The UK Construction Blog

Measured Building Surveys.net have recently added a Topographical Survey service to their existing range of Measured Surveys, ‘As Built’ and Floor Plan Surveys.

“Work has been brisk over the last few months for the team and this includes commissions from the UK and abroad.  In fact we were asked to carry out some measured surveys in Ukraine, Eastern Europe. This proved to be very successful and the client was very pleased with the results, so much so that we are quoting for more work over there in the near future” a spokesman told us.

FOR ALL BUILDERS & CONSTRUCTION WORKERS OUT THERE! WHY NOT DIVERSIFY?

Steve was like a lot of people working a trade in the Construction Industry, due to the economic climate he was out of work more than in it. One day he saw an advertisement for Sitemaster Software, this piqued his interest as it was something allied to building that he knew and as he already carried out his own surveys for estimating purposes he thought that the added bonus of being able to draw up accurate floor plans
would give him another opportunity to earn a living doing something he already had an interest in and which could help in his normal job when things picked up. Sort of kills two birds with one stone!

So what did he have to loose, he sent off for more information and agreed to a FREE NO obligation demonstration. What Steve witnessed was professionally-finished building floor plans, area estimates and inspection drawings using a Bluetooth handheld laser talking directly to the software held on a UPMC (Ultra Mobile PC) tablet, he saw that there was no longer any need to take measurements using tape
measures, no need to write any notes or draw pencil sketches anymore, the dimensions are instantly inserted into the drawing programme and it draws the lines in real time – On Site!

Steve stated at the time “I have experienced first-hand the immediate gains that Sitemaster Building software can provide to construction and building information mangers in terms of accuracy, speed and cost-savings”

He was told of how this software had been instrumental in saving time and costs on many projects around the world, “On a recent service project, I was contracted to verify a commercial lessee’s office square metreage and was able to determine irrefutably that they were being overcharged by more than 25 square meters on their contract”. Quite a rental saving over a period of a few years. It is obvious that
where commercial office space commands a premium, the cost-savings to the lessee will be significant over time and positively impact their cash flow each month” Just one of the ways this software can be used effectively.

Building Talk recently commented “Sitemaster Building is an amazing application, and is generating a lot of interest in the marketplace”.

Steve was so impressed by what he was shown, that he decided to buy there and then and take up the optional offer of a days training. This was carried out in due course and Steve immediately put this software/ kit to good practice. In fact he was in touch with some old clients who gave him work from time to time, construction work, but they had none available just now, so he offered his services as a surveyor
and offered to draw up floor plans of some of their property portfolio, he knew through the grapevine that they needed this due to recent changes in legislation, the two negotiated a price and off Steve went to start his first proper floor plan survey. The first building he worked on took him some time, he was after all learning as he went along, but by the time he started the second project he had ironed out all the queries
and problems he was having and with the help of the training he had received and the telephone support from the company, he was well on his way.

He was now starting to produce finished floor plans much quicker and 700 – 800 square meters per day were not uncommon. He knew through experience that most surveyors/architects will hand sketch and measure maybe 500 – 700 square meters per day, and then spend at least another day back at the office drawing the floor plans up. Yet Steve on only his second project was walking off site at the end of the
day with circa 700 square meters surveyed, measured and drawn and of course FINISHED! 

It quickly dawned on him that there was a real opportunity here to offer this as a full time service and make some good money along
the way. What started off as an attempt to try and earn a bit more money due to lack of construction work, had now turned into a
possible future gold mine offering his services of providing finished, accurate floor plans quickly and efficiently both for his own clients and for others. He had now in effect gone from a pretty ordinary builder to a much sought after professional member of the construction
industry, more or less overnight, he now charges his clients on a per square metre basis for most projects as he has now got to a point where he can produce nearly 1000 sq metres per day on a large project.

Of course producing accurate floor plans is one thing, but the Sitemaster Software is so good it also works out area, volume and perimeter calculations of rooms, it also automatically and in the background builds up door and window schedules, lists of radiators, plug points, and in fact anything else you collect along the way, the data collection feature of this programme is ideal for Asset and Facilities Managers.

Along with the floor plans, Steve now finds he can charge for providing door and window schedules, that for most traditional surveyors/architects can take hours or even days to produce, takes Steve seconds with the push of a button. The programme does this all automatically for him, his earnings are now rising exponentially as he finds more ways and new markets to put this programme to work for him.

Steve has since shown this to some of his fellow workmates on the construction site and comments: “Once people see Sitemaster in action and witness the finished results, they can’t believe they have been using a tape measure and paper for so long”. “Architects, designers – anyone wanting to create as-built drawings can now complete the task in record time without leaving the clients site. Better yet, there is no need to send two people to a site and finished drawings can be generated up to 10 times faster than traditional measuring-tape and paper methods.”

