A kitchen is made to the millimetre in the workshop. The room it goes into is rarely that straight. So measuring a kitchen means more than noting wall lengths: angles, levels and openings count too. With our kitchen measuring service, iMesure surveys the kitchen on site and draws it up in AutoCAD as a floor plan and an elevation of each wall. This kitchen site survey is for kitchen makers who outsource measuring and drafting, and for homeowners who want reliable dimensions in advance.
Why measure a kitchen again when there is already a plan?
A plan shows how the room was intended, not how it was built. Walls are rarely perfectly square or plumb. Plaster and tiles make the room smaller. The floor level often differs from the drawing. So a kitchen that fits on paper does not always fit the real room. A survey records those deviations before production starts.
Without a new survey, you only find the differences during installation. A worktop will not fit between two walls because the corner is out of square. A tall unit hits a lower ceiling. A plinth does not line up because the floor slopes. Each one means adjusting on site, reordering or an extra trip.
What we measure in the kitchen
We set up a professional Leica laser measuring instrument on a tripod and measure the points that matter from there. Point-to-point measurement gives us the distance between two points, even ones you cannot touch, such as a corner at the ceiling. See site surveys by experts for how this works. In a kitchen we measure:
- wall lengths and diagonals, to check whether the room is square
- the angles between the walls, including walls that are out of true or out of plumb
- ceiling height and floor level, including where the floor slopes
- window and door openings with their reveals, and the windowsill height
- connection points for water, drainage, electricity and the cooker hood, where visible
- obstacles such as pipes, columns, radiators, service ducts and beams
We take photos at every survey. They show where connection points and obstacles really are and help with later questions. We cannot see pipes and cables hidden in walls or floors; your installer has that information.
From survey to drafting: floor plan and wall elevations
The survey is the starting point. The drafting makes the dimensions usable. We work up the measurements in AutoCAD, to scale, in millimetres and with a clear layer structure. You receive:
- a floor plan of the kitchen with all walls, angles and openings
- an elevation of each wall, with heights, openings and visible connection points
- DWG and DXF to import into your kitchen planning, CAD or CAM software
- a PDF to view, print or pass on
- a survey report with photos
Tell us in advance which software you use, and we will match the format, layers and any template to it. No AutoCAD? The PDF is enough to read the plans, and you can view DWG files free of charge in DWG TrueView or Autodesk Viewer.
Measuring for the worktop: dimensions, not templates
Worktop mistakes are costly: natural stone or composite is hard to adjust on site. We supply the dimensions for the worktop manufacturer: length and depth along each wall, the actual angles, the junctions with walls and windows, and the position of obstacles. We do not make templates. If your worktop manufacturer wants a template or its own check measurement once the base units are fitted, arrange that with them directly.
For kitchen makers: outsourcing survey and drafting
As a kitchen maker, you can outsource the survey after the sale. We measure and draw. You import the DWG or DXF and carry on with the same dimensions, without retyping them.
Already have dimensions, a sketch or a design? Then outsource only the drafting. Through CAD drafting on commission, we draw your kitchen plans in AutoCAD. This is done digitally, so it works anywhere. For cabinets and bespoke work, we produce shop drawings with dimensions, materials lists and DXF for CAM, CNC and nesting. See kitchen makers for more on working together.
For homeowners having a kitchen fitted
Comparing quotes from several kitchen suppliers? With one survey and one set of plans, every supplier works from the same dimensions. Do check whether a supplier will use your plans or still wants to measure up. Ideally, have the kitchen measured only once the walls are plastered and the floor level is fixed, or the dimensions will be wrong. For more on surveys at home, see homeowners.
How a job works
- Request: you send the plan or photos of the room and tell us what you need: a floor plan only, wall elevations too, or worktop dimensions as well. A quote follows.
- On-site survey: laser survey on a tripod, with photos. Keep the walls as clear as possible.
- Drafting in AutoCAD: to scale, dimensioned and with layers.
- Delivery: DWG, DXF and PDF, with a survey report.
Outsourcing only the drafting? Then step 2 drops out: you send dimensions, a sketch or a PDF, and we draw the kitchen in AutoCAD.
For surveys, we travel from Lauwe (Menen) to West Flanders, East Flanders, Hainaut and northern France, and further afield on request: see service area. How we work sets out the full process. Get in touch or email info@imesure.com.
Frequently asked questions
When should I have my kitchen measured?
Have the kitchen measured once the room is in its final state: walls plastered, floor level fixed and windows fitted. In an unfinished shell, the dimensions still change with plastering, tiling and floor finishes. If the kitchen maker needs to start earlier, we survey the shell and note which finishes are still to come. A check measurement after the finishing work is then still advisable.
Can iMesure do only the drafting for my kitchen?
Yes. If you already have dimensions, a sketch, a PDF or an existing plan, you can outsource the drafting without a survey. We draw floor plans, wall elevations or shop drawings in AutoCAD and deliver DWG, DXF and PDF. Drafting on commission is done digitally, so it works anywhere. If we doubt the dimensions supplied, we recommend checking them with a survey.
Does iMesure make templates for a stone worktop?
No, iMesure does not make templates. We supply the dimensions for the worktop manufacturer: length and depth along the walls, the actual angles, the junctions with walls and windows, and the position of obstacles. If your worktop manufacturer works with templates or with its own check measurement once the base units are fitted, please arrange that directly with the manufacturer.
Does iMesure measure the connections for water, drainage and electricity?
Yes, iMesure measures the connection points as far as they are visible. We record and photograph the position of water supply points, drains, sockets, junction boxes and the duct outlet for the cooker hood. We cannot see pipes and cables hidden in the walls or floor. Your installer or the installation drawings can give you that information.
Why does iMesure measure a kitchen with a laser rather than a tape measure?
A tape measure is quick from wall to wall, but angles and points you cannot touch are hard to measure with it. iMesure uses professional Leica laser measuring instruments on a tripod, with point-to-point measurement, so we can also measure a corner against the ceiling. We use diagonals to check whether the room is square. The plan therefore shows where a wall is out of true or the floor slopes.
In which region does iMesure measure kitchens?
iMesure measures kitchens from its base in Lauwe (Menen), close to Kortrijk and the French border. We work in West Flanders and East Flanders, in Hainaut (Mouscron, Tournai) and in northern France (Lille, Roubaix, Tourcoing, Halluin). Further afield is possible on request. The drafting is done digitally, so drafting on commission works anywhere, even if you supply the dimensions yourself.