Today I’m talking to Robert Jones, one of our Structural Engineers, who recently pass his Chartered Exams and is on his way to becoming a Chartered Structural Engineer.

Why Did You Choose To Go Into Engineering?

When I left school, wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, so I did a one year course in public services to improve my English.

Then I wanted to do something more practical, so I completed a two year BTEC in Manufacturing Engineering, obtaining three Distinctions.

It was all coursework based, but it was very challenging, there was a lot of Maths together with a practical side (which I enjoyed) using the machinery and building stuff.

So I decided to go for Civil Engineering as it was practical; science and Maths based – which I‘m very good at – I enjoy problem solving.

That is what structural engineering is really – working out what is wrong and working how you are going to fix it.

So I went to Coventry University for four years and obtained a BEng followed by a Masters. I left university in 2013 and joined Michael Aubrey Partnership.

What Do You Like About Being A Structural Engineer?

I like the engineering career, as you come into work and you have a different problem every day, every day is different, you don’t get board.

I like going out on site, especially the older buildings – finding out what’s wrong – being a detective.

Any Downsides To Engineering?

Probably the fact that people don’t understand the importance of Structural Engineers when you are designing a house or building, they think the Architect does it all, so that’s a bit frustrating, rather than a downside.

What Skills And Qualities Do You Think Are Important To Become A Structural Engineer?

To have a practical mind to see how things work and don’t accept everything is right just because you have been told it. You have to question “why does that work?”.

Being organised. I’ve got several big projects on at the moment and you have to be able to handle them at the same time.

You have to be quite a “people” person, especially when you are meeting Clients and Contractors. You have to be able to talk to them and come down to their level and find out what the problem is, instead of being totally analytical and just doing the maths. You need to be able to communicate your design, both by sketches and discussing what you are thinking to them.

If working with a Contractor you can find out what their preferred solution is, and that can sometimes results in a lower cost

What Was The Exam Preparation Like?

I spent over 50% of my weekends studying in the office practising exam questions. Doing it in exam conditions, total silence, against the clock.

Any Tips?

Sugar. Take some sugar into the exam to keep you going!
Get your folder up to date so that you know the basic equations, so that you can design a beam quickly.
Chunks. Break the exam up into chunks and concentrate on the concept stage, sketches. Know before you go into the exam how you are going to answer the questions exactly.
Plan your time. I did a three day exam preparation course – it was brilliant!

Exam Technique

You meet a lot of people in the same boat as you and you can bounce ideas of each other – you do some of the exam questions; you see other solutions. See what the examiners are looking for

First exam I took, I think I concentrated too much on the concept design, and then left he later part of the exam too short of time.

The second time I sat the exam I broke the time evenly and split it by the marks, it worked out a lot better – it was down to exam technique.

What Does Becoming Chartered Mean To You?

I’m very happy. It means it’s a stamp of approval.

All the work you have done means that you have reached a certain level, it doesn’t mean you stop learning, it just means you are at a level that people believe you are competent.

I aimed to become Chartered before I was 30 years old and I did it!

Do You Have A Favourite Building Structure?

I enjoy going to London and looking at the tall buildings to see how they are working ; looking at the bracing, the steel structures. I can’t name a single building, but I like timber framed buildings; barn conversions they are quite interesting, as you are always wondering how they are actually working!

Timber framed or structures that I can see myself designing; you see projects on Grand Designs that look quite cool, I’d like to design them, something a bit special.

Preparing for Your Chartered Exams?

Are you preparing for your exams? click here to find out about the Institution of Structural Engineers Chartered Membership exam and Professional Review Interview – Good luck!

Do you know a fast way for buyers to realise the potential of a property?

Encourage them to take advantage of our “Pre-Purchase Feasibility” Meeting – so they can make an offer!

Where Are All the Buyers?

The latest Survey from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) shows average stock levels on estate agents’ books are close to a record low.

With the number of enquiries from buyers falling for the eighth month in a row (as at May 2019).

Brexit Uncertainty

It will not come as a surprise that Brexit uncertainty is dragging the UK property market downwards.

