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Phase 1 · Site and existing conditions · Step 1.2

Measured drawings of the existing house

The designer measures every wall, window, door, and ceiling height in the existing house. The new design lays on top of these drawings — they have to be accurate to an eighth of an inch.

Who
Designer
How long
1-2 weeks
Cost
$1,500-$4,000 (often included in design fee)
You end up with
Existing-conditions floor plans, elevations, sections (PDF + CAD)

Why this matters more on whole-house projects

A whole-house remodel touches every interior wall, reconfigures the kitchen, and ties a new addition into the existing exterior walls. A 2-inch error in existing-conditions dimensions ripples through the entire design.

What gets drawn

  • Floor plans of every level, rooms labeled and dimensioned.
  • Exterior elevations — north, south, east, west — with window and door dimensions.
  • Sections showing floor-to-ceiling heights, joist depth, and roof framing.
  • Photo log indexed to the plans.

How it gets done

The designer or a measurement service spends a day with a laser distance meter. The CAD work takes another 1–2 weeks. Renton ramblers are generally more regular than pre-war Seattle bungalows, but walls still aren't square and floors still slope. A good measured drawing captures that — idealized horizontals produce drawings that the GC renegotiates during framing.

Where this information came from

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