Measured drawings of the existing house

Why this matters more on whole-house projects

A second-story addition adds new framing on top of the existing — the existing-conditions drawings have to be accurate enough that the new construction lands where it should. A whole-house remodel + addition is more demanding: every interior wall is being touched, the kitchen is being completely reconfigured, and the addition is tying into existing exterior walls. A 2-inch error in existing-conditions dimensions ripples through the entire design.

What gets drawn

• Floor plans of every level (basement, first floor, attic) with rooms labeled and dimensioned.
• Exterior elevations — north, south, east, west — with window and door dimensions.
• One or more sections through the house showing existing floor-to-ceiling heights, joist depth (where accessible), and roof framing.
• Photo log indexed to the plans.

How it gets done

Designer or a measurement service shows up with a laser distance meter and spends a day measuring inside and around the house. The drafting work takes another 1–2 weeks. The output is a set of CAD-clean drawings that becomes the substrate for everything downstream.

What good looks like

Older Seattle houses are not square. Walls that look parallel are typically 1–4 inches off across a room. Floors slope. Ceilings vary. A good measured drawing captures all of that — the existing-conditions elevations should show actual floor slopes and ceiling variations, not idealized horizontals. Designers who skip this and assume "close enough" produce drawings that the GC has to renegotiate during framing.