North Cornwall · EX23 · Cornwall Council North
Measured surveys in Bude, the drawing everything else is built on
Every application, every quote and every construction detail depends on the existing drawings being right. In Bude that matters more than in a modern estate, because walls have been rebuilt and rendered over generations and rarely measure what the deeds suggest. A survey records the building as it is, which is the only sound basis for designing anything. A measured survey records the building as it stands, not as the original drawings claimed it would be. Every planning drawing, building regulation package and builder's quote we produce sits on one, because a wall that is 60mm out of square on paper becomes a 60mm problem on site. The way we approach measured survey in Bude starts with a measured walk-round — Bude is the principal town of the far north coast, with a Victorian sea pool, broad surf beaches at Summerleaze and Crooklets, and a Conservation Area covering the canal and the older town centre, with a building stock that leans toward post-war estates and architect-designed coastal homes at Maer Cliff.
Bude sits in North Cornwall — just off the A39; with Truro the closest city; covering EX23 from Stratton, Kilkhampton, Marhamchurch outward.
- Conservation Area
- Cornwall AONB
- Coastal exposure zone
- ✓Room by room measurement including wall thicknesses and levels
- ✓Elevations, sections and a site plan with boundaries and drainage
- ✓Scaled PDF and CAD files issued to you
- ✓Bude and the wider EX23 area covered from our Cornwall studio
Free · No obligation
Free Bude feasibility call
Tell us about your measured survey. We reply within 1 working day — no obligation.
Who this is for
In Bude the measured survey brief is almost always a private homeowner improving a forever home — so we lead with feasibility and long-term value, not show-home rhetoric.
Local watch-list
What usually catches measured survey projects out in Bude.
Watch #1
Atlantic Zone 4 wind exposure driving render and fixing spec
Watch #2
Flood Zone 2 around the canal corridor
Watch #3
AONB long-view scrutiny for two-storey or sea-facing additions
Watch #4
Conservation Area Article 4 directions on central streets
Local proof — Most Bude measured survey clients we work with are second-time builders — they've seen the templated approach fail once already.
Get a free feasibility viewFAQs
Bude Measured Surveys — local questions answered.
- What is a measured survey?
- An accurate dimensional record of an existing building, drawn to scale as plans, elevations and sections. It captures wall thicknesses, floor levels, openings and the site around the building.
- How much does a measured survey cost in Bude?
- It depends on the size of the property, the number of storeys and how irregular the fabric is. We quote a fixed figure once we know the address and rough floor area, and where the survey runs into a full design commission it is usually folded into the package.
- Can I use the survey elsewhere?
- Yes. You receive scaled PDFs and CAD files, and they are yours whether or not we go on to do the design work.
- What do you need access to?
- Every room, plus the loft, any cellar and any outbuilding involved in the proposal. Anything not accessible has to be recorded on the drawing as an assumption, and assumptions are what cause variations later.
- How much does a measured survey cost?
- It depends on floor area, the number of storeys and how irregular the building is. A standard three bedroom house is a straightforward half day on site; a rambling farmhouse with outbuildings takes considerably longer. We quote a fixed figure once we know the address and rough size, and where the survey leads into a full design commission it is usually folded into the package fee. In Bude specifically, we'd start by checking the Conservation Area boundary before committing to a direction.
- We live in the house. Can a measured survey in Bude be done while we stay put?
- Usually yes for single-storey and rear work, with a temporary kitchen or bathroom arrangement agreed before the start. Whole-house remodels and roof work in Bude are often easier if you move out for a few weeks. We set that expectation at feasibility stage rather than halfway through.
- Do you need access to every room?
- Yes, including lofts, cellars and any outbuilding that touches the proposal. Anything we cannot access has to be noted as an assumption on the drawing, and assumptions are what cause variations later.
Quick check
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For projects in Bude and the EX23 area.
Keep reading
Where to go next from Bude
Bude works as a hub for us: the same measured survey team covers Flexbury and the surrounding EX23 villages, so a site visit here often takes in more than one address.
Page purpose
What you actually get on a Bude measured survey drawings package
This is a drawings-led service. You are buying a documented, submission-ready set for a EX23 address, not a build contract. For most Bude householders that means a measured survey, an honest feasibility view, then the drawings the council and your builder both need.
- Measured survey and existing drawings before any proposal is drawn
- A written planning route for the EX23 address, including whether permitted development is realistically available
- Proposed plans, elevations and site plan at the scales the authority expects
- Submission and validation handling, plus responses to officer queries
Scope
Scope options for Bude clients
These stages can be bought separately. Most EX23 projects use three of them.
Construction and technical drawings
1:10 and 1:20 details for the parts of the job builders normally have to guess at.
