Other Services...
Examples
Typical Floor Plan
Typical Floor Plan
Verticality Check - A building elevation can be face scanned, with survey points at 300mm centres, using a reflectorless total station or 3D laser scanner and modelled in 3D. Contours can be used to highlight any leaning or bulging. traditional sections can also be drawn showing any projections.
Floor Plan Example
Elevation
Elevation example
Measured Building Surveys
Measured Floor Plans
Our fully measured floor plans are carried out in accordance with specification and accuracies stated in the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Specification for Surveys of Land and Buildings. Three levels of specification are offered – unconnected, semi connected or fully connected depending on client budget and survey purpose.
Unconnected survey - Simple methods are used to measure up rooms, however unconnected plans don't allow one part of a building to be related to another area. These simple plans are suitable for building layout plans, area calculations, space planning, lease plans, fire escape route plans, etc. They are not suitable for use in design and construction.
Semi connected survey - One floor (usually ground floor) is instrumentally related to a common survey control framework and other floors are related using 
common detail such as the outside building line and stairwells. The majority of internal dimensions are taken using hand held laser devices and tape measures, and drawn in real time in CAD on laptop computers. Specialist building survey software is utilised, with least squares adjustment routines to ensure closure of room dimensions and geometry to external control. A semi connected survey assumes that upper and lower floors sit vertically over the controlled “template” floor. This type of survey is ideal for use in the design process for building refurbishment, where no major structural alterations are planned.
Fully connected survey - All floors are instrumentally related to a common survey control framework for maximum accuracy and ensuring vertical relationship between floors. Observations would be taken internally using electronic reflectorless total station instruments, supplemented with dimensions using hand held laser devices and tape measures. The plans, as above, are drawn in real time in CAD with instruments connected to our laptops. A fully connected survey is appropriate where major structural alterations are planned, especially between floors, or where there is an unusual layout. Older buildings often require a fully connected survey due to irregular construction, non vertical walls, curved walls, uneven floors and ceilings etc.
In all cases, 
plans are surveyed and drawn at a scale specified by the client (usually 1:50) and accuracies would be commensurate with this scale. For example, on a 1:50 scale semi connected survey we would expect dimensions interrogated from the digital floor plan drawings, locally i.e. within a room, to be accurate to +/- 15mm. On a fully connected survey we would expect dimensions to be accurate to +/- 15mm when checked from the nearest control point on that floor.
Our semi connected and fully connected plans will show the following as standard:
- All structural elements of the building where accessible, including walls, doors, windows and structural beams.
- Floor and ceiling levels. Additional levels to beams and upstands, window sill and head, and door heights. Levels would be taken to structure where possible. Levels can be shown as heights above floor level if preferred.
- Staircase details including half landings.
- Position of sanitaryware, major plant, service entry points (where visible), and meters.
- Built in fixtures and fittings.
The plans can be tailored to include other features such as shop fittings, electrical fittings, telephone sockets, radiators and heaters, plumbing, pipework, ducting, conduits and cables, depending on client requirement. We can also include condition surveys, structural reports, structural surveys or any other structural advice, through our Structural Engineering department.
Elevations and Sections
We can provide traditional 2D elevation plans, fully detailed with all architectural detailing, fenestration, and construction materials, through to simple outline silhouettes suitable for surrounding properties and rights of light issues. Sectional elevation details can also be incorporated as necessary. We also have sophisticated digital photo rectification software, allowing us to correct for scale and perspective in the CAD environment and produce photographic elevations. Traditional sections can also be produced.
