I create existing conditions drawings for architects located in NYC. A set of existing conditions drawings for an existing structure are created from on-site measurements of the structure.
The on-site measuring is called an existing conditions survey. Once the structure is surveyed (i.e. measured), the field measurements are used to create drawings of it. In this blog post I will review an existing conditions project I did for the building pictured above.
Existing Conditions Drawings Services for NYC Apartments, Brownstones, Offices, Townhouses, and More
Regularly I create existing conditions drawings of New York City high end apartments, brownstones, houses, townhouses, entire buildings, office spaces and even parks and other outdoor areas too. My clientele are a mixture of Architects, Building Managers, Building Owners, Engineers, Homeowners, Interior Designers and Realtors.
The first time that I interact with a prospective client I’m normally asked a few questions right at the onset of our conversation. Those questions would be: “Do you have samples?”, “What do you charge?”, and “When could you deliver the finished drawings to me?”
With the question about samples in mind, I plan on doing a number of blog posts that summarize some of the survey projects that I’ve completed. I think these posts will be helpful to prospective clients who are looking for as-built services, to either get them familiar with my work, or as an estimating resource for them.
Below is my first project summary. It’s of an NYC office space that I did two weeks ago.
Project Summary
Here is a summary of that project:
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Type and Location: | One office in a 14 story, class B commercial building, named The Martin Building, which is located in the Midtown West neighborhood of Manhattan, NY. |
| Client: | Office Furniture and Commercial Furnishings Company |
| Scope: | Measure the office and then draft the measurements into AutoCAD. The goal is to create an architectural floor plan drawing. |
| Area: | The floor plan area was 6,590 sf |
| Was the space occupied with tenants?: | Yes. |
| Access Restrictions: | None. |
| Room Area vs. Open Area ratio: | 35% : 65% |
| Field Measuring Time: | 3hr-36m |
| CAD Drafting Time: | 5hr-3m |
| Total Travel Time: | 2hr |
| Misc. Time: | 1hr |
| Crew Size: | 1 man |
| Equipment Used: | Handheld Leica laser, tape measure, camera (optional), pens, pencils, eraser, paper and foam board. |
Existing Conditions Drawing Sample
Included below is an image (click image for PDF) of the floor plan drawing that I created. The “Room Area” phrase listed above, would be the cumulative area of all the built-in offices that you see in the image.
When I was on site the open areas were actually filled with moveable cubicles. The client did not want the cubicles documented, so I ignored them.
Existing Conditions Survey Equipment
Also, below I’ve included an image of the equipment that I used to survey the space. Alternatively, the survey could have been conducted by inputting the measurements directly into an onsite laptop, instead of writing them down on paper.
In Closing
If you use this information for estimating purposes, you may want to keep in mind that I do this type of work regularly. There is definitely a knack to it, so you might not be able to create such drawings as quickly or as well as I can.
Contact
If you have any questions about this project, or if you’re in need of existing conditions drafting services, then please feel free to call me anytime. Call me now at 718.441.3968, text me now at 646.504.5230, or email me now at brian@draftingservices.com.