I want to measure the area of my lawn in order to calculate the materials needed to rennovate it.
The lawn is irregular shape, so I divide it up into many triangles and measures the lengths of the sides which allows me to compute the area (heron's formula).
However, measuring the triangles with a tape measure is kind of slow. I have to stick a nail in the lawn, hang the start of the tape measure on the nail, then run to the other end of the triangle. Sometimes I have to run back to straighten the tape measure. Then I have to reel the tape in, and repeat the same process for other sides.
Is there a faster way to measure distance that would be accurate to within one inch? Or maybe there's a better way to measure the area of a lawn? I don't mind spending ~$50 to buy a new tool to do this.