Over the years we have undertaken thousands of surveys prior to the refurbishment of buildings, sometimes direct for the building owner and at other times for the contractor undertaking the refurbishment. Clients may have just the one property or multiple sites nationwide. Clients where we have worked nationwide include the likes of Shell, Esso, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Budgens, Mango, Specsavers, Ikea and multiple Woolworths sites when they were sold off in 2009.
We often find that with buildings of this nature, we are required to undertake the survey whilst the property is still occupied due to their being a very narrow window within which the refurbishment takes place. This can mean working outside of normal working hours to cause as little disruption to the day-to-day operations of the site.
The degree of refurbishment can vary significantly, sometimes preserving all parts of the building but taking it back to its original shell for a new fit out, through to the full demolition of the building other than the front façade, as was the case for the Former Canadian Embassy at 1 Grosvenor Square in London, purchased in 2015 for over 300 million.
Our priority is to provide a survey report which is fit for purpose and considers the works that are taking place. This may involve a site visit prior to quoting and a desk top study of all existing asbestos information, as well as having a full understanding of the scope of work taking place in order that our survey can be tailored accordingly.