Everyone Likes A Bargain – Right?

Are you looking for someone to produce cheap Planning Drawings and Building Regulations drawings?

After all, it’s human nature to want to shop around for the best price.

As Structural Engineers we are often asked to quote for our services from Building Regulation drawings and sometimes Planning drawings.

This week we have received several enquiries from homeowners looking for structural engineering quotations.

We were asked to quote from drawings that they had, but the lack of detail on the drawings was shocking.

The homeowner was using these drawings to obtain quotes from builders – it’s a disaster waiting to happen.

We want to warn homeowners of the risks when buying cheap and why its worth investing at the design stage.

Cheap Planning Drawings – 3 Reasons Why This Is NOT Such A Great Idea!

1. You Will Be Unable to Compare Builders Quotes

If your drawings do not contain sufficient detail then you will receive a wide range of quotes from builders – you think you are comparing similar quotes but you’re not.

2. Your Costs May Spiral Out Of Control

If certain elements (eg insulation as an example) are unspecified on the drawings, then some builders will price for the cheapest

If you realise too late and want to change the products when the job is on site, this will lead to disputes and your costs will spiral out of control.

3. The Quotes You Receive May Be Over Priced

If the drawings are not clear, then the builder may add money into their quote to allow for the time they will need to sort out poor design information.

The quote may include contingency under the builder’s control.  If he can claim extras, he will, and pocket the contingency.  If that’s not possible he is covered.  If he has over-allowed, he banks more profit. 

If all quotes make this sort of allowance, they could all be inflated and you wouldn’t know. 

You may even be suspicious of a low quote which doesn’t! 

The secret is clarity of requirements. 

Building isn’t black and white – there will always be surprises on an extension and refurbishment project – but the nearer you get to dark grey and light grey, the less impactful those surprises will be.

How Do You Know If Your Drawings Contain Sufficient Information For Builders To Quote Against?

The builders will probably have sufficient information to quote against, it’s just how accurate the price is and how closely the final cost matches the initial quote!

Typically you are looking for clear, concise drawings including LOTS of detailed specification.

For example;

  • detailed sections showing how elements will be built, particular attention to foundations, eaves and roof.
  • If you are removing any loadbearing walls, sizing of the new steelwork and padstones
  • Lintel sizes
  • Movement joint details
  • Construction details for the floor and walls including identifying blockwork, and insulation manufacturers
  • If you are installing bi-fold doors (very popular at the moment) make sure that lateral stability has been taken into account in the design.  Check that a structural engineer has looked at the design and given you advice/construction details BEFORE the builder prices your job.

TYPICAL DETAILS

Here are just a few typical examples of the level of detail that you should expect on your drawings

Eaves Detail

Steelwork Detail


How Do You Make Sure You Are Comparing Like-For-Like Prices? 

By the quality of information provided for pricing. 

Whilst it can appears more expensive at design stage, it can save many times more in the construction phase. 

Good Design Is An Investment

Like any sound investment, there is a return later. 

Design is such a small proportion of the overall project cost – good design should create a return in terms of build cost savings. 

Not to mention a smoother, less stressful and more enjoyable project!

Are you planning a project?

Contact us today to see how we could help you.

Contact Us

December 2019 marks a milestone for Michael Aubrey Partnership as we celebrate 25 years of delivering innovative design solutions to our Customers.

BIM cake


Celebrating this achievement Managing Director, John Staves said,

“We’re so proud that Michael Aubrey Partnership has reached this milestone 25th year anniversary!  We count local, regional, and national businesses among our client base, including commercial businesses and homeowners.

 From our humble beginnings working from a back bedroom, to renting small office spaces, to finally in 2015 purchasing our Head Office building in Finchampstead.”


“Over the years our business has evolved into three distinct streams. 

  • Structural Engineering within commercial projects; full range of services for Clients, and Contractors working with other professionals as members of the team delivering residential, mixed use, industrial, residential care home and educational buildings. 
  • Services for homeowners; new build and alterations to homes as well as defect diagnosis. 
  • Wireless Sites; from design to managing sites and following Ofcom recently granting Code Powers, the first steps in development of our own portfolio of sites.

All of these areas are underpinned by our professional team and our early adoption of Building Information Modelling. 

I am proud that we have supported three graduate engineers through to Chartered membership of the Institution of Structural Engineers over recent years, and this year employed our first degree apprentice.

But of all the changes and growth over the years, I am very pleased that our ethos of putting quality before quantity has prevailed.”

“We wouldn’t still be here if it wasn’t for our brilliant team, most of whom have been with us since the early days. Our first employee, Andrew Campbell is still with us!  so, I’d like to say a big thank you to him and the rest of our team.”

 Also thank you to everyone who has been part of our success, we truly appreciate your support and we very much look forward to another successful twenty-five years.”




25 Years

Thank you to all our customers who have supported us along the way and to Sharni Smith for making our cake!


Our Way of Saying “Thank You”

During our 25th year, we are giving existing customers the opportunity to “refer a friend” and receive a

£25 M&S voucher*


*£25 voucher is claimable once the new customer places an order with us

I Do More Than Design Beams!

In July’s edition of Construction and Civil Engineering Magazine, catch up with our very own Managing Director, John Staves talking about what is a Structural Engineer and why are they so undervalued?