Profiled in a recent Microsoft white paper, Sitemaster is claimed to be the first system of its kind to automate the creation of wireless, laser-generated as-built floor plans, area estimates and building inspections for architects, appraisers, contractors, engineers, estimators, facilities managers, floorplanners, estate agents and other professionals involved in the design, construction and management of
buildings.

Using a Leica Disto D3BTa handheld laser, Sitemaster facilitates instant on-site creation of detailed, AutoCADcompatible drawings on a Bluetooth wireless Pocket PC, Tablet PC or laptop computer running Microsoft’s Windows mobility operating systems.

“Sitemaster provides the missing link for thousands of potential clients”.

Now it is time for you Construction Tradesmen who are maybe looking for other ways of earning a living, to try this for yourselves, why not? What have you got to loose? It worked for Steve, why shouldn’t it work for you?

For more on the Sitemaster range of products, please visit:
www.mobilecadsurveying.co.uk

Measured Building Surveys – Floor Plans – Elevational or Sectional Drawings – ‘As Built’ Plans – Fast CAD Drawings & CAD Services

Floor Plans

Measured Surveys – Floor Plans

We can provide Floor plans with varying levels of detail – from simple walls, columns, doors and window surveys, to a fully detailed data set including all 3D information (sill & head heights, stair riser and going details, door heights, ceiling heights, beam details etc.). As part of our measured surveys, the surveyors can also pick up and highlight other information such as any electrical and data points, sanitary fittings, incoming mains positions, plant, fire fighting and detection equipment, security equipment and signage.

Measured Drawings CheckMany times, plans exist but their accuracy is in doubt or change management has been poor, we can carry out a  check survey, this can be a very cost effective way to bring the existing plans up to date.From yours or your clients existing drawings, we are able to compare distances on the drawing with dimensions taken on site and produce a report indicating where any inaccuracies lie. Mobile CAD Surveying can report on percentage variation between existing drawing and situation on the ground as well as any changes in the buildings layout.

*  Measured Building Surveys
*  Energy Assessment Drawings
*  Floor plans and elevations
*  Lease plans/ Land Registry Compliant plans
*  Drawing Validation Surveys
*  Licensing Plans
*  Check existing drawings
*  Land Surveys and Topographical Surveys

A good CAD drawing, deriving from a good survey, will be put to a host of other uses and as such, will become a valuable commodity that pays for itself in no time.

Measured Building Surveys.net

It has been a busy six months since we launched our site as a way of providing all the facts about our Measured Building Surveys and Floor Plan Services all in one place and make it easier for our clients and customers to find what they are looking for, and our initial thoughts have proved correct and the site has been very busy and has lead to us winning some lucrative contracts and working on some great projects, some of which can be seen on our Floor Plan and Elevations pages. So thanks to our recent customers for that.

If you need a measured building survey or even several measured building surveys or a measured building surveyor,  you have come to the right place. If time is of the essence, or clients time constraints are limited on site, we can accomodate you.

Whether your survey project is large or small, a single house plan of a few square metres up to thousands of square metres or several house plans or building plans, we can meet your requirements. We have vast experience of Measured Building Surveys, floor plans and elevational drawings, Lease Plans and everything from private homes and domestic premises, apartment blocks, and flats, to churches, embassies, supermarkets and shopping malls and have carried out measured survey programmes encompassing hundreds of properties.  A schedule can be drawn up to suit you!

Floor Plans can be for many different reasons, for more information see our Measured Surveys page.

The UK’s leading provider of Graeberts Sitemaster software and Mobile CAD Solutions, Mobile CAD Surveying this week announced the launch of another  dedicated surveying site Mobile CAD Surveys.co.uk

This new site is designed to facilitate a growing numbers of customers who just want information on Measured Building Surveys rather than having to wade through their massive main site which has hundreds of additional products, from a Samsung Q1 ULTRA stylus pen, to software and on to surveying equipment.

Mobile CAD Surveys.co.uk will help customers find what they are looking for quickly and allow them to contact them with their requirements much faster.

So anyone interested in having some survey work carried out, take a look at their site and view some of the floor plans and elevational drawings they have produced for all types of customers.

Taken from their site:

When you need a measured building survey, a measured building surveyor or a full programme of surveys and floor plans, we can help you.. If time scales are tight, or clients time constraints are limited on site, we can work with you.

