We would recommend that you obtain advice from your local council about your intended project.

It is good practice to carry out a site visit and inspection and collect as much information as possible about the project to provide the best possible design solution. It also helps avoid any unknowns that could lead to costly amendments further down the line.

A Quantity Surveyor can be employed from the outset of the project and works with the designer in producing a layout and specification which will be within the financial means of the client. A Quantity Surveyor will advise on the most suitable procurement process (how a builder is selected) and what contract would best protect the client. A Quantity Surveyor is a partner to the designer, helping steer the project in a direction that is feasible.

One of the overriding purposes of a Quantity Surveyor is ensure that the client gets Value for Money. This could be saving money or making sure that none is unnecessarily spent.

Before the Project Starts

This is achieved by using their knowledge and experience to ensure that the client does not overpay for their construction project. There are various ways of doing this, it may include writing a schedule of works (a list of tasks required to build the project with quantities for pricing), negotiating a cost plan with a contractor or using a pro-active approach to assess a Design and Build proposition.

During the Project

Quantity Surveyors carry out a variety of tasks through the build stage of a project, the most important of which are:

Valuations (assessments of what payment the builder is due); Cost Reports (an assessment of what the project will cost at completion at monthly intervals) and the Final Account Negotiations (negotiating costs for variations to the original project to come to a final agreed figure).

When the Quantity Surveyor has been included from the outset, all negotiations are based on the competitive rates used at the Tender Stage which ensures that the “suck air through the teeth” method of costing variations is avoided entirely. There should be no nasty surprises! It is this part of the process in which the Quantity Surveyor really earns their money.

Notices can be posted within 48 hours of an instruction to proceed.

A Party Wall Surveyor is a qualified professional who specialises in resolving and preventing any issues between homeowners and neighbours that arise under the ‘Party Wall etc. Act 1996’. This can involve any development involving; party walls (shared walls with neighbours), boundary walls, and excavations near neighbouring buildings. We have party wall surveyors that can assist with your project, please head to our Party Wall section where you find information and help.

Yes. The party wall notice must come from you as the building owner (or you can appoint a surveyor to serve notices on your behalf). There are three types of notice: a Section 1 notice covers building on the line of junction, a Section 3 notice covers works to the party structure and a Section 6 notice covers excavations. If you are unsure of which notice to serve, or what information should be included, you should speak to your party wall surveyor.