Those houses that are on the market are not selling particularly fast. The average time taken for a residential property to sell remains unchanged at 19 weeks.

How Can Local Estate Agents Sell A Property Quickly?

Last year “Which?” produced a report;

“7 of the most common reasons why vendors struggle to sell their homes”

Lurking at Number 7 was this reason; “Buyers aren’t aware of the property’s potential”

Add Value To The Property

If there’s potential for a buyer to add value to the house, make sure they know about it!

As Architectural Designers AND Chartered Structural Engineers we can help your buyers visualise what a property could look like and explore ideas to maximise the property’s value.

They might have ideas to;

Convert the garage to living space
Extend the kitchen with a side or rear extension
Swap in New Bathrooms
Create an Open plan living space
Loft conversion to add a bedroom
Create a cellar
Split a house into flats
Increase living space with a conservatory

Whatever their ideas, we can help them visualise how to best use the space.

What Does A Pre- Purchase Feasibility Meeting Include?

Our Designers will arrange to meet you and the potential buyers at the property.

We will discuss how to maximise the property’s potential, whether they want to knock down a couple of walls, or completely re-design the new home, we’ll advise them how to create the perfect space for their family.

With our 25 + years of experience of construction design, they will receive expert, unbiased advice.

We will discuss any Planning matters that we think may impact the design and which ideas are more likely to achieve Planning Approval.
Cost of the works – we will be able to talk in “ball park” figures – enough for them to make an informed decision about their offer
We will also touch on other issues that they may not have thought about, that may impact their budget and influence what offer they make on the property.
We will write to them confirming what we have discussed, confirming their ideas, the solution, budget costs and
We also provide them with a “fee proposal” which will confirm how much we will charge for taking their ideas forward to obtain Planning Approval and Building Regulations approval if they successfully purchase the property.

Fast Track Service – 24 hours

We realise time is of the essence when they are considering making an offer, or are about to exchange on a property, so we will do our best to schedule an appointment within 24 hours of their enquiry.

Want To Find Out More?

Click here to get in touch with one of our surveyors, or give us a call on 0118 962 9666.

planning an extension

Planning An Extension?

Planning An Extension? Catch up with this article by our very own Managing Director, John Staves in the Self Builder and Homemaker magazine.

A Clear Project Plan

The decision to extend your property should not be taken lightly. Especially if you are altering your home. It will be inconvenient, messy and disruptive to normal family life. And that is if the project is well executed. A clear project plan is essential.

It is important that you get your thoughts clear.

What are you looking to achieve with the project?
Why doesn’t the current home layout work for you?
Is an extension the best solution?

Sometimes adjustment of the internal layout can solve the problem. And be more cost-effective than extending.

Brief Your Professional Team

When you can outline the purpose of the changes, you are able to brief your professional design team. An Architectural Designer will work on layout.

Improve Buildability – Reduce Costs

Your Structural Engineer will make sure alterations can be made safely. But more than that, they will suggest ways to improve buildability. And thereby reduce costs.

Client, Architect and Engineer should work collaboratively. From early in the project.

The Architectural design should not be completed and then the Engineer be asked to make the design stand up.

That invariably leads to unnecessary structural complexity and cost. You may consider appointing a practice that handle both Architecture and Structure internally to ensure collaboration and single supplier responsibility for the outcomes.

Sequence of Work

If you intend to remain in the property during the works, it is important that the design takes the necessary work sequence into account. A good design will do this, as well as making sure that the final layout is what you want, and all is structurally sound.

Statutory Approvals

Don’t forget time. Statutory approvals – Planning and Building Regulations – will take time. A simple extension that needs Planning approval can easily take six months to design and get approved. Then when the builder prices the detailed design, they may not be able to start for several months.

Realistic Budget

And budget realistically. For the build and for professional fees. It is worth spending a little to establish a sensible brief and budget before committing fully to the project. There is no point getting a design and Statutory approvals completed, only to find the build cost is unaffordable.

Enjoy making your house into the home you want.

Are you planning an extension? We’d love to hear about your plans.

