Refurbishment & Demolition Surveys
In Birmingham.

Survey The Work You Are Planning

A refurbishment survey needs a defined project scope. Replacing a commercial kitchen, rerouting services, altering shop partitions and demolishing an entire building each disturb different parts of the fabric. Supply drawings and a written schedule so the surveyor can investigate the areas that contractors intend to open.

A demolition survey addresses the building or structures due to be demolished. A refurbishment survey may focus on a defined part of a property. The report should make that boundary clear so a targeted investigation is not mistaken for a survey of the entire site.

Why A Management Report Is Different

A management survey supports ordinary occupation and routine maintenance, with an inspection scope suited to that purpose. Refurbishment can reach concealed layers, voids and service routes outside its coverage. Reusing the old report without checking the proposed disturbance can leave important gaps.

Send the current asbestos register as background information, but explain every element of the planned work. A new partition may need floor anchors, a ventilation installation may cross several rooms and a rewire may enter a ceiling void. The survey scope needs to follow those details.

UK Guidance And The Work Area

HSE’s HSG264, Asbestos: The survey guide, sets out the purpose of refurbishment and demolition surveys. They are intrusive investigations designed to locate asbestos within the defined scope before work begins. The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 require asbestos risks to be addressed before work that may expose people.

Arrange suitable vacancy and isolation of affected areas during intrusive investigation. A surveyor must also consider other hazards, including live services and structural risks. Agree these arrangements before attendance so the inspection does not stop at the very surfaces your project needs to disturb.

Plan The Survey Step By Step

First, provide the proposed drawings, existing reports and any construction information you hold. Mark out demolition boundaries, service routes and retained sections. If the design is still changing, explain which decisions are fixed and which areas could be added later.

Next, agree access, isolation and permission for opening up. The investigation can damage finishes, so identify who deals with making good and any temporary protection. Move occupants and belongings from affected areas as agreed, rather than expecting an occupied room to remain in normal use.

The surveyor then inspects within the agreed scope, records locations and obtains representative samples where needed. The report should distinguish findings from limitations and inaccessible areas. Review those limitations against the contractor’s method before allowing the relevant works to begin.

From Report To Construction Plan

Pass the report to the project team and the contractor who will carry out the work. Use the recorded locations to define any removal package. Where asbestos remains outside the work area, explain how it will be protected from incidental damage or access changes.

A survey does not itself authorise removal or provide clearance after later removal work. The surveyor must confirm the investigated area is fit for reoccupation after the intrusive survey, and later removal needs its own planning and evidence. Build a sequence that allows for assessment, any required notifications, removal, clearance where applicable and the handover to other trades.

What Affects Survey Cost

The extent of opening up, number of buildings, complexity of construction and access requirements affect cost. Floor area alone does not capture the work involved. Service isolation, specialist access and a phased programme may alter the time needed for investigation.

Ask whether laboratory analysis, marked plans, report delivery and agreed opening-up are included. Confirm the position on making good and return visits. A quotation based on a written project scope is easier to compare than one based only on a broad description such as “refurbishment survey”.

When The Project Changes

Check the report again if the design changes after the survey. Extending the work into another room, replacing an additional ceiling or shifting a service route can put new fabric within scope. Ask the surveyor whether further investigation is needed before contractors proceed.

For phased projects, record which areas have been investigated and which are still restricted. Keep the current drawings and survey information together so the next phase starts from the correct boundary. Avoid relying on a verbal assurance that a similar room was already checked.

We can help scope enquiries for schools, offices, shops, workshops and industrial premises across Birmingham. Start with the location, planned works and any existing reports. Our general survey page explains management inspections, while our removal page covers the next stage when the survey identifies affected asbestos.