As-Built Survey — What It Is and When You Need One
Old design drawings tell you what a building was meant to be. They rarely tell you what it actually became after years of changes, additions and site decisions. An as-built survey closes that gap — it is a measured record of a building exactly as it physically stands today. At Yogeshwar Associates we produce as-built surveys architects and owners across Pune can design and decide on.
What an as-built survey actually is
An as-built survey documents the real, current condition of a structure — as opposed to the original design drawings or the sanctioned plan. Buildings drift from their drawings over time: walls move, openings change, floors get added, services get rerouted. The as-built captures what is truly there.
A typical as-built records:
- Real dimensions of rooms, walls, columns and openings
- Floor and plinth levels, staircases and slab thicknesses
- The facade — elevations, windows, projections and heights
- Key MEP runs and structural elements that matter to a designer
- The building's true footprint against the plot boundary
The point is simple: you design and decide on facts, not on a drawing that no longer matches reality.
When you need an as-built survey
You need an as-built survey whenever a decision depends on what is really there. The common triggers we see are:
- Redevelopment — documenting existing wings before demolition and feasibility
- Renovation or retrofit — you cannot renovate accurately from guesswork
- Missing or outdated drawings — original plans lost, or no longer matching site
- Boundary or area disputes — establishing the real built extent on the plot
- Project handover — a permanent, accurate record of what was delivered
- Verifying a building against the sanctioned plan — checking as-built versus as-approved
How we capture it
For most buildings we measure with a Total Station, tying every dimension and level to a controlled framework so the drawing is internally consistent and accurate. Where a plot is large or access is difficult, we add DGPS and drone/UAV capture to place the building correctly in its surroundings.
For complex or ornate structures — heritage facades, irregular geometry, dense interiors — we use scan-to-CAD and point cloud capture. A laser scan records millions of points, and our team converts that point cloud into clean, usable CAD and, where needed, a BIM model. You can read more on our as-built survey and scan-to-CAD / BIM pages.
What you receive
We do not hand over raw field data. Our in-house drafting team turns the measurements into a coordinated, designer-ready set:
| Deliverable | What you can do with it |
|---|---|
| CAD floor plans with real dimensions | Design the retrofit or redevelopment directly |
| Elevations and facade detail | Match new work to the existing building |
| Levels and sections | Resolve floor-to-floor and services coordination |
| Point cloud / BIM (for complex jobs) | Model against a true 3D record |
Why our architectural understanding matters
A tape measure records numbers. Reading a building the way an architect would is what makes those numbers useful. Our in-house drafting and architectural team knows which walls are load-bearing intent, where a facade line matters, and how a designer will actually use the drawing.
That is the difference between a set of dimensions and a proper as-built an architect can build on. We are insured and experienced, and we have served Pune, PCMC and Maharashtra since 2007 from our base in Lohegaon.
Planning a renovation, retrofit or redevelopment in and around Pune? Tell us about the building and we will deliver an accurate as-built you can design on. Get in touch.