A conversion, renovation or facade project starts with plans that are right. iMesure provides drafting on commission and surveys for contractors, renovation firms and facade specialists. You send what you have: sketches, old plans, PDFs, photos or dimensions. We draw the existing conditions, facades and as-built drawings in AutoCAD. If usable dimensions are missing, our experts survey on site. That way you estimate, order and install from the same plans.
What drafting does a contractor outsource to iMesure?
Mainly drafting that takes up office time: existing conditions drawings, as-built drawings after the works, facade elevations with openings and plans for a building permit application to the architect’s requirements. You supply, we draw in AutoCAD, to scale and with layers. That keeps your own team free for the site, even in busy periods.
- Existing conditions drawings: floor plans, sections and elevations of the building as it stands today, as the basis for estimating and work preparation. To scale (for example 1:50 or 1:100), with dimensions in mm.
- As-built drawings: drafting for construction. Floor plans, elevations and sections of the completed works, for a conversion, regularisation, building permit application, sale or letting. Also plans based on the structural engineer’s concrete design, with as-built options. More about as-built drawings.
- Facade elevations with openings: widths, heights, reveals and lintels, as the basis for ordering windows, doors and facade cladding.
- Digitising old plans: paper, tracings or PDF redrawn as a DWG with layers. More about plan digitising.
See drafting on commission for the full range.
How a drafting job works
- Supply: you send sketches, PDFs, 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.
Drafting on commission is entirely digital, with supply and delivery by email or download link, so it works anywhere, even for sites outside our region.
Site survey by experts
If the old plans are wrong, or there are none, our experts carry out an existing conditions survey on site. We work with professional Leica laser measuring instruments on a tripod. With point-to-point measurement from a single set-up, we also measure points you cannot touch, such as lintels, roof edges and upper-floor windows. Scaffolding is usually unnecessary. More on measuring a facade under facade survey.
On a renovation or facade project, our measurements include:
- the existing conditions of rooms and facades
- window and door openings, heights and levels
- squareness and angled walls, checked with diagonals
The measured points go digitally to the computer. We work them up into an AutoCAD plan and deliver it with a survey report and photos. Both processes are described under how we work.
One set of plans for everyone on the project
You receive every plan in three formats:
- DWG: editable in AutoCAD. AutoCAD LT also opens and edits the 2D plans.
- DXF: for other CAD packages and for CAM/CNC software in the workshop.
- PDF: for reading, sharing and printing for the site.
Without AutoCAD, you can view DWG files in the free DWG TrueView or Autodesk Viewer. The layer structure lets you show, for example, only the openings or only the dimensions. On request, we work to your own layers, pens and templates.
Fewer mistakes on site, faster preparation
A window that does not fit its opening only shows up at installation. A wall that is out of square or a floor that is off level disrupts the work of the next trade. Correct plans show those deviations before anything is ordered or cut. Preparation runs more smoothly because the estimator, site manager and subcontractors work from the same dimensions. That limits retyping and measuring twice.
We carry out surveys from Lauwe (Menen) in West and East Flanders, Hainaut and northern France. Further afield is possible on request. We work in Dutch, French and English. See our service area or request a quote with a short description of the works.
Frequently asked questions
Can you draw from our own plans or sketches?
Yes. You send what you have: a sketch, a PDF, photos, an existing DWG or dimensions. iMesure draws everything up in AutoCAD, to scale and with a layer structure. On request, we follow your own layers, pens and templates. Drafting on commission is done digitally, so it does not matter where your site is. A survey is only needed if usable dimensions are missing.
Does everyone on the project need AutoCAD to open the plans?
No. iMesure delivers the plans as DWG, DXF and PDF. Anyone can read and print the PDF, for example for use on site. DWG files can be edited in AutoCAD, and the 2D plans in AutoCAD LT as well. If you do not have AutoCAD, you can view DWG files with the free DWG TrueView or with Autodesk Viewer. DXF is intended for other CAD packages and CAM software.
Is an as-built drawing the same as an as-built certificate?
No. An as-built drawing is drafting for construction: floor plans, elevations and sections of what has actually been built, drawn in AutoCAD from existing plans and data, and with an on-site survey where needed. The as-built certificate belongs to the energy performance rules for buildings (EPB) and is drawn up by an accredited EPB reporter. iMesure does not issue that certificate.
Can you survey a facade without scaffolding or a cherry picker?
Often, yes, as long as we can see the points from the ground. Our experts work with point-to-point measurement on a tripod and measure lintels, roof edges and upper-floor windows from a single set-up. The instrument calculates the distance between two points you cannot touch. We discuss very tall or hard-to-reach facades in advance.
Do I need a land surveyor for a renovation?
Not for existing conditions drawings, facade elevations or as-built drawings: iMesure produces those as a drafting office and measuring company. For plot boundaries, boundary marking, a land subdivision or plans attached to a deed, you do need a licensed land surveyor (landmeter-expert). That is a protected title, and iMesure does not take on such work. If in doubt, state the purpose of the plans in your request.
Do you also work in Hainaut and northern France?
For surveys, yes. iMesure is based in Lauwe (Menen), near Kortrijk and the French border, and carries out surveys in West and East Flanders, Hainaut (Mouscron, Tournai) and northern France (Lille, Roubaix, Tourcoing, Halluin). Further afield is possible on request. Drafting on commission works anywhere, because it is done digitally. You can deal with us in Dutch, French or English.