What does a building surveyor do? - I'll tell you all about my role
July 2024When people ask me what I do for a living I reply, ‘I’m a building surveyor.’
That’s either the end of the conversation or they say, ‘what does that involve?’ At this point rather than boring them with my full list of services. I tell them ‘I undertake detailed assessments of properties, to identify problems and provide recommendations for investigation and repair to clients’.
This is only half the story. With 25 years’ experience working within the industry, my skillset is a lot broader than that!
So, I thought I would list the types of work that I carry out on a weekly basis.
- Conservation and Regulation: Dealing with refurbishment, repair and maintenance works. Ensuring conservation of the property and also adhering to Government guidelines for safety, health, comfort and efficiency for occupants.
- Defect Diagnosis / Building Pathology: Investigating building defects, identifying symptoms, causes and necessary remedial works and if appropriate arranging for repairs to be carried out.
- Building Surveys / Acquisition surveys: Preparation of detailed building surveys prior to the purchase of freehold or leasehold interests in commercial and industrial property.
- Refurbishment / Fit out: Managing the construction process from inception through to completion. Including all pre-and post-contract services, financial control and dealing with any necessary statutory approvals.
- Dilapidations: Preparation of interim and final schedules of dilapidations on behalf of landlords. Representing tenants where interim or final schedules have been served.
- Schedules of Condition: Preparation of schedules of condition, to accurately record the condition of leasehold premises at the lease commencement date.
- Project Management: Management of the design and overseeing the construction process, on new build and major refurbishment projects from inception through to completion.
- Development Monitoring: Monitoring major construction projects on behalf of freehold investors, funding institutions or tenants. Ensuring that the works are designed and constructed in accordance with the development brief.
- Planned Preventative Maintenance Programmes: Preparation of planned maintenance programmes for individual properties or property portfolios. Dealing with all pre-and post-contract services relating to repair and maintenance projects.
- Reinstatement Cost Assessment for Insurance Purposes: Appraisal of the total cost to demolish and rebuild a property, in case of total loss or substantial damage for insurance purposes.
No day is ever the same, I could be visiting a listed building in Oxford or a modern industrial unit in Birmingham, providing advice on environmental, health & safety issues of buildings, or dealing with planning and building regulation applications, back in the office.
Whatever the project, I make sure that I understand the needs of the client and how I can best help them. If I can assist you with any of the above. Please feel free to get in contact, email robertcant@gjsdillon.co.uk or call 01905 676179.