- Collaborative Spaces, Space Planning & Layout Tips, Workstations & Desks
How to Measure an Office Before Ordering Cubicles
An accurate cubicle plan requires more than measuring the length and width of a room. Doors, columns, windows, electrical outlets, walkways, storage areas, and existing furniture can all reduce or reshape the usable area.
Before requesting a cubicle quote, create a basic drawing that records the room’s dimensions and every fixed feature. This gives the space planner better information and helps prevent layouts that look workable on paper but cannot be installed as intended.
Key points
– Measure each wall independently instead of assuming the room is square.
– Record doors, windows, columns, outlets, data ports, and fixed equipment.
– Identify areas that must remain open for circulation and access.
– Note ceiling, floor, delivery, and building-management conditions.
– Treat your measurements as planning information until professionally verified.
Start with the purpose of the office
Before using a tape measure, determine what the space must accommodate. The required layout depends on more than the number of employees.
Ask which employees need private conversations, multiple monitors, paper storage, visitor seating, or access to shared equipment. A customer-service team may need compact workstations with organized power and data. An administrative team may require larger surfaces and more filing space.
Identify other functions that must remain in the room, including printers, supply cabinets, meeting areas, reception space, shared filing, and equipment stations. This prevents the common mistake of filling the plan with workstations before reserving space for essential business functions.
Create a simple floor-plan sketch
Your initial drawing does not need architectural software. Graph paper or a digital drawing tool can work if dimensions and features are labeled clearly.
Draw the approximate room shape and give each wall a letter or number. If the room has alcoves, angled walls, or an irregular perimeter, divide it into smaller areas that can be measured separately. Add the date, property address, room name, and person who collected the measurements.
How should you measure the walls?
Measure every wall from finished surface to finished surface. Do not measure one side and assume the opposite wall is identical. Older buildings and altered commercial suites may not be perfectly square, and a modest variation can affect a long row of connected cubicles.
For each wall:
– Record the complete length and any recessed or projecting sections.
– Note baseboards, ledges, radiators, cabinets, and mounted equipment.
– Take diagonal measurements when practical; unequal diagonals can indicate that the room is not square.
– Record ceiling height if tall panels, overhead storage, or power poles may be considered.
Use one format consistently. Mixing feet-and-inches notation with decimals can create avoidable errors.
Record doors, windows, and glass walls.
Mark every entrance, office door, closet, conference room, restroom, electrical room, and emergency exit. Record each door’s width, distance from the nearest corner, swing direction, and the area it occupies when open. Include frames, access controls, and nearby switches.
For each window, record its width, distance from the nearest corner, and sill height. A panel or overhead cabinet could block a window or conflict with blinds. Also consider whether sunlight could create monitor glare.
For glass walls, note whether the lease or property manager restricts furniture placement or attachment near the glass.
Mark columns and fixed obstacles.
Columns, support posts, plumbing chases, floor boxes, and fixed equipment belong on the drawing. Measure a column’s width and depth, then locate it from two fixed walls rather than estimating visually.
Use the same approach for built-in counters, server cabinets, thermostats, fire-safety devices, electrical panels, wall-mounted screens, and fixed shelving. Do not conceal building controls or required equipment behind furniture without appropriate approval.
Locate power and data connections.
Record wall outlets, data ports, floor boxes, and power poles. Take close photographs so the planner can understand their position and type.
Powered workstations may require coordination among the furniture planner, property manager, IT provider, installer, and licensed electrician. Confirm who will evaluate circuits and make final connections. An existing outlet should not be assumed to support a proposed workstation arrangement.
Identify circulation and accessible routes.
The space remaining after furniture placement is not automatically an acceptable walkway. Routes must account for doors, turns, shared equipment, employee access, and applicable accessibility and safety requirements.
Mark paths connecting entrances, exits, workstations, conference rooms, restrooms, shared equipment, and break areas. The ADA Standards address accessible routes and other building elements, but compliance depends on the property and work performed. A furniture plan is not a compliance certification; have the final arrangement reviewed by qualified professionals.
Check delivery conditions.
An office may accommodate an assembled cubicle even when components cannot easily reach the room. Document the building entrance, hallways, turns, stairs, elevator dimensions, loading area, floor number, delivery hours, and available staging area.
Ask the property manager about elevator reservations, floor protection, certificates of insurance, contractor approval, and loading restrictions before scheduling delivery.
Take useful photographs.
Take wide photographs from every corner, followed by close images of doors, outlets, floor boxes, columns, and unusual obstacles. Label the photographs so they can be matched to the sketch. Do not use images to estimate dimensions because perspective can distort distance.
Office-measurement checklist
– Every wall and irregular section
– Ceiling height
– Doors and swing directions
– Windows and sill heights
– Columns and projections
– Electrical outlets, data ports, and floor boxes
– Fixed cabinets and building controls
– Existing furniture that will remain
– Shared equipment and storage
– Entrances, exits, and circulation areas
– Delivery and elevator access
– Photographs of the complete space
– Employee count, job functions, and storage needs
– Expected growth or reconfiguration needs
Why professional verification still matters
Preliminary measurements help a supplier understand the project, but they should not be the only basis for ordering a complete system. Professional onsite measurement can identify discrepancies and installation constraints missed during the initial survey.
Cubicle and Office’s office space-planning service includes onsite measurements and 2D and 3D floor plans. Businesses in Rancho Cucamonga and surrounding areas can use a consultation to compare cubicle configurations, review access, and plan installation before ordering.
Frequently asked questions
Can I measure my office with a phone application?
A phone application may help with preliminary planning, but verify its results with an appropriate measuring tool. Do not place a large furniture order using unverified application measurements.
Should I include hallways in the office square footage?
Record hallways on the plan, but do not treat required circulation areas as available cubicle space. The final layout must preserve appropriate routes.
Do I need an architect to plan office cubicles?
Not every project requires an architect. Construction, electrical work, permits, accessibility questions, occupancy changes, or alterations may require qualified professionals and local approval.
What if my office is completely empty?
An empty office is easier to measure, but utilities, doors, controls, floor boxes, lease restrictions, and future shared areas still need documentation.
What should I send when requesting a cubicle quote?
Send the sketch, measurements, photographs, employee count, desired workstation sizes, storage and power needs, preferred configuration, project location, budget considerations, and target installation period.
About Cubicle and Office
Cubicle and Office is a family-owned office-furniture company based in Rancho Cucamonga. The company helps businesses evaluate cubicles, workstations, space planning, delivery, installation, moves, and reconfigurations. Its planning process can include onsite measurements and 2D and 3D layouts. Businesses preparing a new office or changing an existing workspace can request an onsite consultation and customized quote.
Disclaimer
This article provides general workspace-planning information. Product dimensions, availability, pricing, delivery timing, installation needs, and property requirements vary. Accessibility, electrical, building-code, fire-safety, lease, and permit questions should be reviewed with qualified professionals and the appropriate authorities.
Categories
Recent Posts
Newsletter Sign Up
Subscribe for our monthly newsletter to stay updated.
Related Posts
