Services

CDM

The Construction (Design & Management) Regulations (CDM) came into force in 1995 and were revised in 2007. They apply to construction work carried out in Great Britain and are intended to safeguard the health and safety of people working in the industry or affected by it.

Clients have been given specific legal duties by CDM and the penalties for ignoring these can be severe. One of these responsibilities is to appoint a CDM Coordinator (formally Planning Supervisor) whose task it is to assist the client in the discharge of his duties.

Weston Allison Wright has been acting in the role of CDM Coordinator/Planning Supervisor since 1994. In that time the practice has developed wide ranging experience on many types of project including

Industrial property refurbishment and new developments
Office property redevelopment
Retail premises refurbishment
Historic building repair and conservation

HISTORIC BUILDINGS

Weston Allison Wright provides a specialist historic building conservation service to a variety of public and private sector clients. The partner in charge of conservation work is fully accredited in building conservation by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (one of only just over 50 Chartered Building Surveyors with this qualification worldwide).

The practice is employed by English Heritage in a consultancy role and is on approved lists for church inspection and repair work.

Services include:

Archive research
Conservation planning and development of conservation philosophy
Defects diagnosis and specification of repair techniques
Historic building condition reports and quinquennial inspections
Preparation of maintenance programmes
Specialist risk assessments
Specification of major repair works
Production of drawings
Contract Administration
Advice on Listed Building Consent and Scheduled Monument Consent issues
Building Regulations advice

BUILDING PATHOLOGY AND DEFECT DIAGNOSIS

Weston Allison Wright provides technical reports on building defects. Typically these can include cracking and structural movement, damp and rainwater penetration, condensation and mould or beetle infestation and dry rot.

The reports are bespoke in nature and offer a quick and economical way of determining what remedial works are required as well as the cost and time implications.

REFURBISHMENT AND REPAIR

Weston Allison Wright provides a complete project service for repairs, refurbishment and alteration of all property types including:

Initial advice
Feasibility studies
Cost estimates
Design
Specification
Drawings
Planning, Building Regulations of Listed Building Consents
Tender documentation
Contract documentation
Contract administration
Project monitoring

DDA AUDITS AND ACCESS STATEMENTS

The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 introduced laws and rights aimed at ending discrimination against people with disabilities.

The Act includes a duty on employers and service providers to make reasonable adjustments to physical features of their premises which cause barriers to access.

The Disability Rights Commission recommends that all medium of large service providers seek the advice of professional access auditors.

The Access Audit is a report on all the access issues relating to a building. It is important to note that the Audit focuses on access to services and it is not limited to alterations to the building. As building surveyors who have been trained by the RICS and the Centre for Accessible Environments we are able to advise fully on all access issues and specify technical solutions to physical barriers to access where appropriate.

If required, the initial Audit can be developed into a fully costed strategic Access Improvement Plan.

BUILDING REINSTATEMENT VALUATIONS

As well as estimating the cost of reinstating buildings in the event of fire or other specific perils, we can also specify repairs and administer the works.

We specialise in commercial premises.

ACQUISITION SURVEYS – DUE DILIGENCE

In today’s modern investment market it is more important than ever that buyers satisfy themselves as to the condition of a property before purchase.

We have been providing acquisition advice for over 15 years and are specialists in the commercial sector. The bulk of our workload is ‘repeat business’ from satisfied clients who trust us to provide exactly the information they need.

From a single building to an entire estate, we aim to provide all the necessary condition, maintenance, repair improvements and cost information in a clear and simple report format.

DILAPIDATIONS

Building leases normally contain covenants that define the repairing and decorating liabilities of the parties. They also usually contain procedures for controlling alterations which the tenant may wish to make.

Dilapidations arise when one party fails to comply with the lease covenants.

Alleged breaches of the covenants are set out in a “Schedule of Dilapidations” prepared by the surveyor and served on the other party.

We act on behalf of Landlords in advising on strategies, reviewing leases, inspecting premises, preparing schedules of dilapidations, negotiating settlements and inspecting tenant’s works.

We also act on behalf of Tenants. We can advise as to appropriate strategy upon receipt of a schedule and can help defend unnecessary claims. We can also prepare detailed photographic schedules of condition to record the condition of a property at the commencement of a lease in order to limit the extent of a claim at the end of the lease period.

Due to our highly developed negotiating skills combined with a thorough working knowledge of the legislation and case law associated with dilapidation matters, we are able to help tenant’s and landlords arrive at the best possible settlement and avoid unnecessary costs and disruption.

PARTY WALL

The Party Wall etc Act 1996 lays down the procedures for situations where an owner of a building or land wants to carry out work that will affect the land or building of an adjoining owner.

The main types of work are:

Works to a party wall separating two properties.
Works affecting an adjoining building.
Excavations near an adjacent property.

The Act requires that Notice of the proposed works is given to the affected parties and it provides for an Award to be agreed between party wall surveyors in the event of a dispute arising.

As party wall surveyors we provide the following services:

Advice to Building Owners and Adjoining Owners on party wall matters and the preparation of the appropriate notices.
Preparation of Awards that set out how the work will be done.
Interim inspections during the course of the work.
Final inspections to identify any damage and to agree the remedial work required.

Due to our extensive experience and knowledge of this specialist area we are able to ensure that disruption and delays associated with Party Wall disputes are minimised by ensuring that the spirit and principles of the Act are closely followed.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Effective management of the construction process is vital in order to ensure the success of a project in terms of time cost and quality. Weston Allison Wright provide a single point of contact for the client and actively manage all the stages within the process from inception through to completion.