Pre-Construction Drainage Surveys
Know exactly what drainage is already in the ground before you design, price or dig – surveyed, traced and drawn in CAD across Scotland’s Central Belt.
Call Us For A Free Quote 0345 548 5451- Surveyors based in Glasgow & Falkirk
- Graded defect reports & footage
- Drain mapping & CAD drawings
Pre-construction drainage surveys in Glasgow, Edinburgh & Central Scotland
A pre-construction drainage survey records the existing drainage on a site before design is fixed or works start. We CCTV each accessible run, lift every chamber, trace connections and record pipe sizes, materials, invert levels, cover levels and depths, then draw it all up in CAD so the design team and groundworkers are working from the same accurate information.
Because Ambler Group is a utility surveying company first, we can deliver your drainage survey on the same visit as a PAS128 utility survey and a topographical survey. That means one team on site, one set of RAMS and one coordinated drawing showing drainage, buried services and site levels together.
Find out more about our PAS128 utility surveys, GPR surveys, topographical surveys and drainage surveys across the UK on the main Ambler Group website.
Contact usWhy survey drainage before construction?
Drainage is one of the most common sources of unknowns on brownfield and refurbishment projects. Old runs are often missing from record drawings, built in different materials from what the plans say, or in worse condition than anyone expected. Finding that out once excavation has started means redesign, delays and variations.
A survey at the start lets the designer decide what can be reused, where new connections can be made, which runs need diverting or abandoning, and what the existing outfall levels allow. It also gives the principal contractor reliable information for the construction phase plan and for avoiding strikes on live drainage.
- Confirms the route, depth and condition of existing drainage before design is fixed
- Identifies runs that can be reused, and those that need lining, replacing or abandoning
- Gives real invert levels for gravity design and new connections
- Reduces the risk of unexpected strikes and redesign during groundworks
- Feeds directly into the pre-construction information and health and safety file
What a pre-construction drainage survey covers
We agree the extent of the survey with you against a site plan – often the full site boundary plus connections out to the public sewer. On site we lift and record each chamber, survey each accessible length by CCTV, trace runs between chambers and to unrecorded connections, and pick up positions and levels with GNSS or total station so the drawing is tied to your site grid or Ordnance Survey.
Where pipes are too silted to survey we can jet them first, so you get a complete picture rather than a list of abandoned lengths. Defects are graded and located so the designer can see the condition of anything being kept.
Combine it with utilities and topography
Most pre-construction instructions in Scotland need more than drainage. Our PAS128 utility surveys locate water, gas, electric and telecoms using electromagnetic location and ground-penetrating radar, and our topographical surveys pick up levels, features and boundaries. Delivered together, you avoid three contractors, three mobilisations and three drawings that never quite line up.
Who uses this survey
- Main contractors and principal contractors
- Groundworks and civils contractors
- M&E and drainage designers
- Developers and project managers
- Architects and engineers on refurbishments
What you receive
- Drainage layout drawing in CAD (DWG/DXF) with pipe sizes, materials, flow directions, cover and invert levels
- Manhole and chamber schedule
- Graded CCTV condition report with photographs and footage
- Recommendations on reuse, repair or replacement
- Optional combined drawing with PAS128 utilities and topographical survey
CCTV drainage surveys for construction projects in Central Scotland
Main contractors, groundworkers, M&E contractors and developers use us at every stage of a build, not just when something goes wrong.
Pre-construction
Existing drainage traced, surveyed and drawn with levels and depths – combined with a PAS128 utility survey so the design team and groundworkers start from one accurate set of drawings.
During construction
Checks on new runs before backfilling or surfacing, connection surveys into existing sewers, and investigation when existing drainage is damaged or found unrecorded.
Pre-handover & vesting
Full CCTV of new foul and surface water drainage before practical completion, retention release or a request to vest sewers with Scottish Water, with defects listed for remedial works.
As-built records
Drainage as-built drawings in CAD and survey footage for the O&M manual and health and safety file.
How it works
- 1
Send us the site
Email a site plan or marked-up aerial with the areas and runs you need covering, plus access notes.
- 2
Fixed quote and RAMS
We confirm scope, days on site and any jetting, and issue site-specific RAMS for your induction.
- 3
Survey on site
Our surveyors attend from our Glasgow and Falkirk bases, set out traffic management where needed and survey the network.
- 4
Report and drawings
You receive the report, footage and drawings in formats your team or client can use straight away.
Pre-construction drainage surveys across Central Scotland
Our surveyors are based in Glasgow and Falkirk. Choose your area for local information.
Drainage surveys in Glasgow
Commercial and contractor drainage surveys across Glasgow city and the surrounding estates, delivered by surveyors based in Glasgow.
View areaDrainage surveys in Edinburgh
Commercial drainage surveys for Edinburgh offices, retail, hospitality, estates and construction sites – with an Edinburgh address and surveyors close by in Falkirk.
