Land & Measured Building Survey
Inverdart Boathouse, Dartmouth, Devon

Topographical and measured building survey to support refurbishment of stunning Boathouse

Inverdart Boathouse is one of the most outstanding and extraordinary properties on the River Dart in Devon. Situated on a steep cliff and built into the cliff face, the property is only accessible by boat from the river or by foot from the road at the top of the hill. It has been a development project and labour of love for its original owners since 1993. Inverdart’s new owner purchased the property at the end of 2022 and commissioned local architects, Harrison Sutton Partnership, to draw up plans to make alterations and extensions.

The four storey house which is built from stone quarried from the site, includes a harbour and private jetty excavated out of the solid rock below. It also has a private beach which is accessible at low tide and the original boathouse that dates back to the 1850s. Its harbour, garden and terrace walls are built by the same stonemason who completed the stonework on the house and are flanked by well-established beds, trees and dense vegetation.

Having worked with Survey Solutions previously, the new owner commissioned us to carry out a full building survey to assist the architects with their plans to extend the property. We were also asked to produce a topographical survey of the site to support plans to replace an existing funicular, as well as introduce improvements to pathways leading up to the main road.  

Given the complexity of the site, which includes steep slopes, restricted access due to tides, as well a dense vegetation, surveyors from our Yeovil office visited the property to assess the project. This preliminary meeting with the owner and architects gave us a full understanding of the project’s requirements and areas of particular interest to the architects. It also provided us with an opportunity to evaluate the best solutions to overcome any accessibility challenges. 

The majority of the topographical survey, which was essential to the design of the funicular, was carried out using a traditional total station and GPS. Where accessibility was restricted or hazardous, we deployed a laser scanner, to create a 3D point cloud to accurately depict the surface and extract spot levels. Obtaining spot levels from the shoreline involved returning at low tide when the beach was accessible.

We also conducted a measured building survey of the house and boat house to provide floor plans, elevations and levels of the interiors and exteriors of the buildings. This was completed using a laser scanner with real world reference to GPS coordinates, and included scans of the underground swimming pool that is carved out of the bedrock. 2D drawings of the survey data were produced and have provided the architects with the data they need to draw up their proposed architectural alterations.

“Inverdart Boathouse is certainly one of the most challenging sites to survey. Having Survey Solutions’ visit the site for the preliminary meeting was much appreciated and essential to allow their surveyors to understand our requirements as architects and the complexity of the site. The site’s restrictions has meant that there are gaps in the topographical data, which was to be expected, but the 3D model provided has enabled us to set the site in context.”
Jon Capel, Partner Harrison Sutton Partnership

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