LinkedIn Micro-Series: Scan Notes (Week 1 of 26)

This is the live, updated entry for the LinkedIn micro-series. New posts added every Wednesday.

Week 1 — What I see when I scan a building

When I scan a building with the Faro Focus, the scanner captures millions of points in a few minutes.¹ What I see on the laptop screen is a dense, multi-coloured point cloud that looks abstract at first. But to a trained eye, it's a forensic record of every surface, every corner, every defect.

I see:

• The 5mm gap where the window frame has pulled away from the wall (a maintenance issue the architect will want to know about)
• The 30mm bow in the plaster ceiling (probably movement, possibly historic)
• The location of every socket, switch, and light fitting (for the electrical redesign)
• The exact dimensions of every door, window, and opening (for the planning application)
• The position of the boiler, the consumer unit, the soil stack (for the mechanical and electrical design)
• The slight tilt of the staircase (normal for a Victorian terrace, but worth noting)
• The exact location of every structural beam and column (for the structural engineer's review)

The point cloud doesn't lie. It captures everything visible from the scanner's position. The skill is in interpreting what's there — the defects, the opportunities, the things the client needs to know.

That's the work. That's the series. Every Wednesday I'll post a 300-word note from the field.

— Bhavesh Ramburn, MRICS, founder of Icelabz

Week 2 — The £200 survey that saved a £20,000 mistake

Last week a client rang: "We're about to order a steel beam for the extension. Can you measure the existing opening so the structural engineer can size the new one?"

Two-hour site visit. Faro scanner. Point cloud processed. Existing opening: 2.41m wide × 2.18m high. New opening required: 2.85m wide × 2.25m high.

If the client had ordered the beam based on a tape measure, they'd have ordered a 2.40m beam. The structural engineer had specified 2.85m. The beam would have been 450mm too short. Re-ordering + delay: £20,000.

The £200 measured survey caught it. The client reordered. Project delivered on time.

The lesson: never order a structural beam without a measured survey of the existing opening.

Week 3 — Why I prefer the Faro over the Leica (and vice versa)

I run both. The Faro Focus S350 is fast, light, and easy to set up. The Leica RTC360 is heavier, slower to set up, but its on-board registration is more robust in difficult lighting.

For a typical residential survey, the Faro wins: faster setup, faster scanning, easier to carry up stairs.

For a large commercial survey in bright sunlight, the Leica wins: its HDR imaging handles direct sunlight better, and its on-board registration is more forgiving when scan setups overlap by less than 30%.

The right tool depends on the project. I run both because I don't always know in advance which project I'll get.

Week 4 — What I look for first (revised)

I revised this list from the Boundary Survey series because the priority is different for measured building surveys:

1. The brief — what does the client actually need? (Planning? Building Regs? BIM?)
2. The existing building — what era, what construction, what condition?
3. The site logistics — access, working hours, security, occupants present
4. The hidden surprises — what's behind the wallpaper, under the floorboards, in the loft?

The first three are obvious. The fourth is the interesting one. Every building has surprises — an extension added without planning permission, a wall removed without structural calculations, a damp issue that's been papered over for 20 years.

The scanner finds most of these. The interview with the client finds the rest. Together, they give the full picture.

Next post: Week 5 — The day the scanner died mid-survey (and what I learned).

References

How to commission

Book a 15-minute clarity call with an Icelabz measured building surveyor. We'll review your situation and give you a fixed fee in 24 hours. Or read the complete measured building survey guide and see the measured building survey service page and 3D laser scanning service page for the full service descriptions.