Structural Survey: Types of Surveys

If you are a prospective homebuyer, a house survey will help you to identify and highlight potential problems you might face later. The survey is carried by expert building surveyors and usually covers the external and internal condition of the property, its structure, and services. It is important to get a proper survey done before you stretch your money to buy your dream home. Read on to know more about structural surveys or house surveys.

Full Structural Survey

You can get the services of expert structural engineers if you are worried about the structure of the building or if you are buying a period property. The survey will give you all the information to decide whether you should go ahead with your decision. A full structural survey covers information on defects and options of repair and maintenance. It is wise to opt for a structural survey if you plan to buy a larger property or if you are carrying out major renovations.  The cost of the survey depends on the size of the property and the location. Engage experienced and professional building surveyors as the report is vital to your financial health.

Valuation Report

A valuation report provides you information on whether the money you agreed to pay is worth it or not. You can have a desktop valuation where you get comparison reports based on the locality. Alternatively, building surveyors can get into the property and provide you with a report. However, a valuation survey will not highlight any structural problems as structural engineers would do.

Condition Report

Condition reports are designed for conventional homes and newer properties. It provides a concise report on the condition of the property and details of immediate liabilities. This type of survey should be opted for only if you are confident about the state of the building.

Homebuyer Report

A homebuyer report will give you information offered by a condition report along with a market evaluation and estimated insurance cost.

The Importance of a Principal Designer as Per the Law

As per the CDM or the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations, a principal designer is required before construction work starts on a project. This person has a lot of responsibilities and legal duties. The responsibilities begin during the pre-construction phase with the appointment of all the designers required for the project. He or she is responsible for the health and safety of the workers and the project.

 Taking Care of Health and Safety

The main responsibility of the principal designer is to coordinate matters relating to health and safety. This aspect has to be considered right from when the design and technical aspects are decided and also when estimating the time required to complete different stages of work. They have to be on top of the project and would need to identify any risks in the future as well as prevent any foreseeable risk with regard to maintenance and cleaning.

 Advising the Client

As part of his duties, the principal designer will advise clients and coordinate with them. He will manage all the designers and ensure they comply with all regulations. He would also need to coordinate with the principal contractor. Communication skills are very important as this role requires information to be gathered from the client, which is then passed on to contractors and designers and vice versa.

 Increasing Demand for Building Surveyors

As a number of buildings and older properties are being refurbished, the demand for building surveyors has seen a rise. Surveyors offer advice on the different aspects of construction and design, such as restoration of old properties or refurbishments, repairs, and maintenance of buildings. They not only find out if structural faults exist, but they also offer solutions. They are qualified to assess the feasibility of new projects or the suitability of a building for different purposes. They also can advise on property laws and building regulations besides health and safety matters.

Services Offered By Consulting Civil Engineering Firms

 Along with their chief responsibilities of designing the project and ensuring a timely delivery, Consulting Engineering firms also perform two key services: Building Surveys and Flood risk Assessments.

Flood Risk Assessments (FRA) 

A Flood Risk Assessment (FRA) is a critical part of your planning application without which your plan will not get validated. Many developers and architects ignore the importance of an FRA and keep it pending till the last available moment. It is quite important to ensure that this part of the planning gets completed in the initial stages itself to avoid delays and cost overruns.

A Flood Risk Assessment (FRA) basically looks at the risks posed by flooding to the project side and recommends actions to improve the safety of the project and surrounding area. An FRA is mandatory if your project site is over one hectare in size or if it is situated in a Flood Zone. Your consultant engineering

Building Surveys

A building surveyor is responsible to identify and advise repairs, maintenance, and restoration options for existing buildings or buildings with historical importance. Apart from this, the building surveyor must also ensure that projects are completed on budget and to schedule. Preparation of scheme designs with costings, programmes for completion of projects and specification of works, organising documents for tender, determining the condition of existing buildings, identifying and analysing defects, suggesting proposals for repair, etc. also included in the list of responsibilities.

The major part of a building survey involves the management and supervision of maintenance of buildings, dealing with planning applications, assessing and designing buildings to meet the needs of people with disabilities, and advising on the health and safety aspects of buildings.

While selecting a Consulting Engineering firm for your project, ask if they provide these critical services as well.

What Is the Scope of a Civil Engineer and Principal Designer?

Civil engineers and principal designers are both involved in planning and designing buildings and structures. While both do similar functions, let us discuss below how they are different and unique in their scope.

Civil Engineers

In order for a project to be successful, it should involve some key personnel with specific knowledge and experience. Civil engineers are specialised in preliminary surveys, measurements, planning site activities, execution of projects at the sites, execution of structural design, quantity surveying, supervision, material procurement, billing, construction safety, and structural detailing of steel. All activities required for the physical construction of a property are carried out under the supervision of the civil engineer. The civil engineer is the one who turns a design into reality. Civil engineers will be guided by the principal designer’s outlines and dimensions.