Click here to read the full article.

get in touch

3 Reasons Why a Surveyor Shouldn’t try to Be A Structural Engineer;

1. It’s Unprofessional

2. It’s Costly

3. It’s Dangerous

Today I’m talking to Debbie, a homeowner, who recently completed a self build project in Wokingham.

Debbie, can you give me a brief overview of what happened to you and your family.

Planning A New Build

We moved to Wokingham 9 years ago and for about 7 years we have been planning to build our new home in our existing back garden.

Planning Permission Granted

Planning permission came through in October 2016 and we started the build in April 2017.

Initial plans were to retain the existing bungalow (our existing home) and reduce the size of it by 1m to provide a larger access down the side of the bungalow.

Because the garden widens about half way down our plot, we wanted to make sure that we maximised the size of the new house by building as close to the boundary as possible.

We appointed someone to design our home, he was recommended to us. He was very successful in obtaining planning permission in the local area. We did all the right things – we arranged to see a previous project that he had designed and talked to the homeowners – they seemed very pleased with his work.

We were confident in his abilities, so we appointed him to design our new home. Planning permission was granted and we set about looking for a builder who could bring our home to life.

After much research we appointed a builder and work started on site in April 2017.

Problems Early On

From an early stage the builder wasn’t very happy with the drawings – there just wasn’t enough detailed information, compared to other jobs that he had worked on.

One obvious problem was that the builder couldn’t understand why the designer hadn’t designed the roof!

Design Approved – But Couldn’t be Built!

“The design had been approved by Wokingham Planning and Building Control – why had a design been approved when it couldn’t actually be built? Surely the Council would have checked that our design was structurally sound?”

Missing Details

The builder kept talking to the designer showing him the plans and asking him for more details as what was shown wouldn’t work – it couldn’t be built. The designer would say that he was chasing his structural engineer and would get back to us. Lots of waiting and emails backwards and forwards.

There Wasn’t A Structural Engineer …

“The reality was that he hadn’t instructed a structural engineer – the “designer” had taken it upon himself to submit the “structural design and calculations” himself and they weren’t in sufficient detail for a builder to use to build the house safely”.

Didn’t Trust The Structural Design

The builder only felt confident building up to first floor, as he didn’t want to build anymore as he didn’t trust the structural design – the information that he was given was incomplete.

We pushed him for the structural details for the gable wall – this is when the “designer” appointed an actual structural engineer to design this specific part.

But the builder had lost confidence in the design. The designer responded by saying;

“I was appointed to obtain Planning and

Building Regulations Approval and that is what I did”

The fact that his design was incomplete and couldn’t be built was irrelevant to him!

We were very frustrated and for our build to carry on we had to find our own Structural Engineer who would be able to help us.

Start Again

We had to bite the bullet and start again; otherwise our build was going to grind to a halt.

We were recommended a solicitor who we could make contact with to try and re-coup some of our money from the original designer.

However, were advised that we’d have to take the designer to court and it would cost £30,000 + and we would be lucky to received 70% back.

We decided not to pursue him via the legal route.

Extra £22,000+

Overall I think it cost us an extra £22,000 + the extra steelwork not to mention the stress involved.

Appointing A Structural Engineer

The builder had worked with Michael Aubrey Partnership before and we wanted to go with someone he trusted, as we didn’t want anything else to go wrong!

How Did Michael Aubrey Help You?

You made sure that we could build our house correctly!

I was in a bit of an emotional state as the stress was getting to me.

I spoke to John Staves and he reassured me that you could help us get our project back on track and complete the build safely.

We Had A Full Set of Proper Drawings And Calculations!

The detailed drawings and calculations that Michael Aubrey produced highlighted how incomplete the original package of information had been from the original designer.

We now had a full set of proper drawings and calculations!

I would recommend you to anyone – you really helped us out when we were up against it.

In hindsight we were doing a new build and it was the first time that we had done anything like this; you trust what people say.

What Would You Say To Someone Who Is Planning Any Building Work?

Do your homework.

Research the people who are going to be helping you.

Our designer was very good at obtaining Planning permission, but he was quite vague on some areas, then that carried through to the structural side.

Did The “Designer/Structural Engineer” Have Any Qualifications?

