Road & sub-base level surveys
Sub-base and binder checked against the road design before the next layer goes on.
Condition surveys
Pre-start condition surveys of roads, walls and neighbours
Prove what was there before you started. We record the road, footpaths, kerbs, walls and neighbouring buildings with a laser scan, drone imagery and referenced photos, so damage claims can be settled with evidence, not memory.
In short: a pre-start condition survey is a dated record of the roads, footpaths, walls and buildings around a site before work begins. Ours combine a laser scan, which measures shape to millimetres, with drone imagery and referenced photos, plus a written schedule of existing defects. Repeat it at the end and any change can be measured.
- Records
- Scan, aerial and photos
- Schedule
- Existing defects listed
- Report
- Within 3 working days
- From
- £395
What the condition record covers
- Carriageway: surface, cracks, patches, potholes, ironwork and existing reinstatements.
- Footpaths and kerbs: cracked flags or tarmac, chipped, sunk or displaced kerbs, dropped crossings.
- Verges, trees and gullies: verge edges, tree pits, gully grates and covers.
- Boundary walls and fences next to the site, with any lean or cracking measured.
- Neighbouring buildings: the outside of adjoining properties from the road and site, and the inside with permission.
- A written schedule of existing defects, each referenced to photos and a location.
Why a scan beats a folder of photos
Most pre-start records are a few hundred phone photos with no locations and no scale. They're better than nothing, but when a neighbour says their wall has started to lean, or the council says the road has been damaged by your wagons, comparing two photos taken from slightly different spots proves very little.
A laser scan records the actual shape of the road, kerbs and walls. Scanned again at the end, the two can be compared point by point, so a claimed rut, settlement or lean can be measured in millimetres. The drone adds a dated overhead view of the whole frontage, and every photo is tied to a location on the plan.
Protecting the job and the neighbours
A good record isn't only defensive. It shows neighbours and the council that the job is being run properly, makes genuine damage quick to identify and put right, and stops arguments about pre-existing cracks before they start.
Who books condition surveys
- Groundworks and civils contractors before site access, drainage connections and road works.
- Housebuilders with planning conditions on the adjoining highway.
- Builders and developers working next to existing homes, especially with deep digs or demolition.
- Homeowners with major works starting next door.
How a condition survey works
Extent
The site plan and which roads, frontages and properties to record. A planning condition helps if there is one.
Fixed price
We confirm the extent, whether interiors are included and the deliverables, and book before your start date.
Record
Laser scan, drone flight and referenced photos of everything in the agreed extent.
Schedule
Written schedule of defects, photo set, aerial image and scan, within three working days.
What a condition survey isn't
It's a factual record of visible condition on the day, not a structural survey, and it doesn't say what caused any defect. Where the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 applies, the appointed party wall surveyor deals with the neighbour's schedule under the Act; our record supports it. Inside neighbouring properties needs the owner's permission. Where a council wants a joint highway inspection, we can attend with their officer.
Other survey services
See the condition survey cost guide for prices.
Tarmac depth surveys
Before-and-after scans that map the thickness actually laid, across the whole road.
Plot & oversite surveys
Slab flatness, brickwork to drawing and drain collar positions, checked plot by plot.
As-built surveys
Finished roads, kerbs, drainage covers and plots recorded, with as-built drawings in DWG and PDF.
Floor flatness surveys
Slabs and screeds scanned edge to edge and checked against SR1-SR3 or your flatness class.
3D measured building surveys
Millimetre-accurate floor plans and elevations for kitchens, extensions and architects.
Topographical surveys
Levels, contours, boundaries, buildings and trees for planning and design, with the full 3D scan.
Dimensure Design Audit
Groundworks and civils drawings reviewed before you dig, on any project: problems found on paper.
Garden surveys
Levels, walls, steps, trees and drains surveyed for garden designers, landscapers and homeowners.
Drone surveys
Aerial mapping tied to RTK GNSS control: scaled orthophotos, levels and contours for whole sites.
Stockpile volume surveys
Every heap of stone, topsoil and spoil measured by drone, in cubic metres and tonnes.
Earthworks volume surveys
Cut and fill against design or a previous survey, topsoil strip depths and muck-shift checks.
Site progress surveys
Monthly drone records of the whole site, compared with last month, for valuations and reports.
GNSS setting out
Site control on Ordnance Survey grid, and pegs for earthworks, drainage, roads and plots.
As-laid service surveys
Drainage, chambers and ducts recorded in the open trench, with levels and photos, before backfill.
Drone roof surveys
Close-up roof inspections without scaffold, with measured roof areas and pitches if needed.
Reporting from your survey data
Already have a scan or your engineer's levels? We process your data and report against design, no visit needed.
Condition surveys near you
Questions we get asked
What is a pre-start condition survey?
A dated record of the condition of everything around a site before work begins: the road, footpaths, kerbs, verges, gullies, boundary walls and the outside of neighbouring buildings. If damage is claimed later, the record shows whether the crack, pothole or broken kerb was already there.
Why do you scan as well as photograph?
Photos show cracks and damage; a laser scan measures shape. With a scan, a claim that a road has rutted, a wall has leaned or a footpath has dropped can be checked against measured data from before the job, to a few millimetres, instead of comparing two photos by eye. The drone adds an overall dated view of the whole frontage.
Do I need a condition survey of the highway?
Some planning permissions and highway agreements require a pre-start survey of the adjoining highway, and many contractors do one anyway to protect themselves from damage claims. Check the wording of the condition or agreement; some councils want a joint inspection with their own officer as well. Our record gives you the evidence either way.
Is this the same as a party wall schedule of condition?
Not quite. Where the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 applies, the schedule of condition of the neighbour's property is usually prepared or agreed by the appointed party wall surveyor. Our record can support that, and covers everything the Act doesn't, such as roads, footpaths and properties that aren't party wall neighbours.
Can you survey inside neighbouring houses?
Only with the owner's permission. Most pre-start records cover the outside of neighbouring buildings from the road and the site. Where an owner agrees, we can record the inside too, which is helpful next to deep excavations, piling or demolition.
Should we survey again at the end of the job?
Yes. A post-completion survey done the same way gives a like-for-like comparison, and with the scan data, any change in level or shape can be measured directly. It's the quickest way to close out damage claims at the end of a contract.
Book a scan or ask a question
Send the drawing, the location and when you need it. We reply the same working day with a fixed price.