Structural Engineers help create record-breaking structures, beautiful structures, useful structures and sometimes just cool structures – anything from bridges, rollercoasters and skyscrapers to hospitals, schools, homes and public artworks.

Design Buildings

Structural Engineers design buildings, bridges and other structures to resist the forces applied to them.  These forces could be due to gravity, such as the weight of people and equipment within a building, the dynamic effects of people using a building or from natural events such as earthquakes.

Structural Engineers make sure the building works well in practice, depending on what it is used for: for example, a dance floor shouldn’t vibrate too much when people jump up and down on it.

Problem Solvers

Structural engineers are problem solvers.  Structural engineers use many skills.  From basic maths to cutting-edge technology. Every structure is different, so Structural Engineers are creative.  Finding solutions to unique problems all the time.

Practical

Structural Engineers are practical.  They don’t just think about the final permanent structure.  They think about how it will be built.

Safety Experts

Structural Engineers are safety experts.  Structural engineers are of critical importance in managing the risk to society throughout the lifecycle of the structure.  They consider the safety of structures from design and construction through to operation and demolition, in accordance with local legislation and best practice.  Structural engineers are key to ensuring that the built environment is robust and that lessons are learned when things go wrong.

Work Sustainably

Structural Engineers work sustainably.  They look to minimise materials used.  They innovate to make use of different modern materials.  Reducing demands on natural resources and recycling where possible.

Work as Part of a Team

But with all their skills, Structural Engineers don’t work alone.  They work as part of a team alongside Architects, builders and other engineers.  Construction is a collaborative game.  Sometimes the Structural Engineer will lead the team.  Calling for both project management and general management skills.


Proud to be a Chartered Structural Engineer

I am proud to be a Chartered Structural Engineer.  I am proud of the contribution I make to construction and more generally to society. 

But I sometimes get frustrated with the general misunderstandings around what I do and the benefits that what I do delivers.  Across the public as a whole, and within the political classes. 

Probably the worst is other allied professions misunderstanding what I do!


I Do More Than Design Beams! 

As I’ve outlined above, my skill set is broad and my contribution to projects is certainly more impactful than just safely transmitting vertical loads to the ground.

As a Chartered Structural Engineer, my education and training took longer than a medical doctor takes to qualify.  Like a Doctor, I have had to gain substantial experience and submit to both a gruelling examination and peer review to prove my competence. 

Just like a Doctor, I also have a professional obligation to keep up to date and improve my ability with Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

Lives Depend on my Decisions as a Structural Engineer

Multiple lives depend on a single decision I make as a Structural Engineer – if an occupied building collapses because of an error I make, many could be injured.  A Doctor deals with decisions that typically affect one person at a time.

The value a Doctor adds is clear and he is rightly recognised for that.  This is because most people have had some form of interaction with a Doctor.  Knowingly.  Either directly or via a close relative.

The Value a Structural Engineer Adds Is Subtler.

You are likely sat in a building, reading this.  A Structural Engineer has probably made sure that the building is safe and resists the forces applied to it. 

The Structural Engineer provides robust and durable shelters that people need to protect them from their environment. 

Did you cross a bridge on your journey to work or home? 

A Structural Engineer was undoubtedly involved in its design and currently helps with its maintenance, making sure you arrive safely.  You may not have engaged the Structural Engineer directly in either case, but you benefit from his/her work.

Structural Engineers Don’t Shout About What Value They Add

It is not a common trait of a Structural Engineer to shout about what he/she achieves and what value he/she adds, but it can be considerable. 

A little extra investment on the Structural Design of a building (spend on structural design is an investment because it will save absolute project cost) can pay back multiple times over during construction. 

Save on Build Costs by Early Input From The Structural Engineer 

Works can be kept simple and efficient, by early input from the Structural Engineer.  If investing £1k on Engineering fees could save £2k of build costs, how often would you want to invest £1k?  With the extra time that buys to refine and improve the design, and impact the buildability, this is easily possible and doubles your money!

And finally, the next time you visit your Doctor, just think, the surgery or hospital wouldn’t be there without the work of a competent Structural Engineer.

John M Staves CEng FIStructE is Fellow and Vice President of the Institution of Structural Engineers and Managing Director of Michael Aubrey Partnership

This article appeared in In July’s edition of Construction and Civil Engineering

December 2014 marks a milestone for Michael Aubrey Partnership as we celebrate 20 years of delivering innovative design solutions to our Customers.

BIM Team

 

In that time we have grown from just two Directors to a team of twelve. Celebrating this achievement Managing Director, John Staves said

“It’s been a rollercoaster 20 years. We’ve been through two recessions and thankfully we’re still here. The last recession in 2009 was probably the hardest, but we’ve pulled through and our early adoption of BIM was one of the main reasons that we have survived.

I am passionate about good design and firmly believe that if you put the effort into design before it reaches site, you have fewer site problems, resulting in projects that run on time and rarely go over budget.

We wouldn’t still be here if it wasn’t for our brilliant team, most of whom have been with us since the early days, so I’d like to say a big thank you to them.”

What better way to celebrate than with a cake, champagne and a great night out with our team in Wokingham.

Thank you to all our customers who have supported us along the way and to Suzanne Seymour for making our cake!

BIM cake