For many first time builders starting off on their one off house, they may not be fully aware of the protocols and technicalities of building projects, therefore it makes sense to use the services of professionals who are used to building and deal with it day in and day out. The first port of call is usually the architect to complete the design and submit planning applications. Sometimes people will get an engineer to do this design and submission either. Both are equally as useful and good, but both with different priorities on a build but achieving the same end goal – The architect to the overall look, concept and finish to the job, the engineer to the practicality and structural soundness. Therefore it is worthwhile to have both if you have a complicated project that requires unusual structural work (steel frames, poor ground conditions etc).
So where does the Quantity Surveyor come in? What can your QS do that the architect or engineer cannot do? Quantity Surveyors are considered the economists of the construction industry and are also referred to as a construction cost consultants. A Quantity Surveyor is central to the decision making process throughout the development of a project, from initial inception to final completion. For one off builds, you may not need a QS for the full duration, the work at pre construction stage may be enough for the project to go forward with a set budget to work with. However their input during the build when inevitable variations occur are vital and can help keep the smooth running of the project with budget always in mind.
By engaging a Quantity Surveyor, you will have a more defined total of costs for which you can apply for your mortgage. Some mortgage brokers will also require you to engage the services of a QS for this reason.
But what purpose does your QS serve? The job will cost what it will cost? Maybe so, however, while your architect may have designed a superb project that looks beautiful, has all budget consideration been accounted for in their design? If there are highly specified materials and finishes that would put your project over budget, you may not be aware of these overruns until far too late into the project. This is why your QS is invaluable to you at pre construction stage to highlight these potential large costs which would see your project go over budget, not completed or needing to find additional money to finish it out.
By using a QS, you can find these particular high costs and replace them with alternative options which can save you money. And it could be a case where you then have the budget later into your project that you can put these items back in should all go well through the initial structural phases. A lot of people don’t realise, a huge portion of the costs on the project come late on with finishes and not in the initial structural frame. And by that stage it could be too late to have alternative cheaper options.
The cost benefit to using a QS at pre construction stage could be huge. On one particular job we worked on, a client had a set budget amount, they had their mortgage total and a small amount of funds, but really had nothing else to put in and they had to be under that total. The project was highly specified and was €40,000 over budget. A considerable total and one that was totally unachievable for the client. If they had moved forward as it was drawn up, they would have had a shell but no fit out and left unfinished. We then worked on reducing some of the external finishes, reducing some specifications on particular finishes and M&E works to bring the full total back within their limits. So for a very small outlay by the client to the QS to compile a budget, they effectively saved €40,000 and knew that once they started, they would end up with a fully finished home they could move into.
Your QS will produce a schedule of all materials and the rates they will cost for purchase and installation by subcontractors which is called a “Bill of Quantities”. By having this BOQ, you will be able to use it as a budget target going forward. There may be some ups and downs, but by having this, you will be able to track everything going forward and be safe in the knowledge that when you get to the latter stages of the project you wont be running out of money to finish it off and move in. There are enough headaches throughout a self build project, cost over runs and budget concerns can be a huge one, so it makes sense to have as much control over this as possible and this is why the QS can be an essential component in your self build project.