Services
Drone Survey & Inspection Measured Building Survey Topographical Survey LiDAR Survey Photogrammetry CAD & Revit / BIMHeritage & conservation surveys,
recording what can’t be replaced.
Historic fabric gets one chance. Norelo records listed buildings, monuments and conservation projects with non-contact laser scanning, photogrammetry and drone capture, millimetre archival records, repair-ready drawings and condition baselines, gathered without a hand ever touching the stone.
The building is the primary document
Conservation practice starts from an uncomfortable truth: every intervention, however careful, changes the thing it protects, and some fabric is lost to decay no programme can outrun. That’s why recording comes first. A complete, accurate record of a structure as it stands is both the baseline every conservation decision is measured against and, in the worst case, the only version of the building that survives.
Norelo builds that record without touching a stone: terrestrial laser scanning captures geometry to the millimetre, photogrammetry preserves every tool mark and weathered face in true colour, and drone capture reaches spires, wallheads and rooflines no ladder should. West of Scotland sandstone, and its very particular ways of failing, is home ground.
Recording services for historic fabric
From a single carved doorway to a complete estate, matched to recognised recording practice and your conservation team’s needs.
Archival laser scanning
Complete millimetre point-cloud records of listed buildings, ruins and monuments, the definitive geometric archive, captured in hours, kept for generations.
- Full-building records
- Interior & exterior
- E57 open archive
Conservation drawings
Stone-by-stone elevations, plans, sections and profiles drawn from the scan for repair schedules, specifications and listed building consent packages.
- Stone-by-stone detail
- Repair schedule bases
- Consent-ready sets
Photogrammetric recording
Photo-real, measurable 3D models and rectified orthophotos preserving surface condition, carvings and inscriptions in true colour at sub-millimetre texture.
- Sub-mm texture
- Rectified orthophotos
- From £650 +VAT
High-level inspection
Close-up condition capture of spires, towers, wallheads, chimneys and roof structures, decay assessed from the ground, before scaffold is ever priced.
- Spire & tower capture
- Stonework close-ups
- From £395 +VAT
Monitoring & decay baselines
Repeat scans compared against the baseline quantify movement, erosion and loss, evidence for prioritising intervention, and for showing funders why.
- Millimetre comparisons
- Erosion quantified
- Scheduled revisits
Digital access & engagement
Browser-streamed 3D models let committees, funders and the public explore fragile or closed sites remotely, conservation’s case, made visible.
- Share by link
- No software needed
- Public engagement ready
From record to repair to legacy
Understanding before intervention. Recognised conservation practice asks for records proportionate to a building’s significance before works begin, from basic photographic records through to full measured drawings and 3D capture of the most significant fabric. One scanning visit supports every level: the drawings, the orthophotos and the archive all come from the same dataset, at the appropriate depth for the job.
Specifying the repair. Stone-by-stone elevations drawn from the cloud let architects and surveyors mark up each unit for repair, indenting or replacement, and quantify it honestly. Contractors price from drawings that match the wall, and the inevitable discoveries get smaller.
Consents and funding. Listed building consent applications and grant bids are strengthened by professional records: they demonstrate understanding of significance, define exactly what is affected, and commit the before state to permanent, independent evidence.
Watching the fabric. Decay is slow until it isn’t. Baseline scans repeated on a sensible cycle turn “that looks worse” into measured millimetres of loss, movement and lean, the difference between a maintenance case built on impressions and one built on data.
When the worst happens. Fire, storm and collapse have taken buildings that stood for centuries. Where a full record exists, reconstruction, interpretation and insurance all start from truth rather than photographs and memory. The record is cheap insurance for irreplaceable fabric.
Legacy and access. A complete digital record is also an act of generosity to the future: researchers study fabric without site visits, closed or dangerous structures open digitally to the public, and the building’s story survives whatever happens to its stones. We deliver in open formats so the archive outlives any software.
Why conservation teams trust our recording
Respect for the fabric
Entirely non-contact methods, conservation-aware site conduct, and genuine affection for old buildings, we scan castles for fun.
Survey-grade rigour
Control networks and checkpoints behind every record, so measurements hold up in specifications, monitoring comparisons and grant reports.
West of Scotland fluency
Sandstone tenements, kirks, castles and Victorian civic stock are our daily work, we know how this fabric fails and how to record it.
Archives built to last
Open formats, portal access and permanent retention, your record stays usable in ten years, and in fifty.
The jobs we’re asked for most:
Good to know
Is laser scanning safe for fragile historic fabric?
Completely. Scanning and photogrammetry are entirely non-contact, nothing touches the building but light, and drone capture removes the need for ladders and scaffold against delicate fabric. It’s the recommended approach for exactly this reason.
What level of recording does my project need?
It should be proportionate to the building’s significance and the works proposed, from photographic records to full measured drawings and 3D capture. Describe the building and the project and we’ll recommend an appropriate scope; because everything derives from one scan, extending the record later doesn’t mean starting again.
Can your records support a listed building consent application?
Yes. Accurate existing drawings, rectified orthophoto elevations and 3D records demonstrate understanding of the fabric and define precisely what the proposals affect, the quality of record that helps conservation officers say yes.
Can you help evidence a grant or funding application?
Yes. Condition records, measured drawings and monitoring data give funders exactly what they ask for: a clear account of significance, condition and need. Several of our captures have done quiet service in successful applications.
How do you monitor decay or movement over time?
A baseline scan fixes the geometry in millimetres; repeat scans on an agreed cycle are compared against it, and the differences, lean, loss, erosion, opening joints, are mapped and quantified. Impressions become measurements.
Can you record spires, towers and high fabric without scaffold?
Yes, that’s the point of the aircraft. CAA-authorised drone capture records high-level fabric in close-up 4K without scaffold or rope access, condition assessed and priced before anyone commits to the access costs.
What happens to the data long-term?
It’s archived in open formats, E57 point clouds, standard imagery and drawings, and stays available through your portal. Open formats mean the record remains readable regardless of what happens to any particular software vendor, which is rather the spirit of the exercise.