How-to guide

How to measure wall area less openings for plastering

Name: How to measure wall area less openings for plastering
Uploaded: 2026-10-31
Duration: 41 s
Description: How to measure a wall area less windows and doors from a PDF drawing, for plastering, rendering or painting. Free software, step by step.

Plastering, rendering and painting are priced on the wall area with the windows and doors taken out. Measuring that off a PDF elevation takes about half a minute in Takeoff Studio, which is free on Windows: draw round the wall, then cut out each opening. Your drawing never leaves your PC.

4 stepsFreeVideo 41 seconds

Step by step

Open the elevation and set the scale

Open the drawing with Load PDF and go to the elevation. In the PDF tab choose Set Scale from Title Block and click Set Scale to the scale it finds - here 1/8" = 1'-0". No scale note? Use Calibrate (R) on a dimension you trust instead.

Draw round the wall

Choose Rect (B) and click two opposite corners of the wall face you're plastering - here from the ground line up to the underside of the fascia. For a gable or any other shape use Area (A) and click each corner. The gross area shows on the drawing: 102.68 m².

Cut out the windows and doors

Select the wall, and in the Selection tab under Cutouts choose Add rectangular cutout, then click two corners of a window. Do the same for every window and door. Each opening shows as a gap in the fill and the label changes to the net figure. Use Add cutout for an arched or odd-shaped opening.

Read the net area

The Selection tab lists the gross area, each cutout and the net area - 91.06 m² here, after 11.63 m² of openings. The net figure is what goes into the Totals, the schedule and any export, so the wall is priced on what you'll actually plaster.

Tips

Measure each wall face once, and set Times in the Selection tab if the same elevation repeats (Times 2 for two identical gable ends).
Give each wall a name such as Render - north elevation so the totals group the way you price.
If you're measuring to NRM2, small voids (0.5 m² or less) are generally not deducted from finishings - check the rule for the work section, and simply don't cut those openings out.
Tick Perimeter includes cutout edges if you also want the length round the openings, for reveals or beads.
Internal walls on a plan? Takeoff Studio Pro's Rooms and finishes works out each room's wall area as perimeter x ceiling height less the doors and windows you add - see the room schedule guide.

Frequently asked questions

Is this free?

Yes. Areas, rectangles and cutouts are all part of the free Takeoff Studio, with no account. Takeoff Studio Pro (£24.99 a month or £199.99 a year, first month free) adds rooms and finishes, which work out wall areas from a plan and ceiling height, plus exports and costed schedules.

Can I work it out from a plan instead of an elevation?

Yes. Measure the wall length with Polyline and multiply by the wall height yourself, then take off the openings. Or, with Pro, make each room a room: give it a ceiling height and add its doors and windows, and the Rooms tab lists the wall area less openings for every room.

Can I see the area in square feet?

Yes. In View Options choose Units: Imperial to show square feet. Metric and imperial can be switched at any time - the measurements don't change.

Are my drawings uploaded anywhere?

No. Takeoff Studio is a Windows app and works offline - the PDF and your measurements stay on your PC.