Building surveying
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Off-site manufacture - Agenda item one - Building surveying
07 September 2010
With so many potential benefits, why hasn't off-site manufacture taken off? As building services providers we have been keen supporters and developers of an emerging industry - that...
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Property reporting - Hand in hand - Building surveying
06 September 2010
The reviewed and revised RICS HomeBuyer Report will be joined by the RICS Condition Report by the end of the year. Graham Ellis explains. During the 15 months...
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Planning monthly bulletin - Building surveying
03 September 2010
The isurv planning monthly bulletin highlights key changes relevant to planning published by government together with links to the latest publications and consultations.
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Restoration - Opening up a national treasure - Building surveying
02 September 2010
Jim Goddard and Stephen Oliver discuss the restoration of Aston Hall. Aston Hall is a Grade I listed Jacobean country house built by Sir Thomas Holte in 1618,...
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Timber floors and masonry walls - Not yet the twain shall meet - Building surveying
20 August 2010
Colin Potter ponders the compatibility of timber floors and masonry walls. Part E floors and walls are like people: on their own they can work very well, but...
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Conservation - A very special place - Building surveying
17 August 2010
Robin Miller reports on Fardel Manor chapel. The origins of Fardel can be traced back to Norman times, although the manor that exists today has its roots in the...
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Access to neighbouring land
- Scope of the Access to Neighbouring Land Act
- Definition of 'basic preservation works'
- Application for an Access Order
- Waste
- Security
- Assessment of compensation
- Assessment of consideration
- Court procedure
- Informal agreements
- Neighbouring land legislation
- Key cases
- Key legal issues
- Further information on access to neighbouring land
- Asbestos
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Biodeterioration
- Building pathology
- Assessing decay organisms
- Timber decay
- Fungal decay
- Insect decay
- Environmental factors affecting biodeterioration
- Inspections and surveys for biodeterioration
- Remedial treatment for biodeterioration
- Monitoring and stabilising built environments
- Further information on biodeterioration
- Boundary matters
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Building control
- Introduction to building control
- Local authority control and private certification
- Building control standards
- Enforcement of the regulations
- Regularisation of unauthorised building work
- Local acts
- Legislation relevant to building control
- Building regulations
- Approved documents
- Developments
- Building control cases
- Frequently asked questions
- Further information on building control
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CDM Regulations
- Application, interpretation and notification
- Clients
- Designers
- CDM co-ordinators
- Principal contractors
- Contractors
- Competence and resources
- Pre-construction information
- The construction phase plan
- Implementing and monitoring the CDM plan
- The health and safety file
- CDM Legislation
- Key cases
- Key legal issues
- Further information on the CDM regulations
- CDM podcast
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Commercial and industrial premises
- Explanation
- Scope and objectives
- Professional liabilities and negligence
- Process map for establishing client requirements
- Preliminary investigations
- Health and safety risk assessment
- Survey equipment and techniques
- Construction review and site survey
- Defect diagnosis in commercial and industrial premises
- The report
- Commercial and industrial legislation
- Commercial and industrial premises cases
- Key legal issues
- Further information on commercial and industrial premises
- Commercial EPCs
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Conservation and restoration
- Establishing the type of heritage protection
- Appreciating a building's heritage
- Planning the conservation of a heritage protected site
- Applying for consent for planned work on a heritage protected site
- Financing the conservation of a heritage protected site
- Further information on conservation and restoration
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Contaminated land
- Types of contaminants
- Sources of contamination
- Causes of contamination
- Definition of contaminated land
- Pollutant linkage
- Environmental liability
- Enforcing authorities
- Planning
- Special sites
- Voluntary remediation
- Remediation notice
- Appeals
- Documentation
- Environmental audit (phase I)
- Environmental audit desktop
- Land Condition Records and Land Quality Statements
- Risk assessment
- Ground investigations (phase II)
- Soil and groundwater guidance
- Landfill Directive
- Remediation (phase III)
- Landmark contaminated land cases
- Key documents
- Contaminated land legislation
- Defects
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Dilapidations
- Principles of dilapidations
- Documentation for dilapidations
- Rights contained in leases
- Preparing a schedule of dilapidations
- Identifying liability of dilapidations
- Remedies for dilapidations
- Measuring damages and loss for dilapidations
- Proceeding with dilapidations claims
- Further information on dilapidations
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Disability Discrimination Act
- DDA at a glance
- Disability facts
- The purpose of the DDA
- The DDA and surveyors
- Benefits of the DDA to clients
- Territorial coverage of the DDA
- DDA and Approved Document M - what's the difference?
- Current standards and design guidance
- What is defined as a disability?
- The DDA and 'compliance'
- Reasonableness under the DDA
- Listed buildings and conservation areas
- Landlord and tenant
- Who is exempt from the DDA?
