How to Calculate Gross Living Area

Calculating the gross living area is essential for real estate professionals, architects, and homeowners. This guide explains the formula, provides an interactive calculator, and offers practical insights into this important measurement.

What is Gross Living Area?

The gross living area (GLA) is the total interior space of a building that can be used for living purposes, including bedrooms, living rooms, kitchens, and bathrooms. It excludes areas like garages, storage rooms, and exterior spaces.

GLA is commonly used in real estate to compare properties and determine their market value. It's also important for architects and builders when designing and constructing new buildings.

How to Calculate Gross Living Area

Calculating the gross living area involves measuring all the interior spaces that can be used for living purposes. Here's a step-by-step process:

Measure the length and width of each room in the building.
Calculate the area of each room by multiplying length by width.
Add up the areas of all the rooms to get the total gross living area.
Subtract any non-living spaces (like garages or storage rooms) if they're included in your measurements.

For more complex buildings, you may need to account for irregular shapes or multiple levels. In such cases, it's often helpful to create a floor plan and use a tape measure or laser distance tool for accurate measurements.

Formula

The basic formula for calculating gross living area is:

Gross Living Area = Σ (Length × Width) for all living spaces

Where Σ represents the sum of all individual room areas.

For buildings with multiple levels, you would calculate the GLA for each level separately and then sum them together.

Example Calculation

Let's look at an example of a two-bedroom apartment:

Room	Length (ft)	Width (ft)	Area (sq ft)
Living Room	15	12	180
Kitchen	10	10	100
Bedroom 1	12	12	144
Bedroom 2	12	10	120
Bathroom	8	8	64
Total			608 sq ft

In this example, the gross living area is 608 square feet. Note that we've excluded any non-living spaces like a garage or storage room that might be included in the building's total square footage.

Common Mistakes

When calculating gross living area, there are several common mistakes to avoid:

Including non-living spaces: Remember to exclude areas like garages, storage rooms, and utility rooms from your calculations.
Ignoring irregular shapes: For rooms with irregular shapes, use a floor plan or break them down into simpler shapes for measurement.
Not accounting for multiple levels: If your building has multiple floors, calculate the GLA for each level separately and sum them together.
Using incorrect units: Ensure all measurements are in the same units (feet or meters) before performing calculations.

Pro Tip: When measuring rooms with irregular shapes, consider using the "room area" feature on a laser measuring tool for more accurate results.

FAQ

What's the difference between gross living area and net living area?

Gross living area includes all interior spaces used for living, while net living area excludes common areas like hallways, stairwells, and shared spaces in multi-unit buildings.

Is gross living area the same as square footage?

Not exactly. Square footage typically refers to the total interior space of a building, while gross living area specifically excludes non-living spaces.

How do I measure a room with an irregular shape?

For irregular rooms, break them down into simpler shapes like rectangles and triangles, measure each part, and sum the areas. Alternatively, use a laser measuring tool with room area calculation.