survey includes measuring and recording the boundaries, elevation levels and angles of a parcel of land. Essentially, a land survey provides you with a documented understanding of the boundaries of a property.

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