The 20mm Wake-Up Call!

Why Good Drafting is About More Than Just Dimensions?

When “Good Enough” Isn’t Good Enough...

This is a story about how we been left with red-face and why we decided to sharpen our pencils, check our compasses, and relook at how we present what we know.

They say close is better than nothing but in precision work, “close” can still miss the mark.

This was based on the client’s original message:

“There are slight differences between my measurements and the SpaceSurvey digital drawings, but anything within +/- 20mm is expected, I can work with that.”

“Within tolerance” refers to the idea that measurements that differ by up to 20mm are acceptable for their purposes. In many architectural or engineering workflows, this sort of variance is considered minor or within the margin of error for site surveys, especially without invasive checking or full dismantling.

However, despite being “within tolerance,” the issue was not about dimension error but presentation clarity and missing elements that had real implications.

So, even if the drawing was “technically” close enough in terms of measurement, the lack of clarity, missing items, and presentation issues made it feel untrustworthy hence the “red-faced” moment.

"It’s not just about measuring correctly. It’s about communicating clearly and including everything the user needs to trust and use the drawings confidently."

It started like many projects do with a detailed survey, a clear scope, and a client expecting high-quality output.

We delivered. Or so we thought!

The feedback we received seemed okay at first: “Everything's downloaded, work is underway.” “Some minor differences, but all manageable.”

So far, so good until the bullet points came in.

A missed AC unit here. Wrong window dimensions there. No solar panels. No air bricks. No drain gullies. North Sign? Pointing somewhere vaguely west.

All this from someone trying to use our plans to move their project forward.

Embarrassing? Definitely. A learning moment? Absolutely.

Our client wrote:

“I’m truly embarrassed to have recommended SpaceSurvey” and that stung OUCH!

Not because it was harsh but because the CLIENT WAS RIGHT!

So what happened?

As the quality control lead, my focus was on the “big stuff” making sure the structural elements like walls, windows, doors, and roofs aligned accurately with the point cloud. But accuracy alone isn’t enough. What we overlooked were the smaller details that turn a model into a truly usable tool for planning, energy analysis, coordination, and actual construction.

Why This Matters Measured building surveys are about trust. Trust that when something is shown, it’s really there. And if it’s not shown there’s a reason.

The solar panels were there we just didn’t see them from ground as we had no room to setp back to see this side of the roof. It was an honest oversight. And this was the first time we encountered a property with solar panels, and they slipped through our usual checks.

The rainwater pipes? We missed one. It was a tricky one to spot, but still something we should have caught.

As for the window dimensions, they weren’t actually wrong they matched the scan data on site. But the tagging on the plan created confusion. The door and window were close to each other, and the door tag was mistakenly read as the window size. So while the model was correct, the presentation caused a misunderstanding.

Then there’s the French door. The opening was within tolerance, but we didn’t present it clearly. We typically round dimensions to end in 5 or 0 for consistency, but in this case, that approach added to the confusion. It’s a reminder that clarity in how we present data is just as important as accuracy.

This is before the edits 

This is the last and final submission.

So we hit pause. We didn’t just update the file. We updated our process.

We called a meeting with the team, and we went through every point because it wasn’t just about fixing this job. It was about making all jobs better.

• Clear annotation is as important as the measurements.

• Scale isn’t a fallback for missed dimensions.

• Assumptions can turn into errors.

• Quality Control: "CHECKED" doesn’t mean much without accountability.

  
  

Because every error, even within +/-20mm, can cause a ripple in the bigger picture delays, confusion, or worse, a loss of confidence.

And my hope is that you have also learned from our mistakes and that we can keep growing together.

Do you know what the difference is between a professional and an amateur? Professionals make fewer mistakes. It doesn't mean they don't make any, but they make fewer because they've made them before, learned from them, and improved. And my hope is that you can become a professional by learning from our mistakes.

A Better Version of Ourselves

We’ve since corrected the plans and added a solar panels (thank you, Google Earth), North Sign rotated (no more mystery compass), and all the pieces put back in place.

And while we can’t undo the frustration caused, we’ve turned this feedback into fuel.

Lesson learned?

Presentation isn’t just about neat drawings it’s about clarity. 

Accuracy doesn’t stop at dimensions it extends to what’s shown and what’s left out. 

And trust? That’s earned one project at a time.

🚀 Need a measured survey done right the first time—by a team that listens, learns, and levels up with every job? You are in the right SPACE - SpaceSurvey