It doesn’t matter how big or small your project is, from just one house plan of a few square metres up to tens of thousands of square metres or several house plans, we can meet your requirements. We have large experience of  Measured Building Surveys, floor plans and elevational drawings, everything from private dwellings/homes, house plans and domestic premises, apartments and flats, to  supermarkets and shopping malls, churches and public buildings and have carried out Measured Survey programmes encompassing hundreds of properties,  so we can provide a schedule to suit you!

Floor Plans can be produced and required for lots of different reasons. Let us know why you require them and we will be able to provide you with an accurate quotation.

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The mobile solution for Professional Building Surveys and CAD Drawings carried out On Site in Real Time
Draw fast and accurate walls (as single or double line), windows, doors and symbols rectangular and circular columns, recesses, ,chimneys, ducts, room areas, volumes, perimeters and much more.

Point ~ Shoot ~ Drawn = Instant Floor Plans

SiteMaster Building – for daily use – 100 million square meters of Building Surveys cannot be wrong!

Now being used extensively for Commercial Energy Assessment Floor Plans and Data Collection

How to Insert a Window with Retainer into a Wall
Sitemaster Building Screenshots

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SiteMaster Building LT (now REDUCED by £300) is an ideal starter programme for someone who is about to invest £600 or equivalent $/€ rate on the Leica Disto D8 laser distance meter and wants to interface with an intelligent mobile drawing package which supports .dwg format CAD package; SiteMaster Building LT will give you the flexibility you need as an ideal starter package with an easy upgrade through to the full version should you so wish. Limited time offer ONLY

For occasional building surveys

BuildingLT gives you many handy ways to create walls (even double line walls), windows, doors, openings and symbols. You can measure and draw rectangular and circular columns, recesses, chimneys and niches/ductes. You can use the EnterPoint dialog for precise entry of coordinates and angle/distance values.

The extensive features are especially interesting for users that need to create and deliver professional digital floor plans.

The layer management supports the combination of several floor plans in one single file. Heights of rooms, openings and symbols can be recorded and exported. Lasered distances are recorded in the background and saved on an extra layer for proofing purposes.

The Camera function allows you to insert icon-referenced inspection photos and images. SiteMaster Building contains an Image function for direct insertion and scaling of photos and image underlays with support for file formats as BMP, JPG, PNG, TIFF and RLC digital photos and images.

VoiceNotes that can easily been inserted eliminate time consuming text markup by providing record and playback of high-compressed audio notes and instructions directly inside your drawings.

AutoCAD-compatible drawing symbols / blocks can be used. The Visual Symbol Manager lets you insert symbols ? as-measured, referenced or free in the drawing. You can export Excel-compatible .csv files with room/area lists and room schedule reports/symbol lists. The Check Distance function lets you compare »as-built« distances to plan distances and record this comparison.

Experienced power users can use the visual Desktop, Menu and Toolbar Editor (DME2) and Lisp and/or C++ programming APIs to customize and extend the program furthermore.

Measured Building Surveys provide a full range of services, including:-

Land Registry Lease Plans

Since  October 2003, all new leases granted for terms over 7 years or existing leases sold or assigned with 7 years left to run must now be registered with Land Registry. Land Registry plans for both Lease and Freehold properties are an integral part of our services for private landlords, law firms and investment companies with large property portfolios.

Land Registry approval first time
Avoid rejection and delays due to non-compliant Lease Plan drawings

No fuss, one phone call
Leave Land Registration compliancy to us

Our service includes:

• Site visit and dimensional survey
• Ordnance Survey location map
• Land Registry compliant
• Plans coloured as required
• Liaising with other property professional
• Plans available in PDF, CAD or paper formats
• Quick turnaround

How we work

• Once instructed, we will visit the property to undertake a detailed survey
• We then produce your lease plan using our digital drawing systems to ensure accuracy, efficient drawing retrieval and fast replication
• Your Lease Plan is delivered to you either as a printed copy or electronic pdf copy  ready for immediate insertion into the appropriate lease document
• We can also provide a pdf copy for you to print off yourself.
• Digital versions can also emailed to you for future reference – completing the process

We may also be able to produce compliant plans from information you already have.

Land Registry compliant Lease Plans must include the following:

• Detailed Floor Plans (Scale 1:100/1:200)
• Location plan insert (Scale 1:1250)
• North Point
• Coloured Edging (to indicate areas referred to in the Lease)

Elevational Drawings

Measured Buiiding Surveys

We offer four main types of Measured Building Survey and we are also able to provide floor plans for EPC customers,
either domestic or commercial, our Check or Basic Building Survey will usually suffice for EPC customers. (see more below)

We are also able to carry out any types of survey for our customers even if it is is completely different to our standard chart.
Please enquire using the Request a Quotation form or email us your requirements.