Principal Designer

The principal designer is responsible for the overall planning, structural drawing, architectural designing, utilisation of space, application of building bye-laws, application of principles of science, interior design, aesthetics of the environment, and appearance. Principal designers use their creativity to incorporate into building designs. A good principal designer will always consider the practicality of the design so that it can be built more economically and quickly. Principal designers initiate the project through the architect’s drafts. The principal designer makes the floor plans while the civil engineer chooses the material used so that it can function as intended.

The function of a principal designer is to focus more on the spatial functionality and aesthetics, laying more emphasis on artistry, look, feel, and functionality of the design. The civil engineer, on the other hand, concentrates on structural elements of the design, making sure that the structure can endure severe conditions. While some of the duties of civil engineers and principal designers may overlap, a good relationship between both professionals will make the construction job more effective and successful.

The Different Stages of a Construction Project

 A construction project can be divided in to three parts. Firstly, the pre-construction phase where all the planning and designs take the centre stage. Secondly, the construction phase, where the focus is on building up the structure according to the plans and designs from the first phase. The last phase in a construction project is the post-construction phase where one can actually see the project be put to use and building surveyor analyse the quality of the build. Let us look at these phases in detail.

Phase 1- The Pre-construction Phase

The pre-construction phase involves architects and civil engineers who lay out designs and explain them to the clients and the contractors. The Construction (Design and Manufacture) Regulations 2015 mandate that in every construction project involving more than 1 contractor, a Principal Designer must be appointed to make provisions for the health and safety of all on-site.

Phase II- The Construction Phase

The construction phase is when the plans are executed using brick and mortar. The Principal Designer is tasked with formulating a plan for the health and safety of everybody working on site and around the site. This involves listing out the safety hazards on site and coming up with methods to protect those around from possible hazards. For instance, if the construction project involves the use of asbestos, it should be covered up for the safety of everybody on site.

Phase III- The Post-construction Phase

Once the construction is done, the only thing remaining is to ensure that the structure can be used for the intended purpose. A building surveyor is usually hired to conduct an analysis on the quality of the construction and to suggest methods in which construction issues may be resolved.

 

Who Do You Need To Engage To Get An Assessment On Flood Risk?

As per the Environment Agency, around 5.2 million properties in England, or one in six properties, are at risk of flooding. For projects in such areas known to be at risk of flooding, a flood risk assessment is required to be submitted with planning applications. And that’s where your principal designer comes in. A principal designer is an organisation or an individual appointed by a commercial or domestic client to take the lead in the pre-construction phase of a project that involves more than one contractor or if it is reasonably foreseeable that more than one contractor will be used on a project. 

Required by Law

As per the Construction Design and Management Regulations 2015 or CDM 2015, clients are legally obligated to appoint a principal designer for any project that hires more than one contractor. CDM 2015 is regulations that govern the way construction projects are planned in the UK, no matter their size. In short, its intention is to reduce the risk of harm to all concerned with the project, which basically entails the builders, the ones who are going to use and take care of them. This includes the potential damage and harm caused to property and humans in the event of a flood. Flood risk assessment is, therefore, an important element that gets covered by the principal designer.

Appointed in Writing

 

It is worth noting that the principal designer must be appointed in writing. If it is not done, say for a domestic project, then the designer who is in control of the pre-construction phase will automatically be considered as the principal designer. However, in the case of commercial projects, if the client does not make the appointment, then the client themselves automatically become the principal designer and be responsible for all the duties.

Services to Look for to Mitigate the Effects of Floods

 

The principal designer you appoint will look into various aspects related to flood risk assessment. Some of them include flood risk analysis, flood flow route analysis and flood scenario modelling, negotiations with insurers, budget advice as well as maintenance of your flood resilience plan. Therefore, it is very important for the principal designer to have the required skills and expertise to carry out the plan.

The Major Components Of Flood Risk Assessments

If your development falls under one of the flood zones, a principal designer assesses the risks before a project is started. One vital task is to get a flood risk assessment report. An FRA details the main flood risk to a development site and also provides recommendations on how to mitigate the impact of flooding at the development site and its surrounding areas. It will help you determine if your new development is sustainable and how it could impact the environment and increase the risk of a flood. So, what exactly does this report focus on?

Assessing Flood Hazard

This includes assessing the magnitude of a flood such as the velocity of moving water, quality of water, duration of inundation, and more. It also considers the maximum level the water reaches annually, at a given location and if it could exceed that level at any given time.

Assessing The Performance Of Flood Protection

A flood risk assessment helps determine how the flood risk can be reduced through structural measures such as floodwalls or building reservoirs. The performance of these reservoirs during floods is analysed to prevent any impending dangers.

Assessing Vulnerability And Exposure

Assessing the vulnerability and exposure of your structure would help determine the damage that could be caused during a flood. The structure is often categorised according to its construction type or other characteristics that will help predict the damage, corresponding to specific water depths.

Assessing The Risks Involved

A flood risk assessment will help you find out if your proposed development may be affected by current or future flooding or if it would increase the risk of a flood elsewhere. It would also help you take appropriate measures to mitigate any risks in the future.

Knowing the components of a flood risk assessment would help you make an informed decision on risk management. Contact our principal designers for more information on flood risk assessment.