Every snag is keyed to a room and exact location.
CONSULTANCY / DECISION FILE / MBC
Extension and renovation oversight
An extension or major renovation is probably the biggest construction project you will ever commission, and most homeowners run it with no independent eyes on the work at all. Building control checks minimum compliance at a handful of points; nobody else is checking that you are getting what you are paying for.
01 / QUESTION → DECISION
When oversight earns its keep
Oversight fills that gap: staged inspections by a Chartered Construction Manager who has spent years on the contractor’s side of the fence and knows where corners get cut — foundations, damp-proofing, structural connections, insulation, flat roofs, and everything that gets covered up before you would ever see it.
It is not about catching your builder out. Good contractors welcome independent inspection, because it protects them too. It is about problems being found at the stage they cost hundreds to fix, instead of after completion, when they cost thousands.
- 01
Single and double-storey extensions, from footings to final finish
- 02
Loft conversions and structural alterations — beams, openings, load paths
- 03
Whole-house renovations where multiple trades overlap
- 04
Projects where you have lost confidence in the builder and want an independent view of the work done so far
- 05
Disputes over quality or payment part-way through a project
What the service covers
- 01
A staged inspection plan agreed at the start, matched to your project’s risk points
- 02
Site inspections at the moments that matter — typically before concrete pours, at damp-proof course, before plastering covers the structure, and at completion
- 03
A short plain-English report after every visit: photographs, what was checked, what needs attention
- 04
Review of works against drawings and specification, so what was designed is what gets built
- 05
Advice on staged payments, so money tracks completed work
- 06
A snagging inspection at completion, with a defects list for the contractor
02 / METHOD
How it works
A clear line from the question to an independent recommendation.- 01
DECISION GATE / 1
Project review
Drawings, specification and the builder’s quote are reviewed before works start — ambiguities and missing items get resolved while they are still free to fix.
- 02
DECISION GATE / 2
Inspection plan
A staged schedule is agreed around your programme, focused on the points where defects get buried: groundworks, structure, weatherproofing, insulation.
- 03
DECISION GATE / 3
Staged inspections
Site visits at each agreed stage, each followed by a short photographic report and a plain answer to the only question that matters: is it right, and if not, what needs to happen?
- 04
DECISION GATE / 4
Completion
A snagging inspection, a written defects list, and confirmation when the works are genuinely finished — worth having before the final payment leaves your account.
03 / BEFORE YOU INSTRUCT
Questions worth answering first.
Scope, access, limitations and what happens after the inspection—explained before they become surprises.
Will my builder be offended?
A good one will not. Reputable contractors are used to independent inspection and often prefer it — a written record that each stage was checked and passed protects them from later disputes just as much as it protects you. A builder who objects strongly is telling you something worth knowing.
Does building control not already do this?
Building control checks compliance with the building regulations at a limited number of statutory points. It is not a quality inspection and it is not working for you. Plenty of work passes building control while still being poorly executed, incomplete against your specification, or short of what you paid for.
How many inspections will my project need?
A typical single-storey extension needs four to six staged visits; larger or more complex projects need more. The plan is agreed up front with a fixed fee per visit, so you know the full cost before works start.
Can you come in part-way through a project that is going wrong?
Yes. A single inspection with a written report on the state of the works — what is acceptable, what is defective, what it will take to put right — is often the turning point in a deteriorating project, and gives you solid ground for the conversation with your builder.
NEW INSTRUCTION / Project oversight
Make the next decision properly.
Send the property address and the situation for a fixed quote and an honest recommendation.
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