Besides the design, every project needs a lot of drafting: the existing conditions, preliminary designs, plans for the permit application, details. As an architect, interior architect or designer, you can outsource that drafting. iMesure does drafting on commission in AutoCAD, to your practice’s standard, and delivers DWG, DXF and PDF. If no usable plan exists, we also carry out an existing conditions survey on site and deliver an as-built DWG. That leaves you time for the design itself.
Why outsource drafting as an architect?
Drafting takes time you would rather spend on the design. Outsource it to iMesure and you get plans to scale, with layers and dimensions, without spending hours on them yourself. In busy periods, that gives your practice extra capacity. You send sketches, PDFs or an existing DWG, we draw them up and deliver digitally.
Drafting on commission to your practice’s standard
Every practice draws in its own way. If you supply a template with your layers, pens and title block, we draw in it. Without a template, we use a clear layer structure that you can easily adapt. So the plans fit in with your own project files.
Examples of drafting on commission for architects and designers:
- preliminary designs and sketches, drawn up to scale
- floor plans, elevations, sections and detail drawings
- plans for a building permit application or regularisation, to your requirements
- plans based on the structural engineer’s concrete design, with as-built options
- 2D and 3D presentations, and massing studies in SketchUp
- old paper or PDF plans, redrawn through plan digitising
The existing conditions as a base drawing
For a renovation or fit-out, the design starts from the existing conditions. As-built drawings are drafting for construction: floor plans, elevations and sections of what is actually there. You receive them in DWG, with layers and to scale, for example 1:50 or 1:100, with dimensions in mm. We draw them from existing plans and data. Old plans often differ from what was built, so a survey check is advisable. Without usable plans or dimensions, we measure on site.
Site survey by experts
Our experts survey with professional Leica laser measuring instruments on a tripod. With point-to-point measurement, we record points in the room from a single set-up. The instrument calculates the distance between two points, including points you cannot touch. The measured points go digitally to the computer, where we process them in AutoCAD. See on-site measuring for more.
- floor plans per storey, with wall thicknesses, openings, reveals and ceiling heights
- elevations and sections, with floor-to-floor heights
- angles and squareness, checked with diagonals, so angled walls appear on the plan as built
- hard-to-reach points, such as the ridge, a stairwell opening or a facade opening
- photos as documentation in the survey report
For interior architects, the details count: recesses, reveals, angled walls and the squareness of corners. Those dimensions are on the plan, so you design the fit-out around the actual space. Whoever makes the bespoke work starts from the same dimensions.
You remain the designer
iMesure is not an architectural practice and does not produce designs with permit responsibility. We draw up, measure and deliver. The design, the choices and the responsibility for the application stay with you.
How a drafting job works
- Supply. You send what you have: a sketch, a PDF, photos, an existing DWG, dimensions or plans.
- Brief and quotation. We discuss the purpose, scale, level of detail, layers or template, delivery format and timing, then send a quotation.
- Drafting in AutoCAD. To scale, with dimensions and a layer structure. We ask questions as we go.
- Check and delivery. You receive DWG, DXF and PDF. We discuss any changes together.
If a survey is needed first, we measure on site after the quotation and then draw up the plans. See how we work for the full approach. Drafting on commission works anywhere: supply and delivery go by email or download link. We survey in West and East Flanders, Hainaut and northern France, and further afield on request: see our service area. We work in Dutch, French and English.
Need drafting for a project? Send your plans or sketches through the contact form or email info@imesure.com.
Frequently asked questions
What drafting can an architectural practice outsource to iMesure?
iMesure draws up preliminary designs from sketches, PDFs or photos, and produces floor plans, elevations, sections and detail drawings in AutoCAD. We draw plans for a building permit application or regularisation to your requirements, as-built drawings of the existing conditions and plans based on the structural engineer's concrete design. On request, we produce 2D and 3D presentations, and massing studies in SketchUp.
Can iMesure draw in our practice's template?
Yes. If you supply a template with your layers, pens and title block, iMesure draws the plans in it. That way they fit in with your own project files. Without a template, we work with a clear layer structure that you can easily adapt to your practice's standard afterwards. Let us know in your request which conventions your practice follows.
In what format does iMesure deliver the plans?
iMesure delivers in DWG, DXF and PDF. The DWG is an AutoCAD drawing to scale, with a layer structure and dimensions in mm, ready for further design work. The DXF is for exchange with other CAD programs, the PDF for reading and printing. Without AutoCAD, you can view the DWG with the free DWG TrueView or Autodesk Viewer. On request, we also deliver 3D.
Does iMesure also take on the design or the responsibility for the permit application?
No. iMesure is not an architectural practice and does not produce designs that carry permit responsibility. We draw up plans to your requirements, for example for a building permit application or a regularisation, and survey the existing conditions where needed. The design, the choices and the responsibility for the application remain with you as the architect or designer.
How does iMesure survey the existing conditions?
Our experts measure with professional laser measuring instruments on a tripod. With point-to-point measurement, we record points from a single set-up, including places you cannot touch, such as a ridge or a stairwell opening. We check angles and squareness with diagonals. The measured points go digitally into AutoCAD, where we draw up the plan to scale.
When do you need a licensed land surveyor instead of iMesure?
For plans attached to a deed, a boundary marking or a land subdivision, you need a licensed land surveyor (landmeter-expert). That is a protected title. iMesure is not a land surveyor, but a drafting office that also measures. We deliver drafting and plans of the existing conditions for design, renovation and fit-out. We do not establish or mark out plot boundaries.