Your measurement Cheat Sheet

Updated: Jun 12

The purpose of this Cheat Sheet is to provide you with a handy compilation of the common measurements that you will need to consider when designing your new home.

Ceiling Heights:

The minimum ceiling height for a habitable spaces is 2.4m. We often design homes with a ceiling height of 2.55m, which gives a sense of space, and for a true feeling of space and opulence, 2.7 - 3m is ideal. Do consider the implications of heating and cooling though when specifying higher than standard ceilings.

Door Heights:

In NZ, the standard door dimensions are 810 x 1980 x 35mm. However a lot of new homes are being built with higher ceilings which results in higher doors as well. Other standard sizes of door widths are 710mm, 760mm and 860mm. Sticking to standard sized doors means that you won’t need to go to the expense of having custom doors made.

Kitchen:

The bare minimum width between your island bench and the cabinets on the back wall of your kitchen should be 900mm. 1000 - 1200mm is optimal, and will allow for more people to happily move around the Kitchen without getting in each others way.

BENCH HEIGHTS:

As a general rule, we use 20mm benchtops as this is the standard thickness of a stone benchtop. We recommend working to a finished bench height of between 900-930mm off the finished floor, depending on our clients height.

Dining:

RECTANGLE DINING TABLE SIZES:

4-6 Seater: 152-160cm (L) x 76-80cm (w)

8 Seater: 190-220cm (L) x 91-95cm (w)

10 Seater: 250-280cm (L) x 100-110cm (w)

12 Seater: 300-320cm (L) x 110-120cm (w)

ROUND DINING TABLE SIZES

2-4 Seater: 76-90cm (diameter)

6 Seater: 140cm (diameter)

8 Seater: 150-155cm (diameter)

10 Seater: 210-220-cm (diameter)

12 Seater: 240-250cm (diameter)

Lounge Room:

Armchair: 88cm (w) x 97cm (deep)

2 Seater: 170cm (w) x 97cm (deep)

3 Seater: 215cm (w) x 97cm (deep)

4 Seater: 240cm (w) x 97cm (deep)

BENCH AND WINDOW SEAT HEIGHTS

As a general rule, the finished height of a bench seat is normally comfortable at around 450-460mm off the finished floor level. Remember to factor in the thickness of your cushion or squab.

Bathrooms:

The standard size you can make your shower is 900 x 900mm, although we prefer to increase the width to 1000-1200 wherever possible to give more space when you are in the shower.

Don’t forget to consider where your Heated Towel Rail will go in your bathroom design - this is often overlooked and needs to be noted early in the building phase so that the electricians can wire for it.

Also consider whether you would like to include a tiled shower niche in your shower to store all of your bottles of shampoo etc. This also needs to be considered and allowed for early on on the architectural plans.

VANITY:

When placing your vanity make sure you have at least 700mm clearance from the front, so that drawers or cupboard doors can open without hitting anything.

Any power points in your bathroom must be located at least 500mm from splash zones.

Where possible, position shower mixers outside of the shower area so you can turn them on without getting wet!