How to read a floor plan in five minutes

A floor plan tells you more than photos ever will. Photos show what the photographer wanted you to see. The plan shows everything else.

1. Find north

Living rooms facing south or west get the warm afternoon light. Bedrooms facing east wake you up with the sun. If the plan has no compass, ask.

2. Follow the route from the front door

Walk the plan with your finger. Can you reach the kitchen without crossing the living room? Is there a place to drop coats and bags? A good plan has a short, clear route to the rooms you use most.

3. Check the walls you can actually use

Every window, door and radiator takes a wall away. Count the uninterrupted walls in the living room: you need at least one for the sofa and one for storage or a TV.

4. Do the furniture test

A double bed is about 1.4 m × 2 m. Leave 60 cm around it. If a "bedroom" is under 2.6 m wide, it is really a study.

5. Look for the wasted space

Long corridors and oddly shaped corners eat area that you pay for. Compare the price per area on our listings with how much of the plan is usable.

On every Tenwick listing you can tap a room on the floor plan to see its size in metres or feet, depending on your language.