How to Measure Your Lawn Square Footage (Fast) β Philadelphia Homeowner Guide (2025)
August 27, 2025
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Philadelphia homeowners often struggle with measuring their lawn for accurate quotes. Whether you're getting your first lawn care estimate or switching providers, knowing your square footage helps you get the right price and service level.
In this guide, you'll learn:
- Three fast methods to measure your lawn (Google Maps, phone, tape measure)
- How to exclude house, driveway, and hardscape areas
- Simple formulas for different yard shapes
- What information to include in your quote request
If you only have 2β3 minutes, use Google Maps and outline the green areas. That's accurate enough for quotes and helps you pick the right size in our form.
Method 1 β Google Maps on desktop (quick & accurate)
- Open maps.google.com and search your address.
- Right-click on your lawn β Measure distance.
- Click around the perimeter of the grass to make a shape (include side strips you want mowed).
- Close the shape by clicking the first point.
- Google shows Area at the bottom (sq ft and mΒ²). That's your lawn square footage.
- Have separate front/back areas? Make two shapes and add the areas.
Pro tips
- Outline only turf, not beds, patios, or driveways.
- If you see metric only, open Google Maps settings and switch to U.S. units.
- Save a screenshot to attach in your quote.
Method 2 β On your phone (2 easy options)
Option A β Google Earth app (accurate area on mobile)
- Install Google Earth (iOS/Android) and search your address.
- Tap the Measure (ruler) tool β choose Area / polygon mode.
- Tap around the grass edges to create a closed shape (pinch-zoom for precision).
- When you close the shape, Earth shows Area (sq ft) and Perimeter.
- Do separate shapes for front/back and add the areas.
Tip: Outline turf only β skip the house, driveway and patios.
Option B β Stay in Google Maps (distance only β use quick formulas)
If Maps only reports distance on your phone, approximate area with a couple of distances:
Rectangles β measure Length (L) and Width (W) with "Measure distance", then
Area = L Γ W.
Triangles β when a corner is angled, measure base (b) and the perpendicular height (h), then
Area = Β½ Γ b Γ h.
L-shapes β split into two rectangles, compute each, then add.
Circles/curves β treat as a rectangle, or as a sector if you prefer:
Area β Ο Γ rΒ² Γ (ΞΈ / 360Β°) (measure radius r and estimate angle ΞΈ).
Subtract hard surfaces β house/driveway/patio areas can be rectangles/triangles too; compute and subtract.
Pacing hack (no tape): walk a known 50 ft, count steps β your stride = 50 Γ· steps. Use stride Γ steps to approximate L/W.
Worked example
Front yard looks like a rectangle 30 ft Γ 20 ft plus a triangular wedge (base 12 ft, height 6 ft):
- Rectangle:
30 Γ 20 = 600 sq ft - Triangle:
Β½ Γ 12 Γ 6 = 36 sq ft - Total:
636 sq ft
Method 3 β Tape or pacing (good for small simple shapes)
Use these formulas (measure in feet):
- Rectangle: length Γ width
- Triangle: 0.5 Γ base Γ height
- Circle: Ο Γ rΒ² (r = radius in feet)
- L-shapes: split into rectangles, calculate each, then add them
Pacing hack: walk a known 50 ft distance and count steps β your stride = 50 Γ· steps. Use that stride to approximate lengths when a tape isn't handy.
Subtract hardscape the easy way
Either (a) outline only grass in Google Maps or (b) measure the house footprint, driveway, and patio and subtract from a larger outline. Beds and mulched areas can be excluded if you don't want trimming there.
Quick conversions
- Acres = sq ft Γ· 43,560
- 1,000 sq ft β 0.023 ac
- 5,000 sq ft β 0.115 ac
- 10,000 sq ft β 0.23 ac
For service and pricing, square footage is enough β no need to be exact to the inch.
What to include in your quote (helps us lower your price)
- Address + square footage bucket (from the form)
- Gate width (important for equipment access)
- Notes on slopes, obstacles, pets
- Photos (front/back) or your Google Maps screenshot