Ells, a partner at a small architectural practice, contacted us looking for a survey/drawings partner she could use regularly across Surrey and London. As a first project together, she asked us to:
- Carry out a measured survey of a semi-detached, L-shaped Victorian house in the Weston Park area of Thames Ditton.
- Produce a full existing drawings package: floor plans, elevations and one section.
- Include drainage and boundaries – manholes, SVPs and side boundaries needed to be clearly marked for planning and design.
- Provide the final drawings in both PDF and DWG format.
We confirmed that this type of job fits neatly within our normal Surrey / Greater London coverage and agreed a modest fixed fee for the survey plus existing drawings, with a typical 5–7 working day turnaround for this scale of property.
Once Ells confirmed that her client was happy to proceed, we issued invoices for this project (alongside another Wimbledon project she sent at the same time) and scheduled the surveys.
How we carried out the survey
To keep things smooth for both the architect and the homeowners, we:
- Agreed clear time windows
- Morning slot for a separate project in Wimbledon.
- Afternoon slot for the Weston Park property, with a planned arrival window between 2:30–3:30 pm.
- Assigned a named surveyor
- Our surveyor, Sean, was booked in and we shared his name and mobile number with Ells so her clients knew who to expect.
- We confirmed that Sean would text/WhatsApp an ETA when he was on his way, which Ells specifically requested so she could keep clients updated.
- On site, the surveyor:
- Used a Disto laser and tape to measure all rooms, key openings and external walls.
- Followed a systematic room-by-room route so no spaces were missed.
- Marked side boundaries, manholes and SVPs carefully, as requested in the brief.
- Captured a full set of site photographs and short videos to support accurate elevations and roof/feature interpretation back in the office.
This gave us enough information to build an accurate 2D model of the existing house and its key external constraints.
Turning the survey into drawings
Back at the office, our CAD team:
- Built the existing GA floor plans (ground and first) at true 1:1 scale in AutoCAD.
- Produced a set of front, rear and side elevations, using the photos and video to pick up brickwork lines, bay windows, roof forms and openings.
- Cut one main section through the house, showing floor levels, ceiling heights and relevant structure.
- Added drainage and boundary information directly to the plans:
- Manholes and SVPs clearly indicated and labelled.
- Side boundaries marked up as requested for planning and drainage design.
Once the drawings had passed our internal checks, we:
- Exported a draft PDF pack and uploaded it as a zipped folder for Ells to review.
- Clearly described these as draft drawings, with the understanding that any misunderstandings or missing details could be picked up in revision.
- Attached the final invoice, explaining that once paid we would provide the complete final set – CAD files, PDFs and the reference photos.
After Ells confirmed everything had been reviewed and the invoice was settled, we:
- Confirmed receipt of payment and attached a formal payment receipt.
- Shared the final drawings and related media (photos and videos) and marked the project as completed in our internal system.
- Issued “Rev001”-labelled files so it was always clear which drawings were the latest version.
Managing changes and feedback
A few weeks after completion, Ells got back in touch with candid feedback:
- She highlighted that, on the Weston Park drawings, there were still noticeable mistakes:
- The roof plan had been drawn incorrectly.
- A bay window was missing on the side elevation.
- She also noted that this followed issues on another drawing package and that, overall, she had found this disappointing, even though:
- Our measurements on site were thorough.
We treated this seriously and responded in a way that aligned with how we want to work long term:
- Acknowledged and apologised
- Harvey emailed Ells to fully accept the criticism, making it clear these errors were “simply inexcusable” and not the standard we aim for.
- Internal learning and QA
- Committed to passing her comments directly to the CAD team and tightening our checks, particularly around roof geometry and feature elements like bays.
- Used this as a trigger to reinforce our internal QA checklist for:
- Roof plans vs. photos/video.
- Elevation features (bay windows, projections, dormers).
- Goodwill gesture
- Offered Ells a discount on a future project as a gesture of goodwill, recognising the extra time and frustration that drawing corrections can cause to an architect’s workflow.
We also thanked her explicitly for distinguishing between the quality of the survey work (which she found thorough) and the errors in the drawings, as this helped us target the right part of our process.
Final outcome
By the end of the project, Ells and her clients had:
- A complete measured survey and existing drawings package for the Weston Park property, including:
- Floor plans, elevations and a main section.
- Drainage elements (manholes, SVPs) and side boundaries marked up.
- Deliverables in both PDF and DWG formats.
- Reference photographs and videos stored alongside the drawings, so any future queries could be resolved without a fresh site visit.
- Clearly labelled revision files (“Rev001”), making it obvious which drawings were the updated versions.
From our side, the project also delivered something less tangible but equally important:
- A clear signal that our survey data and client service were strong, but our CAD QA needed tightening – especially on complex roof geometry and key elevation features.
- Concrete actions to improve that QA and a more robust feedback loop with architects like Ells, so that future surveys and drawing packs in Surrey/London come out cleaner on the first pass.
It wasn’t a “perfect” project, but it became a useful case in how we handle mistakes: being transparent, taking responsibility, and turning detailed client feedback into process improvements.
Project Details
| Service Type | Measured Survey, Existing Plans, Elevations, Section & Drainage Mark-Up |
| Time Taken | Around 1–2 weeks from survey booking to final drawing issue (including revisions) |
| Budget | £400–£500 |
| Location | Weston Park area, Thames Ditton |
