How Professionals Create a Floor Plan

Tape measure, laser distance meter, and LiDAR smartphone scanning are the three standard methods for creating a professional floor plan. LiDAR scanning is the fastest — 10 to 20 minutes for a 3-room apartment versus 2 to 4 hours with a tape measure — and the only method that produces an automatic floor plan without manual redraw.

LiDAR floor plans from iPhone Pro or iPad Pro are accurate to within 1%, typically 1 to 2 cm per wall. This is sufficient for renovation planning, energy audits, and CAD workflows. For millimeter-precise work, a professional laser scanner is more appropriate.

The fastest way to create a floor plan is to scan the space with a LiDAR-equipped smartphone. A 3-room apartment takes 10–20 minutes from scan to export — no graph paper, no CAD skills, no redrawing. Here’s how each method compares.