- Terminology
- Experience and qualifications of advisors
- The DDA in practice
- Access audits and reports
- Desktop and other audits
- Access Statements (planning and Building Control)
- BS 8300 index
- Primary DDA legislation
- DDA 2005
- Regulations
- Codes of practice
- Key cases
- Key legal issues
- Further DDA information
- Due diligence
- Environmental monitoring and control
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Fire and life safety
- Fire and life safety legislation
- Buildings prior to occupation
- Occupied buildings
- Occupied buildings subject to alteration/extension
- Responsible persons
- Maintenance of approved/accepted arrangements
- Means of escape
- Consultation with fire authority and others
- Fire engineering
- Automatic suppression
- Buildings of historic or special interest
- Local enactments (applicable in geographical area)
- Key cases
- Key legal issues
- Further information on fire and life safety
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Flood remediation
- How to reduce flood risk
- Professional water damage mitigation
- How to dry out buildings - key methodologies
- Equipment used to dry buildings
- Some common questions about drying buildings
- Case study 1: Dover - crisis? What crisis?
- Case study 2: Somerset - digging for victory
- Case study 3: Perseverance in Kent
- Further information on flood remediation
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Health and safety at work
- Health and safety development
- Guidance
- What employers must do
- Good and best practice
- Advantages and disadvantages of implementing good practice
- Statistics
- Lists and tables
- Definitions
- Current H&S issues - smoking
- Legislation and key H&S issues
- Key cases
- Further information on health and safety at work
- High hedges
- Home Condition Report
- Indoor air quality
- Japanese knotweed and Giant hogweed
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Materials
- Introduction to materials
- Calcium silicate brickwork
- Chlorides
- Composite panels
- Formaldehyde
- High Alumina Cement Concrete
- Hollow clay pot floors
- Lead in plumbing and paintwork
- Nickel sulphides
- RAAC planks
- Sea-dredged aggregates
- Tesserae
- Trussed rafter roofs
- Vermiculite
- Wall tie corrosion
- Woodwool slabs
- Modern methods of construction
- Nuisance
- Oversailing and trespass
- Part L of the Building Regulations
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Party walls
- Party walls in construction
- Identification of adjoining owners
- Appointments, and rights and duties of appointed surveyors
- Third surveyor
- Schedule of condition
- The party wall award
- Contentious details
- Compensation
- Security for expenses
- Liaison with the project team
- Party wall legislation
- Key cases
- Key legal issues
- Disputes - practical guide
- Disputes where no valid notice has been properly served
- Disputes which arise following service of a notice
- Disputes where a party wishes to challenge an award
- Disputes - enforcement
- RICS guidance
- Further information on party walls
- Planned maintenance
- Practice management
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Residential building surveying
- What competencies are required?
- How important is communication with the client?
- How should instructions be confirmed?
- Establishing client requirements
- What initial preparations should the surveyor make?
- Is there a prescribed sequence for the inspection?
- Are site notes essential?
- What personal risk areas should the surveyor consider?
- Professional liability and negligence
- What are the standards of the average competent practitioner?
- How does the standard vary with the type of survey job?
- What types of procedural failings occur?
- Common traps and pitfalls
- Inspection checklist - defect diagnosis
- Key legal issues
- Further information on residential building surveying
- Residential EPCs and DEAs
- RICS Code of Measuring Practice
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RICS HomeBuyer Report 2009
- History of the RICS HomeBuyer Service
- The RICS HomeBuyer Service 2009
- Preparing for a HBR inspection
- Performing a HBR inspection
- Understanding the condition ratings
- Applying the condition ratings
- Condition rating typical building elements
- Condition rating building services
- Condition rating health and safety issues
- Condition rating multiple building elements
- Condition rating miscellaneous building elements
- Condition rating the grounds
- Condition rating risks to the building
- Valuing the property for the HBR
- Condition rating building elements in flats
- Writing the HomeBuyer Report
- RICS Survey Writer
- Signing-up to the RICS HomeBuyer Service
- Rights of light
- Risk management on conservation projects
- Service charges in commercial property
- Standard forms of contract
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Sustainability in property
- Why sustainability is important
- What sustainability is
- Sustainability drivers - legislation and standards
- The drivers - business
- Practical help
- Possible design solutions
- Costs
- Case studies
- What next?
- BREEAM
- Code for Sustainable Homes
- Building Regulations
- Energy Performance Certificates
- Display Energy Certificates
- Climate Change Act
- Further information on sustainability in property
- Carbon Reduction Commitment
- Feed-in tariffs
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Town planning compliance
- Planning applications
- Other principal types of application
- Unusual applications
- Enforcement
- Plan-making
- Governmental control
- Procedures for planning applications
- Applications requiring environmental assessments
- Appeal proceedings
- Challenging planning decisions
- Heritage protection and conservation
- Reform of the planning system
- Town planning legislation
- Key cases
- Further information on town planning compliance
- Planning monthly bulletin
- Vendor surveys
- Waste management
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Whole life performance
- Official guidance and drivers to use whole life performance
- Definition of whole life performance
- Cost measures
- Whole life cost measures
- Make up of whole life costs
- Procurement routes which require a whole life approach
- Whole life performance and whole life costs to benefit the client
- Option appraisal
- Best value assessment
- Presenting whole life cost data
- Benchmarking
- Planning maintenance and finance budgeting
- Alternative approaches to whole life performance and costing
- Building up whole life costs
- Dealing with change and obsolescence
- Key legal issues
- Further information on whole life performance