Measured building survey cost: measured survey cost, what measured building surveyors and a measured building surveyor charge, and what building measured survey work includes

How measured building survey cost works

1. Specify the deliverables before you ask for a price. Floor plans only, or plans with elevations and sections. Two dimensional drawings, a three dimensional model, or a point cloud handed over as well. Each addition is real work, and a quote without deliverables named is not comparable with any other.
2. State the tolerance and the scale. A survey for a planning application and a survey for fabricating joinery are different jobs. Tolerance and output scale are the two words that decide which one you are buying.
3. Say what has to be recorded. Ceiling heights, structural openings, services, external levels, boundaries and roof detail are all optional extras on somebody's scope. List what the design team actually needs.
4. Sort out access on the day. A measured survey needs into every room. Tenanted flats, locked plant rooms and occupied offices are the usual cause of a return visit, and return visits are charged.
5. Ask for the file formats you can use. Drawings in a format your architect cannot open are a cost, not a deliverable. Agree file types and layer conventions in writing at the point of instruction.

Paperwork and evidence

Common questions

What is a measured building survey used for?

Design and planning. Architects, engineers and space planners work from measured drawings, and an accurate base survey is what stops a design being built to the wrong dimension.

Is a measured survey the same as a topographical survey?

No. A measured building survey records the building. A topographical survey records the land and its levels. Some projects need both and they are usually priced separately.

How long does a measured survey take?

Site time is usually quick relative to the drawing work that follows, and the drawings are where the schedule sits. Ask for the drawing turnaround, not just the visit date.

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