Our Blog

The Second fear architects have is outsourcing Measured Surveys and CAD drawings "What if the drawings are wrong?" Cheap overseas CAD farms can do it for less but you fear that the drawings will be inaccurate? You've probably heard the stories or experienced it yourself. Cheap overseas CAD teams. Hours spent marking up errors and correcting drawings that should have been right the first time. Missing dimensions Walls that don't line up Windows in the wrong place Disorganised

The FUTURE of London Construction has Arrived. 🚲 Forget the white Vans in London. Five bags of cement? Cargo bike. A ladder? Cargo bike. A fridge? Cargo bike. Cement mixer? Obviously… cargo bike. Next week we’ll be loading our 3D laser scanner, tripods, batteries and the surveyors onto one and cling down the A40. 😂 But don’t worry the investigation has been done. Apparently, it works. SpaceSurvey is measuring buildings while we can still fit the equipment in a van so if you

One of the biggest fears architects have is losing the feel of the space. You've probably experienced it yourself. Standing in the rain with a laser measure. Walking through someone's house. Noticing how the light enters a room. Feeling the proportions, materials, and flow of the building. You tell yourself that if someone else captures the measurements, you'll lose your connection to the project. But is that really true? Or are we confusing the art of Architecture with the t

Stop Confusing Planning Permission With Construction Readiness. Successful projects are prepared before construction starts, not rescued after it has started. For Architects, London presents an extraordinary creative arena, but it also exposes every weak point in the process. Planning delays, constrained sites, rising material costs, incomplete surveys, client changes, contractor misunderstandings and unrealistic budgets can turn a promising concept into a difficult project.

Architects and interior designers rarely struggle because they lack talent. More often, they struggle because they are overloaded. Your most valuable asset isn't the materials you use, your software, or your presentations it's your time. Too much of that time is lost to unnecessary site visits and revisits, correcting avoidable errors, and managing technical tasks that pull you away from higher-value work. Every hour spent solving preventable problems is an hour not spent des

For far too many homeowners, it is a catastrophic, painful lesson, it is exactly what happens when the wrong people get involved too early. The reality: Building in London has become dramatically more expensive. When real costs skyrocket faster than the public’s understanding of them, a massive gap opens up. And that gap is instantly filled by bad advice, completely unrealistic budgets, terrible tender documents, and cowboy builders. If you are planning an extension, a loft c

It's totally stupid to be stressed about opportunity! Success very often leads to more stress for most people , and pretty soon they're achieving things, and instead of experiencing the joy they wanted, they've got more of a to-do list, more things they got to manage, more things they got to take on. It certainly has been the case for me in my business. I mean, I give you an example. When you have more than one business, more people in teams, more clients, more projects all t

Every industry has those moments where the drawings look tidy, but reality gets messy. Somewhere between “by others and this bit by others,” the real work starts to disappear into the gaps between teams. That was the spark for Richard Keys when working in a large architectural company and a whole new way of thinking about architecture that treats risk, scope, and delivery as first-class problems, because the question remained, who's actually going to do this? In this Podcas

Find out how this one question reached 263,000 people on Instagram alone. It all started when I met Richard Keys from ByOthers Architecture at a networking event in central London. We had already worked together on a few projects, but only through emails and we had never actually met in person. When I saw the company name on the attendees list, I went over to introduce myself and said, “Hey, it would be great to get to know you better and jump on a podcast.” and he said

The real choice is between price and predictable quality A very low quote for a measured building survey say £350 for a London property can look tempting. But price alone won’t tell you whether the deliverable will be useful for the project. The critical question is not whether the quote is the cheap; it’s whether the consultant has the process and outputs you need. I don't tend to get 10 quotes and go for the cheapest. I tend to go for the one that I know that they will do a

The challenge: moving from 2D CAD to Revit At Vita architecture we reached a point where 2D CAD surveys were no longer cutting it. Watch Youtube video (59 seconds) Our projects increasingly required accurate information and Revit compatible 3D models that could be used directly in our workflows. We needed more than 2D drawings we needed a Revit-ready 3D model created from point cloud so our team could get straight to design and coordination. Why Revit modelling from point c

What is an architect, really? An architect is the person who turns possibility into something that can actually be built, on time, within budget, and with planning approval secured. Watch YouTube video (2 min.) interview with Ruta from Vita Architecture When you have a site, we interrogate it first. What can realistically be built here? What are the planning constraints? Where is the true potential? We consult with planning specialists, assess limits and opportunities, and d

It’s a tempting idea: watch a few tutorials, read some blogs, ask a couple of questions in forums and get stuck in. But there are real costs that rarely show up in a simple comparison of fees versus DIY savings. Time, stress, risk and the value of specialist skills all matter. The question isn’t just whether you can do it, it’s whether you should. Watch Youtube Video (2 min) The hidden costs of DIY house planning Learning to do everything yourself consumes time and emotional

The 20mm Wake-Up Call: Is Your Survey Data the Only Thing Standing Between the 'Solo-Grind' and Winning London’s £50M Projects? Look, it is February 2026, and the energy in London is so intense . We are officially back from the holidays, and for most of us, it is "game time". But for many architects, that excitement is already being overshadowed by a familiar, draining friction: the technical grind that keeps you from actually designing. The Professional Friction Earlier toda

How Letting Go of Measurement Headaches Can Help London Architects Scale Their Practice If you’re an architect in London right now, you know the drill all too well: long days juggling client deadlines, planning constraints, and design revisions… and then there’s the measured survey . You’ve been there, standing outside in the rain or in a dusty hallway with a tape measure in one hand, a laser meter in the other, and a creeping sense that this isn’t the best use of your time.

As an architect, you're juggling technical skills, relationships and personal growth. Which one deserves the most attention? The short answer: they are all essential, but they play different roles at different stages of your career. The three essentials and how they work together Think of the three as stacked layers: Skill — the craft: drawings, technical knowledge, building regulations and design judgement. Without this you can’t deliver good work. Relationships — the netw

Look, I’ve already had three people reach out today with the same problem. And to be honest at the beginning, I was in the same place.... Doing everything myself. Running myself exhausted. Drained. But it’s 2026. Everyone is full of energy, excitement, and motivation, still grinding through their January challenges, refusing to quit on transforming their lives. And a truth most people overlook this: one of the biggest stressors in life is work, either too much of it, or work

In the London property market, starting a renovation or extension project begins with data. Accurate measurements are crucial for success. While it is possible to find a measured house survey in London for as little as £350 + VAT , experience shows that choosing the cheapest option is rarely a cost-saving measure. In fact, it often leads to inaccurate drawings, significant construction delays, and unforeseen financial losses. As industry experts, we believe in transparency r

When it comes to construction, renovation, or property management, having accurate and detailed information about a building is crucial. This is where building measurement surveys come into play. These surveys provide precise data about the dimensions, layout, and features of a structure, enabling professionals to make informed decisions. In this article, we will explore why building measurement surveys are essential, how they are conducted, and the benefits they offer across

You’ve probably seen it before: Estate agents plan of your property is 86 sqm , and the EPC says 74 sqm . You’re sitting there scratching your head, wondering which one is right. Whose tape measure are we using here? This confusion happens all the time . It’s because each measurement is created for a totally different reason. So, let’s break it down and make it clear. Understanding Property Measurements: EPCs vs. Estate Agent Plans 1. EPC Measurements — Energy, Not Accuracy W