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Blog: surveys and design

How much does CAD conversion cost in London?

By Property Architecture drawing team, chartered architectural technologists (MCIAT). Published . 3 minute read.

CAD conversion of old plans for a London property costs £189 from us for up to four sheets, with no VAT to add. We redraw paper plans, scanned PDFs or even a photographed sketch as clean, scaled CAD drawings with a clear layer structure, ready to edit and submit. The reason it matters is simple: plans and drawings must be drawn to an identified scale, and plans must show the direction of northGOV.UK planning practice guidance, Making an application.

From £189 total

  • MCIAT chartered
  • £2m PI insured
  • LABC Partnered
  • Fixed fees, no VAT to add

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    Key takeaways

    What the conversion costs

    Our fee is £189 for up to four sheets. A sheet is one drawing page, such as a floor plan, an elevation or a section. For each we redraw the lines to scale, tidy the layers, label the rooms and issue the file in a form a designer or a council can use. See our CAD conversion page for the formats.

    More than four sheets is quoted after we see the originals. The cost grows with the amount of detail, not just the number of pages, and we tell you before starting.

    What the fee includesUp to four sheets redrawn as scaled CAD; A clear layer structure; Rooms labelled, with north point and scale bar; Checked against your original by a second person; Issued as DWG and PDFWhat the fee includesUp to four sheets redrawn as scaled CADA clear layer structureRooms labelled, with north point andscale barChecked against your original by asecond personIssued as DWG and PDFFixed fee from £189, no VAT to add
    What our CAD conversion includes.

    Why a scan is not enough

    A scan is a picture. It cannot be edited, the scale is often wrong after printing, and thin lines blur. Councils want plans they can measure: plans and drawings must be drawn to an identified scale, and plans must show the direction of northGOV.UK planning practice guidance, Making an application. A scan that has been copied several times, or shrunk to fit a page, is not to scale in any dependable way.

    A CAD drawing is built from lines with real coordinates. Once the scale is set it holds when printed, and the drawing can be changed by the next designer without starting again. For a property that has no digital plans, conversion is the least expensive way to get a base to work from. Land Registry guidance adds a point about disclaimers: a plan should not be endorsed 'Do not scale from this drawing' and should include a bar scaleHM Land Registry, Guidance for preparing plans for HM Land Registry applications.

    A hand drawing a floor plan with a black pen on tracing paper
    Hand-drawn or printed plans are redrawn as CAD with correct scale and layers. Photo: homegets.com, CC BY 2.0

    What planning expects of a drawing

    A drawing for a planning application has requirements a copy of an old plan may not meet. Location plans: based on an up-to-date map, at a scale typically of 1:1250 or 1:2500GOV.UK planning practice guidance, Making an application. The site boundary: edged clearly with a red line, including all land needed to carry out the developmentGOV.UK planning practice guidance, Making an application. And land owned nearby: a blue line drawn around any other land owned by the applicant, close to or adjoining the siteGOV.UK planning practice guidance, Making an application. The council can also ask for more through its local list: plans and other information may be requested through the local list where it is reasonable to do soGOV.UK planning practice guidance, Making an application.

    We apply these when we redraw, so the drawing is ready to use for an application. If the original is missing a north point or a scale bar, we add them from the information available and tell you what we assumed. We draw the red and blue lines only where you give us the boundary evidence, since we cannot invent a boundary.

    Accuracy: what a conversion can and cannot do

    A conversion is only as good as the source. If the paper plan was wrong in the 1980s, the CAD drawing will be wrong in the same way. We check that dimensions on the page agree with each other and flag anything that does not, but we do not visit the building.

    If accuracy matters, for a planning application or a sale, a measured building survey is the better base, and its fee is of the same order. The CAD file can take the surveyed dimensions.

    How the job runs, step by stepSend us the paper plans, PDF or photographs Then: We check the dimensions on the page agree with each other Then: Plans redrawn as scaled CAD with a clear layer structure Then: Rooms labelled, north point and scale bar added Then: Second person checks against the original Then: Files issued as DWG and PDFSend us the paper plans, PDF orphotographsWe check the dimensions on the pageagree with each otherPlans redrawn as scaled CAD with aclear layer structureRooms labelled, north point and scalebar addedSecond person checks against theoriginalFiles issued as DWG and PDF
    From your files to clean CAD drawings.

    Where a converted drawing leads

    Most conversions are the first step. The CAD base goes on to a planning set, a building regulations pack or a feasibility study. Our floor plans service starts from a measured visit and is the alternative when the old drawings cannot be trusted.

    Tell us what you intend to do with the drawings, and we will say whether conversion or a fresh survey is the right base.

    The figures, with sources

    What plans must show
    plans and drawings must be drawn to an identified scale, and plans must show the direction of northGOV.UK planning practice guidance, Making an applicationChecked 25 October 2026
    Location plan scale
    based on an up-to-date map, at a scale typically of 1:1250 or 1:2500GOV.UK planning practice guidance, Making an applicationChecked 25 October 2026
    The application site on the location plan
    edged clearly with a red line, including all land needed to carry out the developmentGOV.UK planning practice guidance, Making an applicationChecked 25 October 2026
    Other land owned by the applicant
    a blue line drawn around any other land owned by the applicant, close to or adjoining the siteGOV.UK planning practice guidance, Making an applicationChecked 25 October 2026
    Information councils may require with an application
    plans and other information may be requested through the local list where it is reasonable to do soGOV.UK planning practice guidance, Making an applicationChecked 25 October 2026
    Land Registry plan guidance
    a plan should not be endorsed 'Do not scale from this drawing' and should include a bar scaleHM Land Registry, Guidance for preparing plans for HM Land Registry applicationsChecked 25 October 2026

    Questions

    Can you convert a photograph of a sketch?

    Yes, if it has dimensions or a known reference length. A sketch with no dimensions is redrawn to the information available, and we tell you what we assumed.

    Will the CAD drawing be exactly to scale?

    It will be drawn to the scale you need, from the dimensions on the original. If the original is inaccurate, the drawing will be too, which is why a survey is the safer base for a planning application.

    What file formats do you issue?

    DWG for editing and PDF for printing and submission. Tell us if you need another format.

    Do you need to visit the property?

    No, for a conversion. We work from your files. If you want a visit, that is a measured survey.

    Header photo: A pencil sketch of a house on drawing paper with a set square, scale rule and pencils laid beside it by Czapp Árpád, Pexels License.

    The fixed fee for cad conversion

    Fixed fee
    from £189
    Total you pay
    from £189

    No VAT to add. The fee is fixed in writing after a free constraints check of your address.

    What you get

    • Up to four sheets redrawn as scaled CAD
    • A clear layer structure
    • Rooms labelled, with north point and scale bar
    • Checked against your original by a second person
    • Issued as DWG and PDF
    • More about our cad conversion
    Request your fixed quoteCall 020 7131 9703
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    Tell us about your property.

    We check the constraints, then send a fixed fee. Messages before 3pm get a reply the same working day.

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