in this case i was taslking about an other town: 'dordrecht' i took this town because the situation was one looking very much like your 'rough and dirty' and the map could be easily adepted to our needs. the houses are very much like the ones in amsterdam as it was a merchant's town too. the fact that the houses are built with the backside in the water can be used or we just can put the houses up like in amsterdam, with a street between the canal and the houses. we are free to change everything.
as for measurements i would prefer metres, but as dvlenk6, i do have a calculator :-)

"The light at the end of the tunnel may be an oncoming train"