We’re supposed to have an acre plot here at home, but I’ve never had it accurately measured. So how do you go about doing this?

To measure a rectangular lawn, simply measure the width and the length with a tape measure, then multiply these together. For uneven-shaped lawns, you can use Google Earth, online measuring apps on your phone, or even a traditional measuring wheel around the boundary of your lawn area.

In this article, we’re going to try and ‘get the measure of’ this subject, (editor’s note: stop that!), by looking at the easiest ways to measure your lawn with online apps and some more traditional methods…

What Is the Easiest Way to Measure a Yard or Lawn?

If you’re blessed with a regular-shaped lawn, like a square or rectangular area of grass, measuring it is simplicity itself. 

All you have to do is measure the width and the length, then multiply these measurements together. This will give you the area of the lawn, in square yards, feet, or meters.

But what if your lawn is an uneven shape? There are actually apps and online tools to help you do this, and we’ll look at them in a moment. However, if you prefer to work off-grid, the best way to measure your lawn is to use, well, an actual grid.

You need to create a regular-shaped area around your lawn, imaginary or real (using something like string to mark it out). Measure this, then recreate it on graph paper, with each square representing a square foot or square yard (depending on how big your lot is).

Then, draw an approximation of your lawn onto the graph paper. Shade in the grassed area to make it clearer (just like in elementary math!. In fact, you could always delegate this job to your kids…). Then, count the number of shaded and partially shaded squares to give you a decent estimate. Always round up if you’re ordering turf.

There’s another straightforward, manual way to measure your lawn, and that’s using a measuring wheel. You can still buy these old-school tools at hardware stores, and they are actually brilliant devices. 

Walk along the boundary you need to measure, pushing the wheel in front of you. It works out how many times it rotates, giving you the total wheeled distance. You’ll still need to work out the area using basic math, but it’s a reliable way of measuring a longer distance.

If you’ve never seen a measuring wheel in action, take a look at this film by Bermudagrass Central about how to use a measuring wheel. Some modern wheels even have digital displays, making it really easy to get an accurate and easy to read measurement for your lawn.

How Do I Measure My Yard in Google Maps?

If you have a larger lot, this is a super-easy way to measure it. Measuring areas is actually a tool built into Google Earth, and you can find out how to measure area using Google Earth on google’s support pages. In brief, here’s what you do:

1. Open Google Earth and search for your address
2. Select Measure, which is shown by a ruler icon (then the view shifts to top-down)
3. Use the measurement markers to select the area you want to measure
4. If you’re measuring a rectangular lot, for example, click on each of the four corners. If you join the shape by clicking on the first corner again, Google Earth will give you the area
5. For uneven areas, measure smaller sections at a time, make a note of each section’s area, then add the areas together

This really is the easiest way to find your property online and get a reasonably accurate measurement. There are websites available that work in a similar way to this (more about these in a moment), but to be honest, just go straight to Google Earth as that’s where most of these portals will take you.

How Do You Measure Land With Your Phone?

Firstly, if you have the Google Earth app on your phone, you can simply measure your yard as we outlined above. 

However, you can also download apps for both iOS and Android that convert your smartphone into a high-tech tape measure. You’ve probably seen your realtor using this function. It’s much easier and quicker than pacing it out or using a manual measuring tool. 

The smartphone’s measure feature is great for working out the size of smaller spaces; however, if we’re talking smallholding or paddocks rather than a small domestic lawn, you’re better off with a GPS-style app.

Is There an App to Measure My Yard?

If you use a smartphone or tablet, you can download an app that will help you measure your yard.

Try something like GPS Area Fields Measure (available from the App Store or Google Play). It’s easy to use, and according to customer reviews, accurate. It’s free to download, with a paid-for version if you want to avoid ads.

Moasure is a great app for measuring awkward-shaped areas. Its motion-based measuring tool both measures and draws the area, making it a good tool for pros. Of course, it also comes with a pro-level price tag; however, if you have a friend who’s an architect, a landscaper, or a realtor, ask them over…

How Can I Find My Lot Size Online?

Yes, you can find the size of your lot on the internet. We’ve already looked at using Google Earth to find your yard’s total area, which is really straightforward. It’s also a good way to compare sizes with your neighbors, or see how big the garden is in that local house that’s up for sale…

There are other websites that will give you your lot size. For example, FindLotSize works in the same way as Google Earth, using markers. There’s also Measure My Lawn, a website that takes you to maps from Google to work out your garden’s area. Most of these sites are free to use.

But how do you actually measure the entire lot, as opposed to just the lawned area? You need to set markers all around the boundary, not just the garden area. So, that’s right down to the sidewalk, taking in all corners of your property, not just the outside areas.

There is, perhaps, an even easier way to determine your lot size. If you own the property, check out your deeds, as there’ll be a description of the property and its boundaries, and hopefully a map. This will spell out which areas belong to you.

If for any reason you don’t agree with the boundaries on the deeds, you can arrange for a surveyor to look into your lot. Not the cheapest option, but probably the most accurate measurement you can get!

How Do I Measure My Lawn in Square Meters?

Whatever unit you prefer, whether that’s meters, feet, yards, or even miles, the same principle applies. Measure along the length, then the width, then multiply them together to get the square measurement.

For something like an L-shaped area, divide the lawn into two smaller areas, calculate these separately, then add them together.

As we mentioned earlier, if you have an irregular-shaped lawn, you may need to draw a grid, then divide your lawn up into squares to get a rough area. You could also use one of the online tools we’ve looked at.

But what if you’ve measured your lawn in yards and want to convert it into a metric measurement? There are 0.9144 meters in every yard: not the most user-friendly calculation and certainly not one we could do without a calculator!

The easiest way to convert square yards into square meters is to type “convert yards into meters” into Google. This brings up a conversion calculator, and all you have to do is type the measurement in yards into the Yards box.

Final Words

Whatever way you choose to measure your lawn – be it with an online app or a measuring wheel – they all seem to be accurate ways of getting the square footage or meterage measurement you need.

For our lawn, I’m going to do an experiment. Firstly, I’m going to work out the area using Google Earth (which is quite frankly an amazing tool). Then secondly, I’m going to calculate it using a measuring wheel just to see if I get to the same figure.

That way I can have some fun and involve the kids in a math, science, and nature project all at once! 🙂