I’m glad I don’t think too much before I tackle a job. Try going into an abandoned industrial building sometime complete with bats that doesn’t have any power.  There was also a burned out, condemned apartment building with heavy water damage, that I had to go onto the 2nd floor of for rafter information.  Getting on steeply pitched roofs is also risky.  But hey, if men didn’t have war stories to tell I’m not sure they’d know what to do! This occupation takes a certain spirit and a certain character of determination.  You need to be a person who completes what they start to do it.

I’ve had all sorts of COOL EXPERIENCES going into numerous unusual building situations.  But I’d have to say the most precious was when I saw actual blood from the Civil War stained deep into the 2nd story floor boards of the 1848 House Restaurant in Marietta, Georgia.  It was a historic mansion that was turned into a surgery during our nations most horrific challenge.  For years it had been a notable fine restaurant.  I was called in to document floor plans, elevations, wall sections and the roof plan.  Purchased by an area couple after going out of business, the restaurant was going to be converted back into a personal residence.  The architect, Richard Todd of Todd Architects in Marietta wanted incredible detail.  He even wanted me to capture the wood work profiles on the door jambs.  I appreciate every job like this that I ever did for making me the Building Measurement Professional that I am.

2011 – Started out a little slow for us. I had one person working for me and things were tight. Then we landed a contract with an architect who was working for the state of Georgia. It resulted in a total of 65 buildings for us. And they were easy! There were some times when money didn’t come in as fast as I would have liked but somehow we made it through. While doing those buildings a Double Tree Hotel in Marietta, Georgia came in. At First I turned it down thinking I couldn’t do it while doing the buildings for the state. I did it anyway and it worked out fine. While still in the middle of all this work I indirectly got an Engineering contract with Mississippi State University to Analyze the plans for all 77 buildings on their campus to reveal energy efficiency information or lack thereof. I went from having one employee to temporarily having 7!  We plan to continue operating in this expanded state and we want to get into the field of photo-realistic rendering using a program called Renderworks from Vectorworks.
WE ARE PUMPED!

About 3 or 4 years ago, I was approached by Give Me Power Corporation to be a measuring subcontractor for them in the Southeast.  I very flatly refused feeling it just wasn’t right.  Give Me Power is who invented and marketed the computerized measuring software SiteMaster that I had been using in my business for about 5 years.  They knew I was very proficient and accomplished at using their software and they wanted to somehow benefit from what I had learned.

After another phone call they suggested instead, that I come on board as a traveling instructor on the use of their software.  I’m glad I accepted because the experience was amazing.  I taught at a Military Base, a National University and Corporate Offices on the east coast and in Texas.

It’s easy to think you might know something until you teach.  It seems the only thing students want to know is whatever you don’t!  That must be why the teacher always learns more than the student.  I personally used the experience to become faster and more efficient in the jobs I was measuring back at home.  I also considered other ways to approach measuring.  Some students preferred establishing the perimeter of the building from the outside.  While this is faster it has its drawbacks in seeing the laser in the bright sun.  Still, it made me think about things I never would have had I not taught.  It was definitely a time I am fond of and wouldn’t trade for anything.

This has been an incredible journey for me in the past 8 years and I never would have imagined what the Lord would bring my way.  And as I look at it, the journey has just begun!

I measured my first building in August of 2003, nearly 15 years ago. It was a 12,000 square foot historic building in Commerce, Georgia. I delivered electronic CAD Files for 3 floor plans and 4 exterior elevations by email to an engineering firm in Buford, GA. That was the birth of a very creative business niche that has led me to measure and draw up all types of buildings.  I’ve traveled as far north as Vermont, as far south as Florida, as far east as South Carolina and as far west as Mississippi. Now we are wanting to expand that to nationwide and beyond. We are a small but very efficient work force of 2 people, each trained in design, measuring and drawing with Computer Aided Drafting and Design Software.   In 15 years we have measured hundreds of buildings of all sizes ranging from hotels and office buildings, to extremely large mills and industrial buildings. We’ve done mansions that served as hospitals during the civil war, restaurants, buildings that have been devastated by hurricanes and fire, large churches, as well as residences of all types. We are a friendly company that offers outstanding service and has a very local feel to it when dealing with us. In 15 years I have never not been paid for any work I’ve done even though there have been times I had to be patient when collecting an invoice or two.  I think that really says something!

I love the business and am naturally suited for it.   I thank all my loyal and satisfied customers!

Can you imagine what it’s like to look up at a 900,000 square foot, 27 story hotel with 3 wings, and know you’ll have every square inch of it documented in 18 days?! That is, if everything goes like clockwork!  That’s exactly what happened and I am telling you, it was the experience of a lifetime.  We did that job for CMMI, Inc. Architecture and Interior Design in 2008.  The Building?  The Atlanta Hilton.

I had one assistant when I measured that hotel but I’ve measure 2 other major hotels completely on my own.  It’s extremely satisfying to experience that kind of success.  And that success only comes with a tremendous ability to organize and a willingness to work very long and hard hours.  I have to give credit, both to the Hilton Hotel Management and to CMMI, Inc. for tremendous support and guidance.

If you would like to know more about this project, please feel free to leave a comment or contact us directly through our contact page.  Thanks!

It has been my experience that sometimes clients want you to do things to save time and money, when what they may want you to do is really not their best interest. Once a client supplied me with paper drawings that they wanted me to scan in, go on site and then try to correct the distortions.  I spent 3 days on site and another 3 or 4 days working on the drawings at my office.  I knew there was pressure to deliver the results.  These drawings involved BOMA Calculations and the results were critical.  The drawings weren’t at all accurate enough using this method but I just felt sick in that we had shaved off 7 days worth of time.  But there was no way around it, I had to do what was right.  I told the client we would have to start from scratch and not use the scanned paper drawings if we wanted to be in control of accuracy.  Luckily they understood and supported me.

Our confidence in the new calculations diffused a legal battle that had been in progress over alleged discrepancies in square footage amounts.  The other side ended up setting down their arguments and it never went any further.  Needless to say I have only been willing to measure buildings the right way after that experience, no matter what anyone suggests.  I did not charge them any more to complete the job correctly, even though it meant a 2nd trip to the site.  This is how we do business at As-Built CAD.