Why Pay for Quantity Surveyor (QS) in NZ on a Residential Renovation Project?
Are you planning a residential renovation project such as a home extension in Auckland?
While it may be tempting to handle everything yourself to save costs, investing in Quantity Surveyor (QS) services can be a game-changer.
Quantity Surveyor professionals bring a wealth of expertise to the table, ensuring that your renovation journey is not only smooth but also cost-effective and of the highest quality.
Here are some compelling reasons why paying for QS services in New Zealand for your residential renovation project is a smart move:
In this article, we delve into the various aspects of why paying for quality services is crucial for ensuring the success and longevity of your residential renovation projects in (Auckland) NZ.
Quantity surveyors in New Zealand are essential partners for renovation projects, offering expertise to optimise costs, navigate regulations, and ensure quality outcomes tailored to the unique needs of Kiwi homes and businesses
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Why aren’t homeowners taking advantage of the services quantity surveyors offer?
Quantity surveyors (QS) have a presence in large-scale commercial projects, where their expertise plays a crucial role in various stages of development. However, their scope extends beyond commercial projects.
QS are adept at managing costs, ensuring efficient resource allocation, and providing valuable insights into project feasibility across diverse sectors.
In addition to commercial projects, quantity surveyors are integral to residential building work, infrastructure undertakings, industrial complexes, and even public works initiatives. Their meticulous approach to cost estimation, procurement strategies, and contract management contributes significantly to the success of projects irrespective of scale or industry.
Although it is well known that quantity surveyors are often associated with large-scale commercial projects, the expertise of quantity surveyors exceeds project size and type, making them indispensable assets across the construction and development landscape.
What is a Quantity Surveyor?
A quantity surveyor (QS) is a construction professional with specialised knowledge in cost management, procurement, and contract administration. Their primary role revolves around quantifying and estimating the materials, labour, and resources required for construction projects, including residential renovations.
For example, building a home extension may include a QS to quantify and estimate the labour and materials for the job.
By leveraging their expertise in cost analysis and project management, quantity surveyors ensure that renovation projects are delivered within budgetary constraints and to the highest quality standards.
Where do quantity surveyors add value?
Before Any Building Work Starts
The QS plays an important role in conducting feasibility studies for projects. For example if you were planning a home extension to increase your footprint, they would leverage measurements from sketches provided by designers or clients to provide initial estimates for project requirements. By thoroughly analyzing plans from architects and engineers, they pinpoint associated costs and establish an estimated budget for the project.
Additionally, the QS may conduct comparative analyses with similar projects to refine their estimations. Utilising the concept of value engineering, quantity surveyors strategise cost management to ensure the design team adheres to the project budget through practical solutions.
Subsequently, the quantity surveyor collaborates with the project architect to develop a comprehensive detailed estimate, serving as the foundation for tender evaluations.
During The Construction Phase
Once building work commences, the quantity surveyor can provide cash flow information to enable the client to organise the necessary finances for each phase of the project. Additionally, they can evaluate cost implications resulting from project alterations/changes, such as delays, and negotiate variations with contractors.
Furthermore, the quantity surveyor can assist clients by generating project reports for banks and preparing draw-down certificates for loan disbursements.
Quantity Surveyor and the Project Lifecycle
The project lifecycle and the specific professional services that quantity surveyors (QS) will offer for each project can look like this:
Feasibility Planning
At the early stages of the project, when ideas are being developed and budgets are tentative, QS offer invaluable insights. From rudimentary sketches to preliminary site plans, they assist in establishing realistic high-level project budgets and identifying potential risks lurking in the shadows.
Concept Design
The skill of the QS becomes more apparent as the project progresses. They analyse floor plans, elevations, and external finishes, ensuring that the design aspirations of the homeowner continue to be aligned with the homeowner’s/client’s budget.
Design Development/Detailed Design
With the design taking shape, the QS involvement intensifies. As the building consent document set nears completion, they refine cost estimates, flagging any budgetary deviations and proposing value management strategies to keep expenditures in check.
Depending on the nature of your renovation project, you may need to obtain resource consent from the local council. A QS can assist in preparing cost estimates and documentation required for the consent application, ensuring compliance with relevant regulations.
Before commencing construction, you’ll typically need to obtain building consent from the local council. A QS can help in preparing detailed cost estimates and specifications required for the building consent application, which may vary based on the region and local building codes in New Zealand.
Tendering Process
If your project involves hiring contractors, a quantity surveyor can assist in preparing tender documents, evaluating bids, and negotiating contracts to ensure that you get the best value for your money.
Construction Phase
During construction, a QS can provide ongoing cost monitoring and control services to help you manage expenses and ensure that the project stays within budget. They can also assist in valuing variations and progress payments to contractors.
At Style Plus Renovations, typically, the project manager provides ongoing cost monitoring and project financial control services.
