Why Use a Quantity Surveyor?
For many first-time builders starting out on their one-off house, the protocols and technicalities of a building project may be unfamiliar. It therefore makes sense to use the services of professionals who deal with construction projects day in and day out.
The first port of call is usually the architect, who will complete the design and submit the planning application. In some cases, an engineer may carry out the design and submission instead.
Both professionals have important roles, but with different priorities. The architect is generally concerned with the overall look, concept and finish of the project, while the engineer focuses on practicality and structural soundness. On a more complicated project involving unusual structural work, such as steel frames or difficult ground conditions, there may be good reason to involve both.
Where Does the Quantity Surveyor Come In?
So where does the Quantity Surveyor fit into the process? What can your QS do that the architect or engineer does not?
Quantity Surveyors are often described as the economists of the construction industry and are also known as construction cost consultants. A Quantity Surveyor can play a central role in the decision-making process throughout a project, from its initial stages through to final completion.
For a one-off house, you may not necessarily require a Quantity Surveyor for the full duration of the build. Their work at pre-construction stage may be enough to allow the project to move forward with a clearly defined budget.
However, their input during construction can also be extremely useful when variations inevitably arise, helping to keep the project running smoothly while maintaining a clear focus on the budget.
Establishing a Realistic Budget
By engaging a Quantity Surveyor, you can establish a more clearly defined total project cost, giving you a much stronger basis on which to plan your finances and mortgage requirements.
Some mortgage brokers may also require you to engage the services of a Quantity Surveyor for this reason.
You might reasonably ask: “The job will cost what it will cost, so what difference can a Quantity Surveyor make?”
Your architect may have designed an excellent project that looks exactly as you hoped, but has every aspect of the budget been considered as part of that design?
If highly specified materials, finishes or building systems are included, they could push the project beyond your available budget. Without detailed cost planning, you may not become aware of those overruns until the project is already well advanced.
Identifying Expensive Decisions Before Construction Starts
This is where the Quantity Surveyor can provide considerable value at pre-construction stage.
Potentially expensive elements can be identified before work begins and alternative options considered where appropriate. This can allow you to reduce costs without compromising the overall viability of the project.
In some cases, you may decide to remove or reduce the specification of certain items initially and then reintroduce them later if the project is progressing comfortably within budget.
A point that many people do not initially appreciate is that a significant proportion of the cost of a house comes later in the project through finishes, mechanical and electrical works and fit-out, rather than simply through constructing the structural frame.
By the time those later stages are reached, it may be too late to make some of the easier or less disruptive savings that could have been identified before construction began.
A Real Example: €40,000 Over Budget
The cost benefit of engaging a Quantity Surveyor at pre-construction stage can be substantial.
On one particular project we worked on, the client had a fixed overall budget. They had their mortgage amount together with a relatively small amount of additional funds, but there was very little scope to exceed that total.
When the project was costed, the proposed specification put it approximately €40,000 over budget.
That was a considerable amount and simply was not achievable for the client. Had they moved forward with the project exactly as originally designed, there was a real risk that they would have ended up with a completed shell but insufficient money to finish and fit out the house.
We worked through the project and identified opportunities to reduce costs, including changes to some external finishes, adjustments to the specification of particular finishes and revisions to elements of the mechanical and electrical works.
Those changes brought the overall project back within the client’s available budget.
For a relatively small outlay on Quantity Surveying and cost planning at the outset, the client was able to address an approximately €40,000 budget problem before construction began and move forward knowing that the finished home could be delivered within their financial limits.
