Residential services at a glance

We specialise in residential pre-purchase surveys on old and historic buildings, especially where clients tend to have more concerns about damp, timber decay and the general condition of the building structure. If you are buying an old or unusual building and want the best possible advice, then please contact us.

Our team carries out detailed building condition surveys and we do our level best to ensure that everything that can reasonably be checked and inspected is reported on. If required we can even include the specialist damp survey work as part of your building condition survey.
Please view our page on building condition surveys Here to see what you can expect from one of our survey reports.

We are one of the leading UK experts on damp, disrepair and building defects in properties and carry out a great deal of expert witness work in this area.

We can undertake cost consultancy as part of the building surveying and construction management role or in the traditional quantity surveyor role. The importance of detailed cost advice and monitoring of costs during the undertaking of any works is of critical importance to the success of any project. Equally,detailed financialplanning at pre-construction stage can ensure that project decisions are based upon sound financial advice and rest within available budgetary constraints.

If you are converting or redeveloping an existing building and do not have existing plans then you will need a full measured survey of the building to allow a set of existing plans to be produced. Our team can then provide architectural services by converting the information into a working set of building plans or you can pass the survey information on to your architect.

We believe passionately that old buildings should be restored sympathetically but we also hold a pragmatic view that they should be as energy efficient as possible, buildings are not meant to be frozen in time. Moreover, if your building is listed you may well need to gain listed building consent from your local planning authority. Where buildings are grade 1 or 2* listed then your local planning authority will need to consult with English Heritage so having a surveyor on board who has the experience to work co-operatively with your planning authority and English Heritage will save you time and money. We can also provide early advice as to what is achievable with your building and can advise on the best methods for sympathetic restoration.

The Party Wall Act 1996 provides a framework for preventing and resolving disputes in relation to party walls, boundary walls and excavations near neighbouring buildings.
A building owner proposing to start work covered by the act must give adjoining owners notice of their intentions in the way set down in the act. Adjoining owners can agree or disagree with what is proposed. Where they disagree, the act provides a mechanism for resolving disputes. Building Surveyors need appointing because there are often complex building technical issues to understand and resolve. Our team have a great deal of experience in this area and will be happy to provide expertise on your behalf as party wall surveyors.

It consistently surprises us that homeowners do not get a detailed building survey when buying properties covered by an NHBC warranty because in our experience these are precisely the properties that require detailed survey work. Take it from us that there is an awful lot not covered by the NHBC warranty and even where you have a fair claim covered by the policy then our experience is that the NHBC do not pay up without a fight. We can help you provide the evidence needed to prove your claim against the NHBC or if the problem is related to a breach of building regulations then you may have a claim against your local authority building control department who were paid to ensure the regulations were complied with.