Marco, an architect we regularly collaborate with, approached us about a semi-detached house in Watford. His clients, Laureen and Matthew, were planning future works (including the loft), and needed a proper CAD measured survey rather than relying on the estate agent’s marketing plan.
Marco’s brief was clear and technical:
- 2x floor plans (ground & first).
- 1x roof plan.
- 3x elevations – front, rear, and side, each showing a small portion of the adjoining properties.
- 1x long section cut front-to-back, specifically including the loft space.
- No full topo survey – just:
- A general outline of the front and rear gardens based on an Ordnance Survey plan.
- One spot level at the front and rear door thresholds.
The aim was to give Marco a clean, dependable DWG base that he could use straight away for design, planning, and structural coordination.
Scheduling the survey around a busy family home
Once we issued the quotation, Marco confirmed that Laureen and Matthew wished to proceed and asked us to propose dates.
Key steps:
- We first offered Sunday as an option, but this didn’t work for the family.
- Laureen asked about Tuesday 28th October; that day was already fully booked on our side.
- We instead proposed Wednesday 29th October, with an arrival window between 1:00 pm and 1:30 pm.
- Laureen replied that 1:30 pm onward worked best, especially with school-holiday logistics and the kids at home.
We then:
- Confirmed the survey for Wednesday 29th, arrival 1:30–2:00 pm.
- Issued the initial invoice and received payment.
- Sent a payment receipt and shared full surveyor details:
- Surveyor: Ali Uddin
- Mobile number, so the clients knew exactly who to expect at the door.
This meant the project started with clear expectations on timing, access and scope, which is particularly important in an occupied family home.
How we carried out the survey
On the agreed day, Ali attended within the window and carried out a full internal and external measured survey of the house and garden outline.
On site, we focused on:
- Internal measurements
- Using a disto laser to capture room sizes, wall positions and diagonals quickly and accurately across both floors.
- Checking key dimensions with a tape, especially stair runs, hallways, and any irregular corners, to validate the laser readings.
- Capturing floor-to-ceiling heights and level changes for the long section and to understand floor build-ups.
- Loft / section data
- The brief required a section through the loft space.
- On the day, Ali discovered the loft hatch was jammed, limiting access.
- He still managed to obtain a rough loft height (≈ 3.8 m) using indirect measurements, which we flagged immediately to Marco so he could arrange a key check later once the hatch was freed.
- External envelope & garden outline
- Measuring front, rear and side elevations, including:
- Window and door positions.
- Cill and head levels relative to internal floors.
- Roof pitches and eaves/ridge relationships.
- Capturing the outline of the front and rear gardens to be drawn over an Ordnance Survey base.
- Taking the requested spot levels at the front and rear thresholds to give Marco a sense of slope and drainage direction without a full topo.
- Measuring front, rear and side elevations, including:
Throughout, Ali also took a full set of site photographs – external elevations, junctions with neighbours, and internal reference photos – to support accurate CAD drafting back at the office.
Turning the survey into drawings
Back in the studio, our CAD team converted the field data into a fully structured DWG model and PDF pack.
We produced:
- Ground floor plan
- Full internal layout with structural walls, partitions, stairs and key features.
- Garden outline based on OS, with the front and rear door spot levels referenced.
- First floor plan
- Room layout, internal doors, and stair connection.
- Window positions aligned to the elevations for easy cross-checking.
- Roof plan
- Outline of the main roof geometry.
- Relationship to adjoining properties where relevant for planning visuals.
- Three elevations
- Front elevation – showing the semi-detached façade and a portion of the adjoining homes as requested.
- Rear elevation – capturing openings, extensions and any visible roof forms.
- Side elevation – including the gable and links to neighbours for context.
- Long section (front-to-back, including loft)
- Ground and first floor levels and floor-to-ceiling heights.
- Approximate floor thicknesses inferred from level differences.
- Loft height (with a note referencing the limited access and rough 3.8 m measurement).
All drawings followed our usual UK-standard layering and naming conventions, so Marco could drop the DWG straight into his own template and begin design work without relayering.
After internal quality assurance, we:
- Issued the draft PDF pack along with the final invoice.
- Confirmed that once the balance was paid, we’d release:
- The final DWG file
- Cleaned PDFs
- The site photo bundle
Managing access issues & follow-up queries
Two things stand out in this project:
- Loft hatch issue – handled transparently
- We informed Marco straight after the survey that the loft hatch was jammed and that only a rough height could be taken on the day.
- Marco arranged for the hatch to be freed so he could take an additional check dimension during his own visit the following week.
- Our section was annotated accordingly, so there was no ambiguity for the design team later.
- Post-completion technical support
- After the project was completed and Laureen confirmed payment while abroad, we issued the final drawings and DWG plus the receipt.
- Later on, Marco came back with a follow-up query on a specific dimension (height of an adjoining element) which wasn’t fully explicit on the elevation.
- Harry reviewed the survey data and replied with the approximate height (≈ 3225 mm), allowing Marco to update his working model without delay.
This kind of light-touch support after handover is typical for how we work with repeat architect clients.
Final outcome
For 145 Woodland Drive (Watford), we delivered:
- A precise, CAD-ready existing survey tailored exactly to Marco’s brief:
- 2 floor plans, 1 roof plan, 3 elevations, and a long section including the loft.
- A clean DWG with UK-standard layering that could be used immediately for design and planning.
- Supporting PDFs and photo records to help with client discussions and visual checks.
- Fast, clear communication around:
- Half-term scheduling and family access.
- Loft access limitations and how we mitigated them.
- A follow-up dimension request well after completion.
For Laureen and Matthew, the result is simple: they now have a solid, accurate baseline of their home, and their architect has everything needed to design future changes with confidence.
Project Details
| Service Type | Measured survey & existing drawings (2 floor plans, roof plan, 3 elevations, long section incl. loft) |
| Time Taken | 1–2 weeks |
| Budget | £800–£900 |
| Location | Watford |
