Floor plan

When my property management company had a multi-apartment open house, I only looked at two of the three studios on display. The third, I figured, was out of my price range and not somewhere I would choose to live. Yesterday, I submitted an application to a unit in that building. I knew what the square footage was, but was unable to imagine what that meant. It seemed big, but what if the floorplan actually made it seem smaller? How big would my bed be in the nook? Would it fit just my bed, or could it fit other furniture as well? I could see how the kitchen is laid out, but couldn't imagine how big that would feel.

So, I pulled out the loooong ignored math nerd in me to figure it out. I had a shape and a total square footage - the scale should be easy to determine, I figured. I dissected the shape into shapes that were a bit easier to work with - rectangles and triangles. Instead of creating a unit length and using variables, I used pixel coordinates. Since paint does not let you rotate a line without unintentionally changing the length, I did not think using a unit for measurement would be effective.

I calculated the lengths (and then areas) of all of the pieces of the apartment. I added those together to find the total area, in pixels. I square rooted that to find the dimensions of the sqaure equivalent of the apartment. I did the same for the square footage I had. I found the ratio was 19 pixels for every foot.

That made it easy to go back and add feet to the floor plan. To double and triple check my work, I recreated a few different rectangle/triangle layouts and made sure the numbers worked out to approximately 615 SF. I did not expect it to be perfect, especially since I cannot count on the complete accuracy of the floor plan (since it does not itself have measurements), nor could I be certain of the width of the walls. In addition, the image was just slightly angled, meaning a few numbers could be a little bit off. That aside, with the numbers I found, the approximate square footage is 620 SF. That is plenty close to me.

I will not count on it being this big. Instead, I will be able to imagine if I can barely fit a bed into this nook, or if I will have ample space for a whole bedrooms worth of furniture. Here is the floorplan with measurements included:

I have requested that Laura do this problem separately, and see if we have similar results. I did this math quickly, meaning the pixel - SF ratio could be off. Furthermore, rounding may have changed everything as well. I am simply going to assume that the apartment is just smaller than these estimates, but close enough that I can use these to better comprehend the layout.

The kitchen makes sense with these numbers: the appliances are about the right size, and it seems to be about the same scale as my current kitchen. I would say that this one will be about the same size or a bit smaller, however my current place has a lot of floor space, but only an L of counters. I think this U of counters will be better for storage space. The bathroom also seems plausible with these numbers. I don't generally measure bathtubs, but 5 ft long seems approximately the length of a bath. The nook has the dimensions of a bedroom, not a bed, which makes me happy. Even if each side were a foot or two shorter, there would still be room for a bed +. I was worried that my table wouldn't fit at all in the little dining area (to the right of the living area, "above" the kitchen). That area is bigger than I assumed, so I may be able to make my current dining table fit. I may still decide to opt for a smaller table with a different shape, but I can wait to see how it looks first.

For those of you who read this but haven't seen this layout before -- I know it is kind of weird. BUT, I really like it. This whole building has strangely shaped units. This unit should be spacious (unless my math was sooo off that everything is half as big as this), it includes extra closet space, and has a secluded nook. I could still even use the bookshelf divider if I want - I am in love with the rather popular styled shelf with perfect squares. I am not quite sure how the space to the right of the door looks, but it appears like I could use that for shoes, coats or something similar. I have a balcony instead of a porch, which is perfect! I know from experience that I do not use porches as frequently as I use balconies (privacy reasons), plus I feel much more safe off the ground.

Ok, I have to stop talking about this place now. I have yet to sign a lease, and if I am not approved -- or more likely -- someone beats me to the apartment, I will be devastated. I have to wait to plan and imagine until things are more official. It would be much wiser for me to develop backup plans, other units which would be just as good. Oy, the thought pains me.

***Crosses fingers***