# Digital Survey - required for renovation?



## sams1 (4 Dec 2013)

We are planning to renovate our home early next year. Changes will include dry lining, new windows, flooring, kitchen, bathrooms etc. We will also move some internal walls and may change the conservatory into a sun room. 

So far we have discussed with one architect and he wants us to get a digital survey completed before going through design options. Anticipated cost for a digital survey will be over Euro 1000 (I'm waiting on quotations). 

So my question is, is a digital survey particularly helpful for this type of renovation and is it worth the additional cost? Would other architects require this? 

Any advice is very welcome - thanks


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## Leo (4 Dec 2013)

Shop around, see what the competition have to say.


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## lowCO2design (4 Dec 2013)

sams1 said:


> We are planning to renovate our home early next  year. Changes will include dry lining, new windows, flooring, kitchen,  bathrooms etc. We will also move some internal walls and may change the  conservatory into a sun room.
> 
> So far we have discussed with one architect and he wants us to get a  digital survey completed before going through design options.  Anticipated cost for a digital survey will be over Euro 1000 (I'm  waiting on quotations).
> 
> ...


depends on the house - it might be an old Georgian were talking about? (personally I wont be asking for this, if it were a typical 3 bed semi). your architect may be protecting themselves and  you, by having a third party provide the detailed measurements and  consequently insurance (but definitely ensure they are correctly insured)

but..
 if the same architect is willing to spend your money on a measured survey, id expect they are going to carry out Hygrothermal Modelling  on the dry-lining and provide details + thermal bridge analysis of the  major junctions like the windows, thresholds, eaves , floor, where  internal walls meet the external walls etc - worth asking your architect  dont you think

by the way, explain to us what you mean by changing the 'conservatory into a sun room'


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## threebedsemi (5 Dec 2013)

I would agree with the above, if it isnt a three storey, sprawling mansion. I would usually carry out a dimensional survey in-house (and charge for it, of course).

1k seems a bit on the steep side, but again, if it's the sprawling mansion....


www.studioplustwo.com


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## Docarch (5 Dec 2013)

threebedsemi said:


> I would usually carry out a dimensional survey in-house (and charge for it, of course).


 
Me too.  

I would always carry out all my own measured surveys (and charge a nominal amount for same).  

Carrying out the survey (myself) gives me, as the architect, a really good understanding of how the house is constructed/'put together' which is useful when looking at and specifying proposed alterations. 

To answer the OP, some form of measured survey is required, as a starting point, to have a set of plans, sections and elevations of the existing house.


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## sams1 (5 Dec 2013)

Many thanks for your answers. 

I wish it was a sprawling mansion, but sadly not. It's a two storey, 1980's decent sized (3400 sq ft) detached house in an estate. 

It we were planning major restructuring I could understand that a digital survey might be helpful but I'm having difficultly justifying the price for the amount of work we're planning to do. I'm also afraid that it might blur the boundary of responsibility in the event of an error in the design. Any idea what an architect would typically charge for in-house dimensional survey? 

I'll call a few other architects today to get their opinions. I really don't know where to start in trying to find a good architect. Haven't managed to get any good referrals yet. 

Regarding changing of conservatory to sunroom, I'm considering replacing the glass roof with a solid pitched roof (with velux windows). This will likely require additional structural support, assuming the existing foundations are ok.


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## Docarch (5 Dec 2013)

sams1 said:


> It we were planning major restructuring I could understand that a digital survey might be helpful but I'm having difficultly justifying the price for the amount of work we're planning to do.


 
3,400 sq.ft.    That is a mansion!  

For the amount of work you are planning to do, you still need drawings for pricing by the builder, window supplier, etc., etc., and the basis of all these drawings would be the measured survey of the existing house. 

For that size of house, I'd be charging E 1,000 to measure and draw up a survey.  Probably 4 to 5 hours for two people measuring on site and then probably two days in the office drawing up the survey.

Maybe to 'digital' survey route may be the way to go given the size of the house.


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## Guns N Roses (5 Dec 2013)

Considering that you plan to move some internal walls and to construct a pitched roof over over your conservatory, you will need to prepare existing survey drawings for your house.


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## sams1 (5 Dec 2013)

Thanks guys. It seems like the digital survey idea is not off the wall then. Would you have any recommendation on what type of insurance(s) I should be asking the digital surveyor for?


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## Guns N Roses (5 Dec 2013)

sams1 said:


> Thanks guys. It seems like the digital survey idea is not off the wall then. Would you have any recommendation on what type of insurance(s) I should be asking the digital surveyor for?


 
Is your Architect not doing the survey for you?

When you say "digital survey" I assume you mean a survey physically measured with a tape and drawn up by an Architect or his Technician digitally using Autocad or similar software?


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## Sams (5 Dec 2013)

No the architect recommended I get the survey done by a Land Surveyor. He described it as digital measurements - not done physically with a tape with rather with a machine that spins arounds and measures all details of each room. Final result would be provided in Autocad drwgs. Should include internals, externals, boundaries and ridge & eave levels of two houses either side.


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