4 Smart Ways to Determine the Area Size of Your Yard

If you want to buy a new robotic mower, it should meet the requirements of your yard. The most important criterion is the size of your yard. If you don’t already know the size of your yard, there are several ways to find out, which I will show you in this article.

What is the best method to determine the size of the lawn? The best and easiest way to determine the area of your yard is to use the distance measurement on Google Maps. With this tool you can also select the exact shape and size of your yard, and Google will calculate the area. Various smartphone apps are also very suitable for determining the area.

What other methods are there for determining areas and how exactly do they work? Here I will explain it to you. For the method using Google Maps and the method using a smartphone app, I even provide detailed instructions. 

Different Methods for Determining the Area of Your Yard

Not everyone knows the actual size of their yard. In case you don’t know, there are several ways to find out.

• The plan/blueprint of your house/yard
• Measured with Google Maps
• Measuring by hand
• Measuring by App

Plan of Blueprint of Your House/yard

Of course, it is best if you have a drawn-up house plan. Then you just have to dig it out and see which area is indicated in the yard, or if no area is indicated, you can calculate it from the other lengths in the plan, as long as your yard is a fairly normal shape.

Measuring the Yard with Google Maps

You don’t need to know the size of your yard to the inch; determining the approximate size of your yard is enough. That’s why you can also use a function of Google Maps for this purpose, with which you can easily calculate the size of your plot, no matter how angled it is or if the boundaries are straight or round. It is probably by far the best and fastest way to measure the size of your yard.

Let me show you an example here. I’ll take the measurements of a baseball field near my house.

1. Google your address

First you have to go to the Google Maps page and search for your property. Enter your address in the top left-hand corner of the search field. You will immediately see your property from above.

2. Set the view to satellite

You are probably still in the “map view” of Google Maps. It is better to switch to the satellite view. To do so, click on the box in the lower right corner where it says “Satellite”. This way you can see the boundaries of your yard better, because you can see a real photo of your yard from above.

3. Set a starting point

Next, you will now set a starting point at the edge of your yard, from where you will start surveying your yard. You do this by right-clicking on the corresponding point with the mouse. A menu will open, and the bottommost menu item will be “Measure distance”. Click on it. Now your first measuring point appears on the map.

4. Determine the area of your yard

Now you can set more points along the edge simply by left-clicking. If you want to remove a point, simply left-click it again. Point by point you can now define the border of your yard. You don’t have to be super precise, but you shouldn’t click completely off the mark. For round places you can simply set several corner points, like in my example.

5. Read the area of your yard

After you have set all points, you set the last point exactly on the starting point. This closes the shape and the area can be calculated by Google Maps. You can read the result in a box at the bottom of the page. By the way, you can also see the perimeter, which will be the approximate distance you need to plan for the boundary wire.

Measuring the Yard by Hand

Measuring with distance measuring devices in the yard can be considerably more complex and complicated. If you have a very winding yard, you have many acute and obtuse angles, or the yard can be cut off by curves at the edges. I would even advise against measuring the yard by hand, but would rather advise you to use the Google Maps method.

With a simple rectangular yard, however, it is of course quite simple to calculate the size of the lawn by measuring the side lengths, because you only have to determine the width and length once and multiply them by each other. You can use a tape measure for this, or for longer distances, or if you want it easier, a laser rangefinder.

Measuring the Yard Via App

You want to go out into your yard to measure it instead of using Google Maps, but you have a rather complex yard? Then there are also various apps that you can use to measure your yard.

• Field Area Measurement (Android)
• EasyMeasure (iOS)

Here I will show you how to do this with the “Field Area Measurement” app for Android. The iOS app should work similarly.

1. Find your yard

Once you have installed the app, the first thing you need to do is find your yard. The easiest way to do this is to allow the app to use your location (provided you are near your yard). It will ask you for it. You can then use the localization button in the upper right corner to jump directly to your location. If you don’t want to do this, you will have to find your plot on the map yourself.

2. Go to the area mode

At the bottom left you will find a plus symbol. Tap on it and a menu will open. Here you select the item “Area” to enter a mode in which you can create areas.

3. Manual measurement or GPS measurement

Now you will be asked if you want to do a “Manual Measurement” or a “GPS Measurement”. If you select “Manual measurement”, you can select the points yourself, similar to the example with Google Maps. If you select “GPS measurement” you can simply walk along the edge of your lawn to determine the area and you don’t have to set any points. In the following I will show you how to determine the area with “Manual Measurement”.

4. Determine the area of your yard

If you are in the area mode and you have selected “Manual Measurement”, you can now set points that limit the area of your lawn. First set a starting point and then set additional points. The more closely you set the points, the more accurate the result will usually be. You can also move points by tapping and holding them down.

5. Read the area of your yard

The area is generated automatically while you create more points and you always get the current area size in “ac” at the top of the bar (ac = acres). If you don’t see the “ac” but instead see an “a” (a = 100 sqm), that’s because the units are set to metric. Go to Menu > Settings > Units > Measurement system to set them to imperial.

Finding the Right Robotic Mower

The next step is to find a suitable robotic mower, because every robotic mower is designed for different area sizes. There are robotic mowers for very small areas, e.g. for yards of only 50 sqm, for larger ones up to ½ acre, or for gigantic lawns of up to 7 acres. No matter how small or large the yard, there is a suitable robotic mower for every area.

I have explained in this article what you have to pay attention to exactly. Or you can look directly at my robotic mower recommendations for yards of different sizes.

• Recommended Robotic Lawn Mowers for Small Yards 2021
• Recommended Robotic Lawn Mowers for Medium Yards 2021
• Recommended Robotic Lawn Mowers for Large Yards 2021

Did you like the tutorials or do you have any questions? Let us know in the comments!

Related Questions

What does the square meter number mean for the robotic mower? The square meter number of the robotic mower indicates the maximum area output. This is the maximum area that the robotic mower can cover under ideal conditions. However, these conditions are rarely experienced in reality. The area must then be square, level and without obstacles, covered with a type of lawn that is easy to mow and has no gradient. Depending on the model, the manufacturer also assumes 12 or even up to 24 hours of daily use. Therefore, the area output of the robotic mower must usually be selected to be larger than the actual size of the area.

Also interesting: What Is the Actual Maximum Workspace of a Robotic Lawn Mower?