Whether it’s a simple and straight-forward project or a more complex and robust development, a precise, timely and effective measurement process is an indisputable foundation of every successful architecture and design undertaking. Capturing the correct dimensions is one of the cornerstones of a successful outcome, and gives architects, designers and specifiers a better opportunity to complete the project on time, on budget - and in line with their particular vision.
Recognising the pivotal role of onsite measurements, Stormtech - Australia’s most prominent specialised drainage businesses - puts this important process at the heart of their operations. With their area of expertise centred around beautifully designed and technologically advanced drains, Stormtech onsite measure services are designed to capture the exact drainage requirements of the project, focussing on shower, balcony and threshold areas. By engaging Stormtech, clients can expect superior drainage advice, which is particularly valuable if they are less familiar with the brand’s renowned products and drainage solutions.
Here, we break down their outstanding onsite measure services - an involved and invaluable five-stage process the brand provides entirely free of charge.
Stage 1: Understanding the Project Requirements
In order to assess the drainage requirements, the Stormtech team will commence by ascertaining specific details that would inform the measurement process. Regardless of the type of project, they will first try to understand what stage the job is up to, and whether the plumbing has been completed.
From there, in the case of shower and balcony areas, Stormtech will seek to understand how the grate will be used and where it will be installed. These questions will explore the depth and width of the rebate where the drain will be installed, the location of the waste and if it will fit within the drain, the thickness of the tiles - and, of course, what style of grate will best suit the project requirements.
When it comes to thresholds, Stormtech will determine the type and dimensions of doors that are being installed, whether it is sill and sill sub or sill only and request a sample or drawing of the door sill if available. Lastly, Stormtech will want to establish what style of grate is preferred for the project.
Stage 2: Prior to Arrival
Priding themselves in providing a professional and highest quality of services, Stormtech’s involvement commences before their team arrives on site. The preparation stage is as crucial as the onsite assessment, and Stormtech will collect as much information about the building as possible in advance to give clients a good idea of the size and complexity of the drainage requirement.
The team will also work to understand the purpose of the onsite measure, along with the level of detail required. For instance, if Stormtech measure an off the plan project for a quote purpose, the measurements are likely to be less precise. However, if they are working off a drawing as a basis for installation, precision and accuracy will be of utmost importance.
Stage 3: Arriving at the Property
Having done all the prep work and gathered all of the relevant information upfront, the Stormtech team will head to the property in order to carry out the measurements. So what can a client expect once they arrive at the site?
Stormtech will connect with the property owner or Site Manager, followed by a likely site induction, often carried out at the more formal construction sites. In order to get a solid understanding of the site, the team will peruse the property before conducting any measurements - this process offers an opportunity to gauge the scale and size of the full drainage requirement, and allows Stormtech to form a plan, assess if any rooms are inaccessible - and decide on which floor to start on.
Stage 4: Safe, Streamlined and Exact Onsite Measurements
The property owner or Site Manager don’t have to worry about providing any tools or equipment to the Stormtech team - they will arrive at the site fully prepared.
A laser distance measurer is one of the most relevant tools Stormtech has at their disposal. Particularly beneficial for large projects, this tool is more useful than a standard tape measure because it doesn’t droop over longer distances, providing much more reliable and accurate measurements for features that are quite far away.
Equally as important is a camera - or a mobile phone equipped with an appropriate lens. High quality photos and videos are used alongside the measurement notes and are instrumental to outputting correct and realistic drawings.
Stage 5: Now, Onto the Drawing Board
With the onsite visit completed, Stormtech will proceed to plan the drainage requirements out. What does this process entail?
They will start with planning the requirements by capturing the relevant project details, like the client name, property address and delivery date. From there, they will commence preparing the sketch of the property, followed by an incorporation of the relevant dimensions.
Generally, they will start in one corner of the drainage area and sketch out the shape of the room the requirements are in. For ultimate precision, Stormtech uses squared paper that helps to draw straight and diagonal lines. The squares are 5mm and symbolise 200mm in real life, and this approximation helps produce sketch layouts that are more representative of the actual project. For example, if they are drawing a threshold for a sliding door (which is usually 2400mm or so), the width of the threshold on the page will be 12 squares (200mm x 12).
Once completed, the sketch is then passed onto the Stormtech’s customer service team. It’s their job to put the requirement into Stormtech’s customized in-house system that generates detailed drawings of all of the products required for the project. It will generate a quote for the customer to sign off and, after confirmation from the customer, the system will then generate a job run sheet for Stormtech’s manufacturing team.
As the above break-down aptly demonstrates, the onsite measurements are a labour-intensive process that offers unquestionable benefits to the architecture and design industry - the value of which is only further amplified by the fact that Stormtech provides these crucial services at no extra cost.