Call Us: +44 (0) 20 7993 4755  |  Email Us: enquiries@acresbuildingconsultants.co.uk

Services

Solving complex built environment issues with simple surveying solutions

Working throughout the UK and Europe, Acres Building Consultants provides a full range of built environment services, tailored to meet the ever changing needs of the commercial, industrial and retail sectors. With a wealth of experience, our team can provide advice and bridge the gap between various sectors and disciplines.

Compliance Management & Independent Certifier

Acres Building Consultants monitors and
assesses built environments to ensure they
comply with relevant construction
industry standards.

Project Management

Construction project management refers to
the processes needed to successfully complete
a construction project. Construction project
managers ensure that all elements of a
construction project are supported and executed efficiently throughout the project lifecycle.

Acres Building Consultants provides you
with the right professionals for your project.
Our team members have many years' experience
of managing construction projects up to £6 million.

Proactive and robust project management of
your construction project can include, but
is not limited to, the coordination, execution,
and planning of a construction project, whether
it’s agricultural, residential, commercial,
institutional or industrial.

Landlord Submissions for License
To Alter agreements

As a landlord, your leaseholder may request permission to carry out work to the property.
Leases can often prohibit this without consent.
The granting of consent is in the form of a licence
to alter, which is an official document that is issued
by the freeholder to the tenant.

At Acres Building Consultants we can assist by reviewing the proposals, visiting the property
before permission is granted and provide
a follow-up visit to the property to ensure
that the work has been carried out inline with
the agreement and that no damage has been
caused to the property.

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Insurance Claim Investigations

At Acres Building Consultants, we
understand the challenges and frustrations that homeowners face when something goes wrong
with a property and an insurance claim is required.
We work either with the insurance company
or the homeowner to investigate the cause
of the problem, identify rectification work
and if required, manage the process to its
conclusion, avoiding any unnecessary disruption.

Expert Witness including Housing Disrepair and new build home inspections

Our extensive experience in identifying building defects and the respect gained over the years
has led to a number of legal firms instructing us to give expert evidence.

We carry out surveys and produce expert witness reports on new build properties, housing disrepair,
as well as properties in the  commercial sector
and the hospitality industry.

We are members of the Royal Institution of
Chartered Surveyors, and The Academy of Experts.

In line with CPR Part 35 (Civil Procedure Rules),
we understand that our primary duty as an
expert witness is not to the client but to the court.
In order to provide the best service to the court,
the team receive regular training and updates.

Whole-Life Costing

The whole-life cost of a property includes
the cost of acquiring or building it, operating
and maintaining it over its life, through to its
disposal. Significant financial, operational and sustainability benefits can be achieved using a
whole-life approach to facilitate design, with organisations gaining the greatest value where
the approach is adopted from the outset.

At Acres Building Consultants, we are able to assist you with the production of whole-life costing or individual sections such as life-cycle costing for
pre-planned maintenance schedules
of five to 25 years or more.

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Clerk of Works

Acres Building Consultants can act as your
Clerk of Works. We monitor work on-site
to ensure that it is in line with the specification, drawings and any schedules.

Regular site visits are undertaken to ensure that
work is carried out correctly and that you are
receiving quality workmanship and value for money.

Party Walls

The Party Wall etc Act 1996 came into force
on 1 July 1997. It is important that the act is
followed if there is an intention to carry out
building work which involves work on an existing
wall shared with another property, building on a boundary with a neighbouring property or
excavating near a neighbouring building.
At Acres Building Consultants we can establish
if it is applicable, and act as your
Party Wall Surveyor.

Acres Building Consultants team members
Emma and Alastair are well versed in Party Wall processes, with Director Tony being a member
of The Pyramus & Thisbe Society – founded
in 1974 to bring together surveyors and
architects with a professional interest in party
wall matters, especially related to the
Party Wall etc Act 1996.

Facilities Management,
Tendering and Auditing

Acres Building Consultants can provide you
with tailor made solution to your facilities
management needs.  

We keep up-to-date with new developments and innovations to ensure functionality of the built environment – integrating people, place,
processes and technology. 

With our team member, Isabell Virnau, in the lead,
we can assist your business with ad-hoc
advice or offer services from setting up contracts
for hard and soft services to auditing your
current procedures and systems.

We undertake pre-planned maintenance
scheduling and costing, and working hand-in-hand with you, we will assess your exact requirements
in order to ensure that you benefit from any
in-house facilities management expertise
you already have.

