Find a Surveyor you can trust in Dartmouth.

Basically, a chartered surveyor is a building surveyor who inspects a property for faults or defects as well as future issues or problems. They’re also able to work out the value of a property and also prepare a report in order to help you determine whether or not the property is a good investment or if there are any issues that may create problems later in the future such as damp, structural issues and the likes. In order to become chartered surveyor, a surveyor will need to undergo additional qualifications and possess a specific level of experience which is RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) approved. It’s possible that some surveyors may not have pass through these additional levels to become chartered, however it’ll still be regulated by RICS and be fully qualified. These can be termed as Assoc RICS, associates or building surveyors. While you don’t necessarily have to use a chartered surveyor for your survey, it’s highly advisable to use RICS approved experts.

Just like any other building surveyor, chartered surveyors work by visiting the property, assessing various areas while also determining any defects on site. Once done, they’ll then state all findings in a report for you to help you make the best possible informed decision, whether or not you’ll want to go ahead with the purchase or re-negotiate the terms of the purchase based on the findings in the report. 

You’ll need to hire the services of a chartered surveyor after you’ve made an initial offer on the property and it has been accepted. Most offers are made “subject to survey”, in order words, the seller is well aware that if the survey reveals something unexpected, you can decide to back of the agreement or request a reduction in price.

Primarily, quantity surveying is all about the calculation and management of the project related costs, which usually commences with helping with the initial estimates right down to assisting with the finalizing of the overall requirements of the budget. The work is done both on the site as well as in the office with the main goal of minimizing expenses and also to keep them within the set limits of a budget. On a day to day basis, a quantity surveyor is expected to undertake a number of activities which includes preparing tender and contract documents, carrying out analysis, monitoring costs variation and preparing reports, determining the client’s requirements and taking on feasibility studies, distributing work to sub contractors as well as making the necessary payments.

From the start of a building project, quantity surveyors are charged with carefully monitoring all unexpected changes which can lead to fluctuation in costs. Over the course of the project, however, they’re expected to tackle crucial tasks such as outcome analysis, work evaluation as well as progress reports. What’s more? It’s also very common for surveyors to carry on extra responsibilities which includes allocation works to subcontractors, ordering of construction materials as well as seeing to the arrangement of payments. Generally, the list of what they can handle can be limitless, it all depends on the project as well as the employer.

It’s highly likely to believe that quantity surveyors are only involved in large construction projects, but this is actually not the case. Apart from working with local authorities, commercial businesses, consultancies as well as property developers, quantity surveyors also offer their services to small both residential clients and small business owners. They’re very flexible and can capitalize on many different services like providing an initial maintenance schedule for Strata managers and many more.

A Structural Engineer is quite likely to be a participant of the ICE (Institution of Civil Engineers) or a registered member of IStructE (Institution of Structural Engineers) and also will probably have after his or her name the letters MIStructE, FIStructE, MICE or FICE. Structural Engineers with these letters after their names are referred to as Chartered Engineers.

It is usually encouraged that you involve the services of a Chartered Engineer as opposed to an Engineer that is not chartered but it should be noted that there are some Engineers with significant experience who are not chartered. The choice is yours.

Structural Engineers are experts in the structure of establishments (structures, wall structures as well as roofs). They give solutions whereby they will evaluate issues with existing establishments as well as additionally aid with structural design and computations for changes. They can additionally supply solutions in regard to the design of brand-new premises as well as planning permission applications.

Common reasons you may need a structural engineering inspection are

1. Bowing/cracked foundation
2. Settlement or wall cracks
3. To remove a wall in a remodel
4. Add solar panels to a roof
5. Add a second story to a home

Generally, quantity surveyors are tasked with the calculation as well as management of the costs relating to projects, starting with assisting with the initial estimates to finalizing the overall requirements of the budget. Normally, they work in land management, property as well as construction industries. Quantity surveyors are usually engaged at the start of a project, consulted and brought in to take a look at a planned construction’s feasibility or repair needs, they then subsequently supervise the remaining activities during the capital expenditure phases of the project development.

Quantity surveyors will help you by working with architects, accountants, engineers, building owners, builders, developers, financiers, government, insurance underwriters, loss adjusters, sub contractors as well as solicitors. The extensive knowledge they possess about the costs related to construction allows them to undertake a number of meaningful tasks to assist you with your project.

Before the construction work commences, quantity surveyors can help with the following:

• Preparation of a feasibility study
• Estimation to define the project budgets
• Carry out an analysis to refine the budget as the design documents develop
• Preparation Bill of Quantities so as to help with the tender process and also to carry out a review of Builder’s tender submissions.

During the construction process, quantity surveyors provide the following services:

• They can help provide cost control services
• Carry out an assessment of the builder’s progress claims
• Carry out an assessment of variation and delay claims.

Finally, after completion of the construction project, quantity surveyors can assist with the following:

• Determination of the final project cost
• Preparation the tax depreciation reports for both investors as well as property owners and;
• Preparation Expert Witness reports to assist in the settlement of building disputes.

With all the aforementioned responsibilities of quantity surveyors, you may be tempted to think that they’re only involved in large construction projects, but this is totally wrong. Quantity surveyors are able to offer their services to both residential clients and small business owners, asides from working with local authorities, commercial businesses, consultancies as well as property developers.

If you’re thinking about hiring the services of a quantity surveyor for your next building project, then you might probably want to know how much its going to cost to enable you set a budget and start to plan. However, there’s no single and straightforward answer to this question as the price of a survey is dependent on a wide array of factors. The primary drivers include the scope of the construction, the complexity of the property, the level of skill required to make appropriate assessment of the property as well as the level of liability that will be covered by the quantity surveyor. In a more simpler terms, the cost of a quantity surveyor is determined by the size, age, condition, complexity and to some extent agreed purchase price.

Generally, most quantity surveyors are charged out at a rate of £100 per hour. And as a result, the price of a quantity survey is related to the number of hours that’s going to take to make an in depth assessment of the property. Typically, several quantity surveys will take up to half a day on site with a further half going to the production of the survey report. Consequently, it would be totally fair to say that a quantity survey would cost you anywhere within the range of £600 to £800 plus VAT. For a less detailed and simpler survey such as RICS Homebuyers Report and Valuation, you can expect to use only a couple of hours on site which will also be topped by a few hours of work in the report production. As a result, the normal cost of a Homebuyer survey would be between the range of £400 to £500 plus VAT. However, you should take note that the prices can vary on a geographical basis.