He was a surveyor, an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB).

Not a Structural Engineer.

It Ended Up Costing Us More Money in the Long Run

I think we did cut corners – we used a designer who wasn’t as expensive as other quotations that we received – but it ended up costing us more money in the long run.

He pulled the wool over our eyes and he knew that it wouldn’t be worth our while taking him to court.

It became very personal and upsetting at the time. But I had to draw a line under it and move on.

Thank You

Even with all the issues that we had, we were only delayed three weeks.

Our builder and the team at Michael Aubrey did a fantastic job of helping us out and I am very grateful to them.

Are you starting a project like this? have you got the right team in place? or have you experienced something similar? please get in touch.

We are proud to announce that we have recently passed our ISO 9001:2015 certification following a thorough auditing process from ACS Registrars for the 12th year running.

ISO certification is a tried and tested framework for taking a systematic approach to managing an organisation’s processes.

For Michael Aubrey Partnership, this means our quality and management systems together with our Health and Safety procedures have all hit the standard required to be ISO certified.

Managing Director John Staves commented:

‘Compliance is one of our core values as a company and we are committed to driving up standards within the engineering industry. I’m extremely proud of my team who have worked hard to pass this annual audit and we look forward to constantly improving our internal process and systems to main our certification in the future.’

By following our QMS our customers can be confident that we have consistency in our levels of quality, service and the appropriate processes in place to handle customer data and information securely”.

Planning Guarantee

Today I am talking to Jamie Redman, Architectural Manager, about our “Planning Guarantee”.

planning guarantee

No One Can Guarantee Planning – Isn’t It Just A Gimmick?

“The reason that we are offering this guarantee is that we are confident that the advice that we give will result in a successful Planning approval.

It’s because we have an outstanding record, built up over 20yrs + that we know what should go through planning so feel confident to be able to offer you this Guarantee.”

What Is The Planning Guarantee?

“We will submit your Planning application to the Local Planning Authority and if your application is refused, we will refund* you;

· All of our Design Fees PLUS

· The Local Authority Planning Fee

(Provided that you have followed our advice).”

What Happens If My Planning Application is Rejected?

“Occasionally Planning applications have been rejected, we are still confident we know what’s right and will take your Planning application to appeal – no extra cost to you”.

How Many Planning Applications Have You Lost at Appeal?

“In situations where Planning Applications have been rejected and we have gone to appeal, we have won 99% of them (where people have followed our advice)”.

We Won’t Just Walk Away

“We are not there just to grab money from our customers with no way forward.

If you instruct us and Planning fails, we won’t just walk away. We’ll be with you, to advise you openly and honestly”.

Is It worth Paying For A Pre-Application Consultation?

“We do not advise this. You might as well put in a full Planning application where the Planning officers have to stand by their comments.

Three main reasons for not paying for a pre-application consultation;

1.The cost is very similar to a full Planning Application

2. The Planning officer does not have to stand by the advice that they give

3. There are no limits on how long a pre-application response can take.”

Do you charge any additional fees for travel / attending meetings etc?

“No extra fees. What we quote for is what you pay (unless you amend the design significantly)”.

What Next?

Do you have a project that you’d like advice on? Get in touch today!

Book a consultation

*Planning Guarantee – Terms & Conditions. We reserve the right to withdraw our Planning Guarantee if you amend the design beyond what we believe is reasonable (i.e to what we advise won’t achieve Planning permission). Sometimes, your Planning application won’t be approved first time. We reserve the right to either submit an amended application or take your application to appeal. You will not be charged any extra for this. If your appeal is lost, we will refund all your Planning Fees AND our Design Fees in full. All communication with the Planners must come through Michael Aubrey, acting as your agent.

Sarah joins Michael Aubrey Partnership after a long career working in various business sectors including retailing, technology, financial services, automotive manufacturing and accountancy practice.

The extensive knowledge and experience she brings (including in compliance, business transformation and project development/management) provide her with a good foundation for her new role within Michael Aubrey Partnership from which to focus on and develop our Site Management services.

