Existing Conditions Survey - So You Need One?

So, are you in need of an existing conditions survey (ECS), but you're not sure what one is? If yes, then you are in the right spot. Or maybe you are an Architect, Building Owner, Contractor, Engineer, or Real Estate Professional, and you already know what an ECS is, but you'd like to hear a little chatter on the topic? If this is you, then you too are in the right spot.

An existing conditions survey can be defined simply as: When an existing building, home, stadium, warehouse or some other structure is measured, and then drawn. The scope of measuring could be restricted to the structure itself, or it could include the structure and the various systems that keep it functioning, like the electric, heating, ventilation, plumbing and etc. systems.

An existing conditions survey is primarily needed when existing plans of a structure are missing, or when the plans that do exist are very old and no longer represent what the structure looks like in present day. Many times the scenario in which existing conditions drawings are required is when repairs or modifications are in order, or when someone merely wants to document the structure for a purpose like determining the rentable square footage.

Now, let me go a little further with defining an existing conditions survey. The measuring process would consist of visiting a structure in order to take measurements of it with a hand held laser distance measuring device and a hand held tape measure. This is the standard way that a drafting service would measure a structure. There are more detailed ways of measuring, which a licensed survey company may undertake, but commonly a survey performed by a drafting service using hand held lasers and tape measures would provide the accuracy required. Then, once the field measuring work is complete, CAD drawings would be created from the information that was collected in the field. Alternatively, some drafting companies use small lightweight pen-tablet computers that communicate with their hand held lasers via wireless Bluetooth connections, in order to create drawings right in the field. Notably, this is the most hi-tech way of performing an ECS, however it is not always the best method to use.

So this has been a brief overview of an existing conditions survey. I hope it has been helpful.

For more information on the topic of Existing Conditions Surveys, please visit: http://www.draftingservices.com/existing_conditions_survey.html. There you will find a New York City based drafting service business that creates quality drawings, and which can be entrusted with important projects.