Building Refurbishment, Maintenance & Development Surveys

Measured surveys provide you with detailed and accurate data from start to finish on your building project. Getting this quality information upfront enables you to create more precise timelines and reduce the chances of unexpected issues. The whole project team can plan ahead with a better understanding of the property’s size, layout and key features.

This allows building contractors and other professionals to concentrate on their own areas of expertise. For instance, taking measurements of the site before design enables architects and designers to focus on the creative process. They will feel reassured knowing they have an accurate and scaled site plan to start from.

Everyone involved in your project, from designers to site contractors, will be working from reliable, measured data. Whether you’re planning extensive maintenance or a full refurbishment, having clear and objective data makes it easier to communicate with all your stakeholders. It helps avoid misunderstandings and enables more efficient collaboration. This leads to a high standard of work from everyone across the project.

Getting the right surveys in place will give you reassurance and peace of mind for legal matters. It ensures you have the best measured data possible for your building refurbishment, renovation or maintenance. This is important for collecting the information needed for planning permission. It also helps meet building regulations and the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations.

Clearly outline the goals for your project. Are you assessing essential maintenance, upgrading facilities with a commercial refurbishment or do you want to redevelop an entire site? Having a better idea of your scope will help you to develop a realistic timeline. It will also impact the types of surveys needed throughout your project.

Once you’re clear about your building and refurbishment goals, you can seek support from professionals. With a good project scope, they will gain the best understanding of what they need to do and can quote for the work realistically.

Property refurbishment costs can quickly spiral, especially if you encounter any unexpected issues. Before agreeing to any initial work, make sure you understand your budget for the project. As well as materials and construction costs, you may also need to pay for professional services like a surveyor, architect or structural engineer.

Creating a realistic budget for your project will show you how viable your plans are and allow you to consider alternatives. For instance, if complete refurbishment costs seem too high upfront, you might want to plan the building work in stages.

You should familiarise yourself with any relevant laws and regulations early on so you can incorporate these into your process. If you’re planning listed building work, you will need additional permissions. Ignoring or forgetting about these can lead to delays and legal issues later on. If you’re converting a property into housing, ensure it can meet the minimum space standards.

Depending on the scale of your maintenance, refurbishment and renovation work, it may need some complex project management. This is certainly more likely if you’re redeveloping a building or site.

You’ll need to plan building material deliveries, site access, and coordination of various contractors. You’ll also need to consider the lead times for architect designs and booking visits from surveyors and structural engineers. If you plan to project manage the work yourself, ensure you block out time for dealing with all this.