Browse through our blog posts for the latest industry news, discover more about surveying, Chartered Surveying guides and find out what the Harrison Clarke team have been up to.
Every construction project starts with optimism. The plans look solid, the numbers add up, and the programme feels achievable. But somewhere between breaking ground and completion, something always shifts. Ground conditions surprise you. Regulations change. Prices move. That’s why every well-run project needs one thing above all else — a contingency. What Is a Contingency […]
Buying a Victorian or Edwardian home can feel like stepping into history. These properties exude charm with their high ceilings, elegant fireplaces, detailed brickwork, and solid craftsmanship that outlasts most modern buildings. But behind the period features, there can be hidden problems that are costly to fix if you do not know what to look […]
Imagine this. You crash a Fiat Punto. The garage takes a look and tells you the repairs will cost £12,000. Naturally, you think that sounds ridiculous, because the car is only worth £800. Even if it were fixed, you’d still only have a Fiat Punto worth £800 – not a nearly-new hatchback worth £12,000. That […]
In 2020, a two-year-old boy named Awaab sadly died in the social housing flat he shared with his family, following long-term exposure to damp and mould. The landlord ignored repeated reports about the issue, which caused serious illness and eventually led to his death. This tragedy led to the creation of a new set of […]
Buying a home is exciting. You have found the property, agreed a price, and can already picture moving in. It is easy to think that the survey is just another box to tick — another fee in a long list of costs that you could probably do without. But skipping a proper building survey can […]
Every successful project begins long before anyone steps on site. It starts with numbers — the budget that turns drawings into reality. A good budget isn’t just a spreadsheet of costs; it’s the foundation of control, clarity, and confidence for everyone involved. In the UK, construction budgets have to do more than cover materials and […]
Producing a home survey isn’t an easy task for a surveyor. It takes a lot of knowledge and skill, not to mention experience and physical exertion. We clamber into all sorts of spaces to check for defects! But have you ever wondered what the process is like from the client’s side? And more importantly, what […]
Buying a home is one of the biggest financial decisions you will ever make. It can be exciting, but also stressful. What looks perfect during a viewing might be hiding issues beneath the surface. Cracks, damp, or movement can easily go unnoticed until it is too late. A Level 3 Building Survey is the most […]
Have you received a ‘Party Wall’ letter through your door? Sadly, it’s not a party invite, and there’s no cake on offer. It’s a bit more boring, but much more important. Whether you’re a homeowner planning to extend your kitchen or a neighbour worried about next door’s loft conversion, understanding the party wall process can […]
You notice a hairline crack running across the wall. Then a door that used to close smoothly suddenly sticks. A few weeks later, the gap’s grown wider. At first, it feels like a small issue — maybe just an old house settling. But sometimes, those subtle shifts tell a bigger story. One that starts not […]
Do you get on with your neighbours? Do you talk to them regularly, or just nod and smile when you see them in the driveway? It doesn’t matter how well you know them or how friendly you are, it’s all too easy to end up in a heated dispute about bricks, boundaries and building works. […]
Whether you’re a commercial landlord or a tenant, a schedule of dilapidations is an absolute must. Landlords can use schedules of dilapidations to demand their tenants pay them tens, or even hundreds of thousands of pounds at the end of the lease. Unlike residential tenancies, commercial leases don’t have fair wear and tear clauses. This […]
