Technical drawings/planning application

TambourineGirl

This isn't a query regarding a quote, it's a query about the subsequent bill, but hopefully it still falls into the spirit of this forum?

We had a chartered building surveyor draw up our plans for knocking down (most) of the wall between our kitchen and dining room. This involved taking measurements, doing the calculations for the steel beam, producing a technical drawing, writing a design statement (a paragraph) and submitting the planning and building warrant applications.

His initial quote was for 10-12 hours work at £60 an hour, so £600-720 total. I should also say that the relationship soured towards the end, because he failed to complete the design statement and drawing to a reasonable standard, and I ended up taking over at the end of the planning process in order to save our build window (before Christmas). We assumed, since he failed to finish the job, that the bill would be towards the lower end of the range.

He's now put in a bill for 17 hours of work and wants £950, which he says is after a discount. Has anyone paid a building surveyor or architect for a similarly (small) job, and does this seem reasonable? I should also mention that the bill for doing the actual building work is only £2500.

Thanks!

teneighty

That is outrageously high, ask for a breakdown of the hours. How many hours on the survey, calculations, drawing, statement etc. Then ask why the actual hours are so much higher than the original fee quote. They would have to have a good reason for unforeseen work to justify the hike.

I have to say it is very unusual for a building surveyor to do beam calculations. It is within their capabilities in a simple domestic situation but I would be curious to actually see the calculations to make sure they have done them and not just picked a beam size from old safe load tables.

I would be very surprised to spend more than 10 hours on it unless there is something complicated which isn't obvious from your description. If he failed to complete the job you would have a legitimate complaint, ask for confirmation of his complaints procedure....that'll put the wind up him. Then make a counter offer for what you feel is a reasonable charge, £600 would be plenty for a job well done so maybe £450-£500 if it wasn't even finished. (a structural engineer probably would have done it for half that)

Good Luck

TambourineGirl

Thanks for that. There was nothing complicated or untoward; the only hitch came when our application was approved subject to conditions, because he failed to put the period features on the technical drawings (we're C listed), failed to respond to a request for those features from the Council and lied to me when I asked him to do so.

We have the time sheet, he's claiming 6 hours for the technical survey? This is two drawings of ONE WALL and a cut-and-paste of the ordinance survey of our block - one sheet of A4. Seriously? 6 hours?

It wasn't that he failed to complete the job, he just wasn't willing to do so in a timely fashion (respond to a request for a single numeric measurement and write a single sentence, within a week), so I took over. And he's a one man band, so no internal complaints procedure.

teneighty

Even as a one man band he is still required by his Institution to have an independent complaints procedure. Either a reciprocal arrangement with a fellow professional or provision to use an independent arbitration service.

The fact that your home is Grade C Listed does somewhat complicate things. I have no experience of the Scottish system but down here a Grade II Listed building can easily double the work input. I also notice you refer to "your block" so I'm assumming your live in a flat, again an added complication which possibly takes it outside the normal scope of a small domestic project.

I would repeat my original advice and ask for a full breakdown of the hours. 6 hours for the "technical survey" is not clear, did he spend 6 hours on site? or does that include studying old drawings, arranging access to inspect neighbouring flats etc?

At the end of the day if you are still not happy you are entitled to lodge a formal complaint which he is obliged to handle in accordance with his Institution's Professional Standards.

TambourineGirl

Grade C is probably more comparable to Grade III listing in England - basically we have to apply for permission to alter anything on the outside of the house, but the inside is fair game... unless the change is structural, which our alteration was. By 'block' I meant neighbourhood block; we're a totally detached house.
He has given us what he claims is a full breakdown:

1 hour for initial consultation
1.5 hours to come back and measure
6 hours to draw up survey from notes
2.5 hours to calculate steel beam for local authority approval
3 hours to draw up proposals suitable for submission for planning and building warrant
3 hours to draft design statement, prepare and submit building warrant and planning applications

I should also point out that there was no 'proposal' - one of the reasons we went with him and not an architect was because we knew exactly what we wanted, right down to the measurements. We supplied all of the information for the planning application, right down to the neighbour list, and it was an online submission, so he literally had to cut and paste.

I know the sum of money isn't worth squabbling over, in terms of benefit versus hassle, but I just cannot stand the fact that he did a mediocre job badly, let us down hugely (and unapologetically) and has now billed us for 50% over the original estimation.