Builder’s and construction reports, from £199

Which report do I need at which stage of the build?

Match the report to the next decision you have to make, not to the whole project. Most jobs need one or two reports, rarely all of them.

• Before anyone prices: a construction drawing review for builders checks the set for gaps and conflicts, and construction detail drawings or a schedule of works and specification fill in what the set leaves open.
• Choosing a builder: a builder quote comparison puts the quotes side by side on scope, and a tender package lets several builders price one identical set.
• During the work: a construction management plan sets out deliveries, hours, parking and neighbours, which councils often ask for as a condition.
• Before the final payment: a snagging report lists what is unfinished or wrong, so you can hold the last invoice against a written list.

How do the reports hand on to each other?

Each report produces a document the next one can use. A drawing review lists the gaps. The detail drawings and schedule of works close them. The schedule then becomes the list every builder prices from, which is what the quote comparison and the tender package check against. The same schedule is what the snagging report measures the finished work against.

So buying them in order saves repetition: we do not re-measure or re-read the job for each one, and a later report starts from the earlier one. You can also buy any single report on its own and bring your own drawings or quotes.

What is a report, and what is it not?

These are documents written by chartered architectural technologists (MCIAT). A quote comparison is a check that quotes cover the same scope, not a quantity surveyor’s valuation. A snagging report is a visual check of the finished work, not a building control inspection and not a RICS survey. Construction details show build-ups and junctions; beams, foundations and other structure come from an engineer’s calculations.

Where a report finds something that needs a structural engineer or a building control surveyor, it says so and names who to appoint. We can arrange structural calculations as a separate service.

Who is responsible for safety on the job?

On a domestic job the client’s legal duties usually pass to the contractor, or to the principal contractor if there is more than one (HSE). A construction management plan helps you set out site arrangements, but it does not replace the contractor’s own duties.

If the work also needs building regulations approval, the council or an approved inspector decides a full plans application within 5 weeks, or 2 months with your consent (gov.uk). Reports that describe the build, such as the schedule of works, are most useful when they are ready before that application goes in.