I have written before about how important photographs are as part of a Building Survey or Home Buyers Survey report. They are also important to the Surveyors as a record of the property at the time of the inspection. This makes a digital camera a must for any modern Surveyor, but there is also a place for a pencil (or possibly a stylus in the digital age).
No matter what medium they intend to work with, most art students are taught to draw from life first. It is considered a fundamental part of their skill set and it should be the same for a Surveyor.
Traditionally a Surveyor would have to draw a site plan, a roof plan and probably a sketch of each elevation because before digital cameras there was no other way for them to record what they saw. Now I can record all this information with the click of a button, but this does not mean there is no longer a need for hand drawn sketches.
They reason they still teach art students to draw is because it encourages them to really look at the object or person, see the little details and understand how different aspects fit together. Otherwise the temptation is just to look quickly and make assumptions. It is the same for Surveyors. Over the course of my career I have seen a huge number of houses. On the surface they may all share similar characteristics but each one is unique, something you may miss if you just look without seeing what is really there.
As a Surveyor my role is to provide a genuine report as to the condition of the property, helping clients move forward with what is often one of the biggest decisions they will make. I can only do this by looking at the property, seeing with is really there and understanding how each element works together. For this I need a good old-fashioned drawing. Today this may be drawn with a stylus on a table but the skills remain the same.
To book a Home Buyers Survey of Building Survey please contact us.