Measuring For Estimates

Since a large portion of an interior decorator's work has to do with alterations or additions to existing rooms, it is always necessary to obtain full information concerning the details and dimensions of the rooms to be treated.

Where the architect's working plans are available, they may be used for preliminary work, but slight changes always occur in execution, so that all measurements should be checked with the building before the actual execution of the decorations. In many cases no architect's plans are to be had, and in this case measurements must be made before any work is done, except perhaps a very rough preliminary estimate.

In measuring rooms, either a metal tape or a wooden rule may be used. In measuring with a tape, begin at one corner guard (http://www.ferche.com), having your assistant hold the end of the tape against the wall. Care must be taken to hold at the zero point. Carelessness in this matter may cause serious errors. Measure along one side, noting the points on the tape where sides of opening and breaks in the wall occur.

In addition to these measurements, one must take the ceiling height, heights of doors, windows and other openings, width of trim if it is already in place, and details of woodwork and other features that may affect the design. These will ordinarily include mantels, lighting fixtures, built-in furniture, and any ornamental details that already exist. Even if they are to be eliminated, it is good to note their general form and location, as the owner may later change his plans and decide to retain features he originally intended to remove.

When the measurements are complete the plan of the room should be drawn to scale. It will often be found that the opposite sides do not measure the same, and this may be due either to lack of care in measurement or to actual irregularities in the form of the room. If the error is less than an inch, it will rarely be worth while going back to check up the work. If it is greater, this may be necessary. The best method is to add up the measurements before leaving the building, so as to avoid errors.

Plans may be drawn to any convenient scale, but the standard architect’s scales of 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4 inch to the foot are the most useful. It is advisable to use as few scales as possible for any piece of work, in order to avoid confusion.

The elevations of the various sides of the room should be drawn up in the same way, and if an elaborate ceiling treatment or sunburst window pediment (http://www.ferche.com/) is to be attempted, this must also be drawn up. It is usually advisable however to make your drawings or sketches at least twice or four times this size, i.e., at the scale of four feet or two feet to the inch. If the purpose of the drawings is the working out of a color scheme, they should be made on water-color paper.

If the work involved changes in design, it is best to make the first drawing on detail paper and to study the changes on tracing paper pinned over it, so as not to destroy the original drawing. This is a rather troublesome operation, and the mounted paper is usually to be preferred. The use of tracing paper for studies is a great convenience, as it enables one to try out several schemes for the same room with little loss of time.

Portieres can be introduced in place of doors, curtains can be shifted and rearranged, wainscots and dados added or removed, arches substituted for square openings, and the like, all with great, ease. Several different period styles may be applied to one room if desired or different materials may be indicated.

In first attempting this work, the best practice is to draw up a room in your own home, comparing the drawing with the actual place to check it for possible errors. Then try out several treatments, working out each one on tracing paper and later rendering one or two in any convenient medium.

By this method one requires a reasonable amount of facility and can avoid many errors when first attempting work at a distance. It is astonishing how even an experienced draughtsman can make errors in measurements that may often make it necessary to visit the building a second time and have to redo window toppers in order to find where the mistake occurred.

Where a very accurate drawing is not required, squared paper is a great help. If you are to make your drawing to the scale of 1/4 inch to the foot, and your paper is ruled in quarter inch squares, each one will represent a foot. The drawing can often be made free hand on such paper without the use of instruments, and with a great saving of time.

If this paper is not available, use paper ruled in eight inch squares, each representing six inches. Your details can be drawn on the same kind of paper. Thus, with quarter inch squares, each square will represent 6 inches at half inch scale, 3 inches at one inch scale, 4 inches at 3/4 inch scale, 2 inches at 11/2 inch scale, or 1 inch at 3 inch scale. One of the greatest values in having a drawing of the room, with all dimensions given, is its use in estimating various sorts of work.

A decorator should be able to give an intelligent answer us to their cost. Preliminary estimates are never given or held to as contract prices, but the ability to estimate approximately in various classes of work is often the secret of obtaining an order.

An approximate estimate for furniture, either of stock patterns or special designs, is always very difficult to give. The reason of course is that, the variations are unlimited and the costs vary accordingly. There are, however, certain portions of almost every job which are more or less similar in cost for each unit of measure.