Post-Construction
But the QS role doesn’t conclude with the clang of the builder’s hammer. Throughout the construction phase, they offer ongoing support, navigating contract negotiations, assessing variations, and managing progress payments to safeguard financial prudence till project completion
QUANTITY SURVEYOR COSTS
A number of variables, such as the project’s size and complexity, the quantity surveyor’s (QS) expertise and reputation, and the particular services needed, might affect the cost of employing a QS in New Zealand.
QS fees are typically computed as a fixed price for particular services or as a percentage of the overall construction cost.
Hiring a QS to handle project management, cost planning, and estimating for a typical residential project can cost anywhere from 1% to 3% of the overall building cost. For large-scale this percentage might change.
Furthermore, certain QS companies could charge by the hour or have set prices for particular services like creating bills of quantities or giving cost guidance.
Link to NZIQS.
OUR PROCESS
Initial Consultation
Our process starts with an initial consultation over the phone, MS Team Video, or Zoom meeting if you prefer – See the Contact Us page.
During our initial call, we will discuss the option of a free feasibility report and request a copy of the council property file – if you decide to move forward with the feasibility report.
Initial Home Visit – Meet & Greet
Once we have received the FREE feasibility report from our architects, we will arrange a time to visit your home to discuss the report and further assess your requirements. The report will outline the architect’s fees including the building consent submission to the council.
We will also discuss the costs for creating the first estimate based on the concept plans and the quote based on the working drawings.
This financial investment ensures that project costs are predictable by using the services of our quantity surveyor and compensates for the time spent negotiating accurate and reasonable pricing for the planned renovation.
Once you are happy with the fees, and payment terms and signed the agreements, we move forward with creating the concept plans.
During the meeting, it is critical that all decision-makers attend so that we understand everyone’s point of view and the potential costs of moving forward.
- Check out our process here.
QS FAQS
- When Should You Engage A Quantity Surveyor For Your Renovation Project?Engaging a quantity surveyor early in your renovation project can help you achieve cost-effective outcomes, manage expenses efficiently, and mitigate risks effectively. Their expertise and insights can add significant value to your project from the initial planning stages through to completion.
- What Is The Difference Between A Project Manager And A Quantity Surveyor?Managing the project as a whole is the responsibility of the project manager. For the homeowner, the builders, and other contractors associated with the project. The project manager also serve as the main point of contact. Ensuring that the project is finished on schedule, within budget, and to the necessary quality standards is the responsibility of the project manager. The budget and cost control of a construction project is the responsibility of the quantity surveyor. They have the responsibility of project cost estimation, budget monitoring, and project completion within budget. A quantity surveyor can also offer guidance on contracts, insurance, and purchasing.
- Why Use Preliminary EstimatesIn order to have a ballpark idea of whether a project is financially feasible or not, home owners sometimes rely on preliminary estimates. To ascertain whether they can afford the project with their current resources or how much financing they'll need, they may use the preliminary estimate. A rough estimate frequently aids the home owner in deciding whether or not to take on a building work.
- What Is The Primary Function Of A Quantity SurveyorOne of the primary functions of a quantity surveyor is to provide accurate and comprehensive cost estimates for renovation projects. Through meticulous analysis of project requirements, material specifications, and labor costs, quantity surveyors ensure that homeowners have a clear understanding of the financial implications associated with their renovation plans. Accurate cost estimation enables informed decision-making, prevents budget overruns, and minimizes financial risks throughout the project lifecycle.
- What Is Value Engineering?Value engineering is a systematic approach to optimise the value of a project by balancing performance, quality, and cost considerations. Quantity surveyors play a pivotal role in value engineering by identifying cost-saving opportunities, proposing alternative materials or construction methods, and optimizing resource allocation to maximize efficiency without compromising on quality. By implementing value engineering principles, quantity surveyors help homeowners achieve their renovation objectives in the most cost-effective manner.
At Style Plus Renovations, we understand that the custom renovation or new home build can be long and involved, but with the right design & build builder, it can become a rewarding and enjoyable experience. At Style Plus Renovations, we prioritise listening to your goals and placing your needs at the forefront.
Whether you have specific design preferences, or unique requirements, or simply want to explore the possibilities of building a custom renovation or new home build, we are here to guide you. Our goal is to create a home that reflects your individual style, meets your functional needs, provides a space where you can thrive and reduces your carbon footprint.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We look forward to hearing from you and discussing how we can bring your dream home to reality.
Whilst all information is considered to be true and correct at the date of publication, changes in circumstances after the time of publication may impact the accuracy of the information.
The information may change without notice and Style Plus Renovations is not in any way liable for the accuracy of any information printed and stored or in any way interpreted and used by a user.
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YOUR RENOVATION PROJECT
Tel us about your renovation project and we’ll call you back for a no-obligation chat about your ideas.
Alternatively, if you prefer, we can initially set up a meeting using Microsoft Teams or Zoom (and other meeting apps) for a no-obligation chat about your ideas.
We look forward to hearing from you to discuss your project and get you started on your renovation journey.
If you would like to know more about our renovation process, check it out here.