View areaDrainage surveys in Falkirk & Grangemouth
Industrial and commercial drainage surveys across Falkirk district, from surveyors based in Falkirk itself.
View areaDrainage surveys in Cumbernauld
Commercial, industrial and construction drainage surveys across Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and the M80 corridor – 20 minutes from our Falkirk and Glasgow surveyors.
View areaDrainage surveys in Stirling
Commercial, public-sector and construction drainage surveys across Stirling and Clackmannanshire, minutes from our Falkirk base.
View areaDrainage surveys in Perth
Commercial, industrial and construction drainage surveys across Perth and Perth & Kinross, reached quickly from our Falkirk base via the M9 and A9.
View areaPre-construction drainage surveys in Central Scotland | Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: When should a pre-construction drainage survey be done?
A: As early as possible – ideally at feasibility or early design stage, before the drainage design is fixed and before the groundworks package is priced. It is far cheaper to design around existing drainage than to discover it during excavation.
Q2: Can you survey drainage and utilities at the same time?
A: Yes. We regularly deliver CCTV drainage surveys alongside PAS128 utility surveys, GPR and topographical surveys, so you get one coordinated set of drawings from one team.
Q3: Will the drawing work with our design software?
A: Yes. We supply CAD drawings in DWG or DXF, on your site grid or Ordnance Survey coordinates, so they drop straight into your design.
Q4: What if pipes are blocked or full of silt?
A: We can jet and clean runs before surveying them so the camera can see the pipe wall. If you would rather not, we record where a survey could not continue and why.
Need a service & ready to book? Call us 0345 548 5451
Email usWhy choose Ambler Group for your drainage surveys in Central Scotland?
Surveyors based in Scotland
Our surveyors work from Glasgow and Falkirk, so your site in Central Scotland gets a local Scottish team who know the area – not a crew driving up from England.
Surveyors, not drain clearers
We survey and report rather than sell repairs, so our findings and recommendations are independent and written for FMs, landlords, designers and contractors.
Everything in one visit
CCTV drainage, PAS128 utility, GPR and topographical surveys from one team, with one set of RAMS and one coordinated set of drawings.
If you’re looking for reliable, professional CCTV drainage surveys in Central Scotland, contact us today!
Related drainage surveys
Drain mapping & tracing
Accurate drainage plans with levels and depths, where records are missing or wrong.
Find out moreAs-built drainage surveys
Measured as-built drainage drawings and CCTV records for handover.
Find out moreScottish Water vesting surveys
CCTV of new sewers and manhole records to support a request to vest with Scottish Water.
Find out moreGuides for this survey
Scottish Water Vesting: A CCTV Survey Guide for Developers
Where the CCTV survey fits in vesting, the common defects that hold it up, and how to plan around them.
Read the guide GuideDrainage Surveys Before Construction: A Checklist for Contractors
What to survey, what to ask for and when, so existing drainage doesn’t surprise you mid-programme.
Read the guide GuideCCTV Drainage Survey, Drain Mapping or Utility Survey: Which Do You Need?
What each survey tells you, when you need it, and when to combine them.
Read the guideOther surveys we provide in Central Scotland
Ambler Group is a full surveying company. Book your drainage survey alongside any of these and get one team, one set of RAMS and one coordinated set of drawings.
PAS128 Utility Surveys
Locating and mapping buried services – water, gas, electric, telecoms, drainage – to PAS128 quality levels before you dig.
Find out moreGPR Surveys
Ground-penetrating radar for non-metallic services, voids, and concrete scanning (ferroscanning) of slabs and structures.
Find out moreTopographical Surveys
Measured site surveys of levels, features and boundaries in CAD, ready for design, planning and setting out.
Find out moreDesktop Utility Searches
Statutory record (STATs) searches from asset owners, compiled into a single pack before site works or design.
Find out moreBorehole Clearance
Service clearance of borehole and trial pit positions for site investigation contractors.
Find out moreDrainage Surveys (UK-wide)
Our main drainage survey service page, covering CCTV drainage surveys and drain mapping across the UK.
Find out moreClients Reviews
“I contacted Ambler group for help and advice and they found me the perfect solution saving me money. Such a friendly and professional team I’d highly recommend them to anyone needing to locate underground services.”
Ambler Group client – CCTV and utility survey
Contact Us
Book a drainage survey
For a fast, fixed quote, send us:
- The site address or postcode
- A site plan or marked-up aerial image showing the areas to survey
- What the survey is for – purchase, design, handover, maintenance or a defect
- Access notes – working hours, permits, inductions
We usually come back with a fixed quote the same or next working day.
Locations:
5 South Charlotte Street,
Edinburgh EH2 4ANAmbler Group Limited
Springfield House, Springfield Road,
Horsham RH12 2RGCompany registration number: 12568344
Surveyors based in:
Glasgow and Falkirk, covering Glasgow, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Cumbernauld, Stirling, Perth and the rest of Central Scotland.