Building regulation drawings
Full Plans sets with sections, construction notes and coordinated structural information.
Planning application drawings
Existing and proposed plans, elevations, site and block plans drawn to validation standard.
Measured survey
An accurate record of what is actually there, which is where most avoidable cost is removed.
Heritage and design statements
Written justification where designation makes the design case as important as the drawing.
Who this is for
Straight facts about working with us here
- Applications for Bude are handled through Cornwall Council, with Bodmin the nearest planning office we deal with regularly.
- Designated-area work is routine here, so heritage and landscape statements are produced alongside the drawings rather than outsourced.
- Sites we know on the ground here include the area around The Strand and Bude Canal.
- Drawings, planning and building regulations are all produced in-house, so a measured survey enquiry does not get passed between firms.
Planning rules change and every site is different. For the final position on your address, check with Cornwall Council as the local planning authority or the Planning Portal.
Local context
Why Bude is its own job.
In Bude the planning picture is specific: conservation Area covers the canal, the seafront and parts of the town centre. AONB and Heritage Coast across most of the parish boundary. Edge-of-town residential growth is significant. For measured survey specifically, parts of Bude sit within a designated Conservation Area, which means materials, fenestration and roof pitches all need to read sympathetically with the existing streetscape; the surrounding landscape falls inside the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, so massing, height and landscape impact carry extra weight in any planning decision; coastal salt-laden air around Bude drives detailing choices — fixings, render systems and timber treatments all need to be specified for exposure. That local reading is what makes a Bude (EX23) project different from a generic Cornwall scheme — and is the whole reason we work this way. On post-war estates in particular — the kind you'll also find toward Widemouth Bay — the measured survey brief always has to read the existing fabric first. On older stock, the practical constraint is usually joinery, render and roof line rather than the extension itself. We draw those details out early so a measured survey submission is not sent back for missing information. Confirm listing status with the local planning authority before assuming permitted development. Exposure is the real design driver near the water: wind-driven rain, salt and driving damp push detailing towards better weathering, sheltered openings and robust fixings. Where an AONB or coastal policy applies, visual impact usually carries more weight than size.
Planning note
Cornwall Council will not validate an application without accurate existing plans and elevations, so the survey is the first thing that gets done, not an optional extra.
Recent work nearby
Recent Widemouth Bay rear extension specified A4 stainless throughout for the salt-laden boundary.
See more recent North Cornwall work →What we focus on
Measured Surveys considerations specific to Bude.
01
Boundary positions, drainage runs and manhole covers matter as much as the house itself once an extension is proposed.
02
Cornish stone and cob walls are rarely parallel and often vary in thickness between floors, so wall build-ups have to be measured room by room rather than assumed.
03
Roof pitches on slate roofs vary along the length of the run, and a survey that misses that produces a dormer or rooflight detail that will not sit flush.
04
Where a neighbouring property is attached, a party wall line has to be recorded accurately before any structural design begins.
Our process
How a Bude measured survey project runs.
Step 1
Address and scope
You send the address and rough size, we confirm a fixed fee and a date.
Step 2
Site visit
Room by room measurement, elevations, levels, photographs and drainage.
Step 3
Drawing up
The measurements are drawn as existing plans, elevations and sections at scale.
Step 4
Issue and check
You receive PDF and CAD files, and we walk through anything unusual we found.
Step 5
Design or handover
The survey becomes the base drawing for design, or it is yours to take elsewhere.
Surveys range from a single room reconfiguration to a full farmstead with several outbuildings recorded in one visit.
Local fabric
What sets a Bude measured survey brief apart.
Building stock
Across Bude (EX23) we work on Victorian seaside houses, Edwardian villas, post-war estates, modern Persimmon-style estates, architect-designed coastal homes at Maer Cliff. Each stock type drives a different measured survey response — post-war estates in particular needs careful detailing here.
Parish & policy
Bude is its own town in North Cornwall, with planning history that's specific to the EX23 catchment.
Coverage
We cover EX23 from our studio, with regular measured survey jobs also running in North Cornwall. Most Bude site visits get booked within the same week.
Can you handle both planning and build in Bude?
Yes — design, planning, building regs and full construction run under one roof. For clients with an existing Bude builder we can stop at a tender-ready Full Plans pack instead.
Request a free visitBude is the hub for these neighbourhoods
We run measured surveys across Bude and the surrounding EX23 neighbourhoods — same studio, same site team.
- Flexbury
EX23
Other services in Bude
If you take one thing from this page: in Bude do not let anyone design from an old estate agent floor plan. It is the cheapest possible saving and the most expensive one to unpick on site.
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