Building Documentation Service

Our Process

The Building Documentation Process (i.e. Field Verification) usually starts with some due diligence work.  This typically starts with the Owner providing existing plans (if available) and photos of the exterior.  This helps estimate the overall size of the building.  Then the exterior of the building is sketched so that there is a medium to apply measurements to.  Then the exterior of the building is measured in a process we refer to as “closing the building”.  The actual field measurements are taken using a standard 40-ft metal tape measure and 365-ft vinyl tape measure.  All dimensions are rounded to the nearest whole inch and are subject to normal construction tolerances.  Then the measurements are entered into AutoCAD in order to prepare the floor plans.  After the exterior of the building has been measured, the process is repeated on the interior.  Most buildings take several trips to complete, depending on the size, complexity, geometry and accessibility.  This process is the most accurate.

The Existing Drawing Preparation Process (i.e. Data Entry) is much more simply.  This process involves taken existing drawings or blueprints, scaling them with a standard Architectural or Engineering scale, and then entering the information into AutoCAD in order to prepare the floor plans.  All dimensions are rounded to the nearest whole inch and are subject to normal construction tolerances.  This process is less accurate but less expensive.

Once the floor plans are complete, they are converted into Adobe PDF and emailed to the Client.  Hard copies can be provided for an additional fee.

Note: No lasers or transits are used to take field measurements.