Thermal Imaging

As part of our services as a firm of
Chartered Building Surveyors, Acres Building Consultants offer Thermal Imaging, which can be used in a diverse range of applications such as:

• Water ingress to flat roofs
• Insulation and air leakage to buildings
• Water ingress to property
• Electrical fault finding and condition
based monitoring
• Mechanical fault finding and condition
based monitoring
• Tracing and fault-finding under
floor heating circuits

It is particularly useful as it is non-destructive
and infrared images can be
viewed immediately.

Surveys are carried out by Isabell Virnau and
Tony Isbell, who, as well as being our qualified thermographers, use their extensive knowledge
and experience in construction to fully understand
the issue and provide solutions.

The benefits thermal imaging brings to the maintenance of a building and its mechanical / electrical equipment is that it can help to identify potential problems before they become an issue.
It helps with the planning of efficient maintenance
and repair strategies.
Use of thermal imaging in defect analysis is particularly useful for ascertaining cold bridges
and poor insulation in structures.

Technical Due Diligence Reports

Technical due diligence reports are normally
carried out to assist in the purchase, occupation
or disposal of a property.

The client will gain an understanding of the current condition, future costs and other liabilities
as well as suitability of the prospective property
for its intended use. This type of survey can
also be useful in providing a basis for negotiation
with the vendor or landlord.

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Condition Surveys

Condition Surveys can be hugely beneficial in
your decision-making processes in respect of purchase, sale, re-financing, avoiding potential
claims, renovation and/or maintenance
of any building.

Acres Building Consultants can undertake
Condition Surveys of your property portfolio
to understand its condition and what may
be required to assist in your decision
making process.

Pre and post Contract Administration

Contract management and administration can
be a very time-consuming part of any building
project. But at Acres Building Consultants we'll
happily assist with this aspect of the project by preparing a Schedule of Work, finishes schedules, working drawings and tender documents
sufficient to invite tenders for the work and
report on tenders received.

We can also prepare a contract for the work,
instruct contractors, inspect the works, give
advice as necessary and carry out
administrative duties.

Other aspects may include carrying out valuations
of the work and issuing certificates for stage payments and practical completion certificates, inspecting the premises after the defects liability period, providing snagging lists and issuing
a Final Certificate.

Specialist Defect Analysis

With extensive experience in diagnosing building defects, our approach is to identify the method
of construction, analyse the defect and establish
how and why it has occurred. Once this has been established, we will identify the extent of the
damage and provide you with recommendations
for any required remedial action and advice on
the associated cost.

Below Ground Waterproofing

Acres Building Consultants are experts in Waterproofing Defect Analyses
(CSSW qualified surveyor)
.

With our extensive building surveying and waterproofing background we are able to
undertake defect analysis in relation to water
ingress (against Code of practice BS 8102:2022 Protection of below ground structures against
water ingress) within existing structures and
provide the necessary, independent and
impartial advice and support to each party to
resolve the issues.

Dilapidations Surveys

As a landlord, you may require a dilapidation
survey to identify any defects that have been
caused to your property by the tenant failing to comply with their liabilities under a lease.
As a tenant, you may have received a schedule
of dilapidations from your landlord or are looking
to understand your dilapidations liability prior to
exiting your property for budgeting purposes.

Once the landlord has issued the survey,
tenants are required to remedy the breach(es),
or alternatively may be given the opportunity to negotiate a financial settlement with the landlord. However, this can be a complicated area due
to the variables involved. Clarification of liability
will depend upon reviewing the lease, identifying
the condition of the building and the appropriate method of remedy where a breach has occurred.

Acres Building Consultants has represented both Landlords and Tenants, and is able to manage
this process as well as provide ad-hoc advice.

3D Rendering

A high-quality 3D visualization creates
a fascinating eye-catcher.

Whether in the field of architecture or
product design, 3D visualization has its firm
place in the implementation of architectural
designs or the photorealistic representation
of products.

High-quality architectural visualizations increase
the client's trust in the architect. Even during
the planning phase, you can visually show the advantages, materials or special construction
methods of products or buildings and thus
bring the design concepts to life.

Architectural visualizations allow the architect
to get involved in the process of conceptualizing
their design so that they can build physical
models that reflect their ideas.

Convince your customers with impressive presentations of your ideas and products.

We are here to provide simple surveying solutions