Talking about her new role as Associate, Telecoms Site Management Sarah said:

“I look forward to working with my new colleagues and our clients at a time of change within the Telecoms sector. Change brings both challenges and opportunities.

I shall be focused on overcoming the challenges and exploiting the opportunities with the objective of providing the best services and solutions to existing and new clients.

I look forward to utilising my existing knowledge, experience and skills and gaining new ones along the way.”

You don’t like to see someone being taken advantage of.

So when we were contacted by the BBC’s Panorama programme to help them out with a cowboy “investment company” we couldn’t say no.

Background

Over thirty five Social clubs, sports clubs and working men’s clubs around the country have been targeted by this company.

Many of these clubs are run by local people, for local people and these clubs been part of their local communities for years – a lot of these clubs are asset rich, cash poor and in some cases in a lot of debt.

Asset Stripping

His “modus operandi” was to identify local clubs in financial difficulty and then to trick the Trustees into signing paperwork. A lot of the clubs were run on a voluntary basis and it was easy for him to gain the trust of these people, promising long-term financial security for the club.

Often, he would pay off their debts using the clubs as security and then overseeing the sale of the club house (and in some cases, it included prime development land adjacent to the club house).

He would then use another of his companies to buy the club house and land at a significantly reduced fee, leaving the local communities without a facility and him free to develop the land and cub house for significant financial gain.

Condition of the Buildings

Another of his “modus operandi” was for him to convince the owners of the clubs that their building was unsafe, and therefore virtually worthless.

We were instructed to carry out a detailed survey of one of the social clubs and report on our findings. There were a few defects as you would expect from an ageing building, but nothing that would condemn the building.

Panorama

Although they didn’t refer to our report directly on the programme, the team at Panorama were reassured that they had a professionally prepared opinion in hand in case the fraudster had his own team condemn the building, invalidate the insurance, thereby preventing the Trustees operating the building and rendering it ‘worthless’ – becoming his next undervalued acquisition.

Did you miss it? Want to find out more? Click here to watch.

Service of Thanksgiving

A multi-faith Service of thanksgiving to celebrate the Year of Engineering took place in Westminster Abbey Thursday 22nd November 2018.

“The Year of Engineering” celebrates the significant contribution that Engineers have made to the life of the nation and aims to inspire a new generation of Engineers.

Outstanding Contribution

Representatives from the Engineering community, Engineering charities and members of the general public were invited to join the Secretary of State for Transport and Government representatives to celebrate the outstanding contribution that engineers past and present have made to society.

Talking about the event in London John Staves said,

“I was thrilled to be invited to attend the service of thanksgiving to celebrate “The Year of Engineering” at Westminster Abbey.

It was a fantastic service bringing together Government, Academics and Engineers from all professions.

Sometimes I feel that Engineers aren’t given the recognition that they deserve. It was encouraging and humbling to be part of the service where the contribution that Engineers make to the wider world was acknowledged.”

Professor Dame Ann Dowling President of the Royal Academy of Engineering summed it up perfectly..

“We must continue to work together to ensure that young people from all walks of life have the opportunity to consider a career in engineering, so that the diversity of our profession properly reflects the society it serves.

Our collaboration should also extend to other areas of our work; it is together that we can best increase the visibility and impact of our profession.

As His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh highlighted, Engineers play a remarkable role in creating and shaping the world around us.

“Everything not invented by God was invented by an Engineer”

These were the memorable words of His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, Senior Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, when asked to describe the Engineering profession.

Shape The Future of Our Profession

“We must now work together to create and shape the future of our profession, placing engineering at the heart of a sustainable and prosperous society, improving lives and opportunities for all”.

Did you attend the event? Join the conversation and inspire the next generation of Engineers!

#inspireanengineer #yoe

“Inspirational” was how John Staves described the Structural Awards 2018!

“I was honoured to attend the event at The Brewery, Montcalm in London on Friday night. What a fantastic evening celebrating the world’s most prestigious structural engineering projects – Congratulations to all the award winners!”

Supreme Award for Structural Engineering Excellence

Tamina Canyon Crossing, Switzerland

To read more about the winning projects, click here.

credit to the Institution of structural engineers for the images