CREATE FLOOR PLAN USING MS EXCEL

Everyone is familiar with MS Excel, right?. MS Excel being a spreadsheet program is used to store and retrieve numerical data in a grid format of columns and rows.

Excel is ideal for entering, calculating and analyzing company data such as sales figures, sales taxes or commissions. Yet did you know that it can be used for creating floor plans? Yes, you heared that right!

This article demonstrates the use of Microsoft excel as a tool in designing any type of floor plan (i.e. house, industrial, plant).

So hover on the rest of the steps and learn how it happens.

Step 1: Set-Up Row and Column

Once we open the spreadsheet, we have to set-up the cells to create grid coordinate so that scaling is easy.

Set the column width to 1 and the row height to 9 units.

This can be done by following the steps below:

• Select entire cells by pressing Ctrl+A.
• Right click column letters then select Column Width. Change value to 1 then click 'Ok'.

• Next while entire cells are still selected, right click row numbers then select Row Height. Change value to 9 then click 'Ok'.

• Now the grid 'working area' is now ready for layout.

Step 2: Create the Scaling and Wall

This part goes through depending on the design in mind to be implemented.

The sample design is house layout with 400 square feet area (scaled).

First start with the walls. The width is 2 square units. By the way, the scaling for this layout is 4 square units (cells) equivalent to 1 square foot.

To create the lines simply create border lines on the cells depending on the scaling used.

The grid lines (in purple) are used to visualize the 1 square foot scaling.

  

Step 3: Start Partitioning the Floor Area

Now that the floor area has been established. Partition it by putting walls inside creating rooms in the layout.

This time start with the bedroom and living room area. Next  work with the bathroom and closet.

At this moment, shapes were added from the Shape toolbar to create figures on the layout (for the lavatory, faucet bowl etc.).

  

Afterwards, create partition for the pantry and kitchen adding also shapes to make it look more of a layout .

Step 4: Refine the Floor Plan

Refine the layout by removing the lines connecting the walls making it look as one.

 It can be done by selecting the cells with the 'unnecessary' lines then right click on it.

Select the format cells option then go to borders option and remove the unnecessary lines as mentioned.

  

Eventually the layout ended up with added area for the balcony.

Step 5: Add Color and Last Touches

Color the layout on some parts. This makes it look more realistic.

Don't forget the labels for each area.

Some decorations can be added to improve the look of the design. In this layout a sofa, a TV, bed, table lamps etc were added.

That's it for demonstration of using MS Excel Spreadsheet as floor plan layout tool.

One restriction using this tool is that it's limited to horizontal and vertical wall designs.

To overcome this, shapes can be used as alternative arranged diagonally.

Catch this tutorial in my account in Instructables.