Guides to planning your home
Practical, measured advice for moving, renovating, building and furnishing, with drawings to scale and calculators you can use now.
Newest
- Living and diningCoffee table size and the distance from the sofaHow far a coffee table should be from the sofa, how big and how high it should be, and what to do in narrow rooms. With drawings to scale.
- Planning and measuringFloor plan, elevation and section: what each drawing showsThe difference between a floor plan, an elevation and a section, what each one tells you about a home, and which to look at when you are building or renovating.
- Stairs, levels and outsideBalustrade height rules in AustraliaWhen a balustrade is required in an Australian home, the minimum heights for stairs, landings, decks and balconies, the 125 mm gap rule and climbable elements.
- BedroomsBed sizes in Australia: single to super kingAustralian mattress sizes from single to super king in cm, how they compare with UK and US sizes, how much bigger the frame is, and which size suits whom.
- Building newHow to check a builder’s floor planA checklist for reviewing a builder or project home floor plan before you sign: dimensions, furniture, doors, windows, storage, power, ceilings and the site plan.
- CalculatorsHow many people fit at a dining table?How many people a dining table seats by its length, width and shape, the room it needs around it, and a calculator for rectangular and round tables.
Calculators
Quick answers: will it fit, how much will you need, how far apart.
- How far should you sit from your TV?
- How many boxes of flooring do I need?
- How many people fit at a dining table?
- How many tiles do I need?
- How much paint do I need for a room?
- How to calculate floor area (and what a “square” is)
- How to read a floor plan scale (1:100 and 1:50)
- Stair calculator: risers, goings and the 2R + G rule
- What size bed fits my room?
- What size rug for a living room?
- Will my sofa fit through the door?
Planning and measuring
Measuring rooms, reading and drawing floor plans, working to scale.
Living and dining
Sofas, rugs, TVs, tables and the space around them.
Bedrooms
Beds, wardrobes, desks and the room they need.
Kitchens
Layouts, benches, islands and how people move through them.
Bathrooms and laundries
Showers, vanities, toilets and the space between.
Stairs, levels and outside
Stairs, split levels, decks and doors to outside.
Renovating
Moving walls, opening up, extending, and testing it first.
Building new
Reading a builder’s plan, orientation, and getting the layout right.
Moving house
Planning where everything goes before moving day.
Materials and finishes
Floors, tiles, paint and how much to buy.
Using Pncyl
How to do it in Pncyl, step by step.