A land survey (site survey or topographic survey) is essential before many projects commence. Whether it is for a large scale development, an extension to a family home, garden landscaping or an initial feasibility study, a proper survey will clearly indicate the size and topography of your plot. Having a reliable drawing showing ground levels, service locations, existing buildings, and boundary locations will ensure the work gets off to the best possible start and help avoid mistakes and conflicts as the project progresses.

If you are planning to have any remodeling work done on a building a set of reliable drawings is an essential starting point for most architects and designers. We can produce the existing floor plans, roof plans, facade elevations, and cross sections that will be the starting point for most projects. These will influence many of the future planning and design decisions so making sure they are as accurate as possible is imperative.

Our experienced team will be happy to discuss your requirements with you. Getting the spec right to start with will ensure you don’t pay for what you don’t need, and avoid costly return visits if what turns out to be essential detail isn’t picked up to begin with. If you have instructed an architect or designer we will be happy to liaise directly with them to make sure the survey covers all of their needs.

As a company that is regulated by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors we must adhere to all of their guidelines. This not only means that our surveys must conform to their accuracy standards, but also that all best practice and professional conduct standards are met, along with all necessary professional insurances being in place.

The GSA (Geospatial Survey Association) is a professional body dedicated to all aspects of measured surveying. All companies undergo a careful vetting procedure before becoming accredited members.

All plans that are to be submitted to the Land Registry (determined boundary plans, lease plans, freehold plans etc) are required by law to be produced by an RICS regulated, or GSA member, company.

The cost of a survey can vary considerably, from a couple hundred pounds to several thousand, depending on the size and complexity of the project.

We price each job individually taking into account the nature of the site and the specific requirements of the client.

As with most things in life, if the price looks too good to be true it often is. Going with the cheapest quote can often lead to added expense further down line if it turns out the survey is inaccurate or not fit for purpose. Instructing a properly qualified, accredited firm like ARA Surveys will ensure you get the data you need from the start, without the need for costly re-surveys.

We use a combination of Leica total stations, an RTK GPS rover, and handheld lasers to complete our surveys. This gives us the flexibilty to accurately and efficiently complete a wide range of surveys.

We use AutoCAD software to complete of our drafting work with all of drawings being supplied in dwg and PDF formats. We can also supply paper plots if required.

While being based in London we regularly travel throughout the U.K. and Ireland to carry out surveys, and we are more than happy to travel further afield if required.

We regularly carry out surveys of residential properties, offices, retail units, industrial buildings, schools, hospitals, farms, hotels, nightclubs, bars, restaurants, sports clubs, health clubs, care homes, cinemas, libraries, parks, and highways.

Completing a full survey is a meticulous process that involves taking a lot of measurements, this means they often take longer than a lay person might expect. However, an estimate of the time required will be included with our quotation, and we’ll make every effort to be as efficient on site as possible and minimise any disruption. A full survey of an average residential property would be normally need a day to complete the site work and 4 to 5 days to complete the drawing work.

While it is easier to survey vacant property and land it is far from the norm. We are used to working around other people, furniture and equipment and make sure that we are as unobtrusive as possible.