Which surveys are worth getting before a Construction Project?, Property Building Control Advice
Which Surveys Are Worth Getting Before a Construction Project?
21 Dec 2022
The process of building a new property begins long before the foundation is constructed. Ensuring that the land you are planning to build your new property on is ready for the construction project is one of the first jobs that you will need to undertake. There are various surveys that are worth having carried out if you are planning to build a property in order to ensure that the house is protected against potential future issues and to ensure that you are not disturbing the natural habitat of protected species like bats or badgers. If you are preparing for a home building project, then getting a few different surveys carried out on the area beforehand is worth considering, and sometimes necessary. Some surveys that you may need to get include:
Tree Survey
If you are planning to build your home in an area where there are lots of trees, then it is worth investing in a tree survey. Tree surveys should always be carried out by an established tree surveyor to ensure that you are not building your property too close to trees, which can cause problems later down the line. If your property is too close to trees, this can lead to the roots taking moisture from the soil around the foundation, which can cause serious structural damage.
A tree surveyor will carry out a thorough survey of the trees around the area where the property is to be built, providing you with further information that you will need to consider before construction. The survey will let you know how any trees might impact your plans. The surveyor can provide you with further advice and information on the next steps to take regarding trees before starting the project.
Bat Surveys
There are several protected wildlife species throughout the UK, including bats. If you are planning to build a house in an area where there may be bats present, or are developing a derelict building that might be housing bats at the time, then it’s against the law to do any work that knowingly or unknowingly disturbs the bats or their natural habitat.
Being found to have disturbed bats in their natural habitat could mean that you face a fine, or in some cases, a custodial sentence. Because of this, it’s important to have a bat survey carried out by a trained professional before you begin any construction project. This will provide more information on the presence of bats in the area and any steps you will need to take to avoid disturbing them when carrying out the work. There are several things that you can do to safely and legally deal with bats in the area, such as bat boxes, that will allow you to go ahead with the building project.
Other Protected Wildlife Surveys
Bats aren’t the only protected species present in the UK. If you are planning a construction project, then there are other types of wildlife that you may want to have a survey carried out for. Badgers, for example, are protected wildlife in the UK, so you could be prosecuted or fined if you are found to have disturbed them or their setts during a construction project. Having a thorough survey to look for these different protected species in the area before you start the project of building your home is highly recommended before any work starts. Surveys will give you a better idea of which wildlife species are present in the area, how the project might have an impact on them, and which measures you can take to make sure that the local wildlife in the area is undisturbed and protected while your project is ongoing.
Structural Survey
If you are going to be converting or renovating an existing building rather than planning to build a home from scratch, then a structural survey can be an ideal option to have carried out. This is often necessary before you carry out any construction and renovation work on a derelict or older property, as it gives you a clearer idea of the condition of the building and whether it is possible and safe to carry out your plans. A full structural survey will give you a more in-depth look into the building’s condition and the kind of work that you will need to be prepared to do in order to get the results that you want. It is a good way to find any issues with the property that may not have been obvious immediately, allowing you to put together a more accurate budget for the work that you need to carry out. It also ensures that you’ll be able to keep yourself and any others working on the property safe, as you’ll know where any particularly dangerous areas are.
Soil Survey
There are some ground conditions that might affect your construction project, so it can be worth paying for a soil survey in some situations. Running sand, tipped areas, and boggy land are all some signs that the ground conditions might be poor, which can lead to problems with the construction project later down the line. Before you start your construction project, it can be worth having a survey on the land carried out will help you find out more about what’s underneath the topsoil, how easy it will be for building on, and if there is any additional work that needs to be conducted beforehand to ensure that it is correctly and safely prepared for the project to begin. A soil survey can be available on its own or as part of a larger land survey, which can include surveying things such as odd-shaped sites and obstacles.
If you are planning on building a property from scratch or want to convert a derelict property to something that is more habitable, then there are several surveys that you may wish to have carried out on the area beforehand. These surveys will help you ensure that the area is suitable along with preventing any damage from trees or disruption to wildlife.
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