To Request a Quotaion, please choose what type of survey you require and complete the form here for a quotation:-

Types of Measured Building Survey pdf

Our four Standard Types of Measured Building Surveys are:-

• Check Survey,
• Basic Building Survey,
• Standard Building Survey
• Premier Building Survey

Data Collection (EPC)

We are also able to carry out the data collection element of your EPC survey should you require this, please send your requirements and we
will be happy to quote for you.

Topgraphical Surveys

We are also able to provide full Topographical surveys for clients, please email us with your requirements.

If you need a measured building survey or even several measured building surveys, you have come to the right place. If time is of the essence, or clients time constraints are limited on site, we can accomodate you.

Whether your survey project is large or small, we can accommodate your requirements. We have vast experience of measured surveys,  everything from apartment blocks, and flats, to churches, embassies and supermarkets and shopping malls and have carried out measured survey programmes encompassing hundreds of properties.  A schedule can be drawn up to suit you!

We carry out the Measured Building Surveys ourselves ‘in house’, however, because we deal day in day out with hundreds of surveyors Worldwide using the Sitemaster Building range of software we have built up a large network of surveyors who can be called on to help us out if we are unable to do the work ourselves due to current workloads.

We are able to carry out surveys anywhere in the UK, most parts of  Western Europe, most of Eastern Europe, the USA and Canada and Australia.  We pride ourselves on our excellent reputation for quality, customer service and value for money.

Measured Surveys – Floor Plans

We can provide Floor plans with varying levels of detail – from simple walls, columns, doors and window surveys, to a fully  detailed data set including all 3D information (sill & head heights, stair riser and going details, door heights, ceiling heights,  beam details etc.). As part of our measured surveys, the surveyors can also pick up and highlight other information such as  any electrical and data points, sanitary fittings, incoming mains positions, plant, fire fighting and detection equipment,
security equipment and signage.

Measured Drawings Check

Many times, plans exist but their accuracy is in doubt or change management has been poor, we can carry out a  check survey,
this can be a very cost effective way to bring the existing plans up to date.

From yours or your clients existing drawings, we are able to compare distances on the drawing with dimensions taken on site
and produce a report indicating where any inaccuracies lie. Mobile CAD Surveying can report on percentage variation between
existing drawing and situation on the ground as well as any changes in the buildings layout.

• Measured Building Surveys
• Energy Assessment Drawings
• Floor plans and elevations
• Drawing Validation Surveys
• Check existing drawings
• Land Surveys and Topographical Surveys

A good CAD drawing, deriving from a good survey, will be put to a host of other uses and as such, will become a valuable
commodity that pays for itself in no time.

Survey Methodology

Surveys are conducted using a hand-held Laser Measure (Leica Disto A6 or Hilti PD38) coupled via ‘Bluetooth’ technology to
a hand-held microcomputer (Samsung Q1 ULTRA). This approach, which produces the CAD drawing during the survey
process, allows us to establish and accurately check all building dimensions while on site. Significant improvements in
survey quality are gained using this equipment when compared with traditional survey methods.
A precision of ± 5mm over 100 metres is achievable with this equipment – giving a normal working accuracy of ± 25mm
between any two points after building tolerances have been taken into account.

Our Measured Building Surveys typically include the following elements (but can include anything the customer requires):-

Types of Measured Building Survey

Typical Measured Building Survey Includes:-

• Any structural or partition walls
• Doors and windows, window reveals inc. all openings
• Stairs and lift shafts
• Sanitary fittings will be indicated but not measured
• Spot heights

Typical Level/Height Information

• The following levels, heights or vertical dimensions will be provided:
• Ceiling heights above floor
• Archway heights above floor
• Windows – internal cill and head heights above floor
• Heights of oors above floor and threshold levels at external doors based upon topographical information
  if supplied.

We can also provide a full set of digital photographs, these can also be inserted in the drawings.

Typical Elevational Survey Includes:

Survey of the elevations as indicated. External details that shall be surveyed and heights generally will have been
instrumentally derived

a) Outline of building and roofs

b) Rainwater pipes and gutters

c) Ground levels and steps

d) Doors, windows, ventilation grilles, roof lights, other openings etc..

e) Include mullions and transoms to windows (except for “leaded” lights) andfeatures such as projecting cill, splayed heads and reveals, stone or other quoins, special detail features at openings etc.

f) Include indication and type (eg: top hung, vertical sliding sash etc) of windows designed to open

g) Include door frames and door panelling, glazing etc, where
appropriate

h) String courses (projecting or flush) copings etc

i) Chimney stacks, finials etc with string courses, features etc

A complete list of Qualifications and Limitations will be provided with each quotation.

Request a Quotation Now!