Hello. We are Keystone Building Consultancy, an independent firm of Chartered Building Surveyors based in Yorkshire
We specialise in commercial professional and contractual building surveying across all industry sectors. We have worked with a wide client base giving us experience and expertise of various buildings, structures and construction types.
The firm is regulated by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and all of the surveying team are fully qualified Chartered Building Surveyors.
Not only do we service clients from within the Yorkshire region, we also deliver the full range of commercial building surveying services across the country and further afield.
We have over 10 years of experience in the profession and over this time have built a solid reputation as experts within our field offering honest, non-conflicting advice.
Our highly experienced team acting as trusted advisors will tailor their expertise and approach to ensure your requirements are met. They will work closely with you, listening to your needs to ensure the brief is successfully developed and then keep regular contact during the work to ensure the final piece is presented to your expectation. We have a straight forward, open and honest approach as our client’s needs are of the first and utmost importance.
We pride ourselves in achieving the same professional standards as those of a larger, national organisation and we back this up with a minimum of £1 million professional indemnity insurance cover.
Services
- Building Surveys
Our pre-acquisition building survey advice will be clear and concise. With our knowledge of building costs, regulations and defects so clients are well informed on their purchase. Our experience ranges from city centre listed buildings to large industrial units. We use sub-consultants to advise on building services, deleterious materials, environmental and energy performance matters. - Project Management
We will take the lead role in the design team, coordinating and monitoring all parties and transfer of information to ensure successful delivery of the project. We have worked on design and build new build schemes and bespoke refurbishment projects. - Dilapidation Advice
We can act for you if you are a Landlord or Tenant over dilapidation issues which arise during or at the end of leases. Over the years we have prepared a vast majority of Interim / Terminal Schedules for Landlords and negotiated thousands of pounds of savings for Tenants through our experience and in depth knowledge of relevant case law. - Contract Administration
Working with you we will advise on the most appropriate procurement method and building contract, prepare detailed drawings and a specification of works, competitively tender the scheme then oversee the building contractor, administer the contract and certify the works. We have refurbished police station cells, built individual welfare units and converted derelict shop units. - Schedule of Condition
Anyone entering into a lease agreement on a commercial property should seek the inclusion of a Schedule of Condition into the lease. It records the condition prior to your occupation and if done correctly will mitigate your obligations at the end of the lease. We can ensure specific issues are correctly recorded in this report. - Party Wall Matters
The Party Wall etc Act 1996 provides a framework for preventing and resolving disputes in relation to party walls, boundary walls and excavations near neighbouring buildings. We can advise building owners who intent to carry out work covered by the Act and serve appropriate notices on adjoining owners. We are also able to advise adjoining owners where they disagree to the work and follow the mechanisms within the Act to resolve the dispute. - Planned Preventative Maintenance
We provide long and short term maintenance advice on all types of property. A Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) schedule will ensure there are no items of unexpected expenditure or disruption to your property. This will enable budgets to be planned and various repair strategies to be considered. - Reinstatement Cost Assessments
Whether you are insuring a portfolio of buildings or a single a property it is important the re-build cost is accurate. If you are over insured this will lead to the payment of unnecessarily high premiums and under insured then you are not fully covered. - Planning
Planning Permission is required for the construction of structures or if you make a ‘material change’ to a structure or a ‘change of use’ to the building. We can provide advice on any potential scheme and can complete planning applications and manage the process on your behalf. - Defect Analysis
If you notice something wrong with your building, minor or major, then we can look at this for you. We are experienced in identifying defects, analysing the damage, establishing the cause and clearly reporting the options available along with a budget cost for the repairs. - Measured Surveys
We can produce accurate existing layout drawings for space planning exercises or to include in lease plans. We will carry out a detailed site measured survey recording the layout of the building before drawing up on AutoCAD and issuing in either paper or electronic format. We have measured large occupied office buildings to old redundant retail units to busy city centre restaurants. - Statutory and Compliance Survey
We have the experience and knowledge to provide our clients with detailed compliance reports; from Fire Risk Assessments to Access Audits. We utilise our knowledge of current legislation to ensure we offer the correct advice. From this we are also able to administer the compliance works to ensure your property meets with current regulations.
Biography
Toby Ware MRICS, Director, Building Surveying
Currently an RICS assessor for candidates sitting their Assessment of Professional Competence. Gained BSc (Hons) First Class degree in Building Surveying at Univeristy of Northumbria, Newcastle.
Director
Keystone Building Consultancy
November 2015 - Date
Independent building surveying practice offering the full range of commercial services
Senior Surveyor
Faithful+Gould
July 2013 – November 2015
Worked as a Building Surveyor alongside Project Managers and Quantity Surveyors
Senior Building Surveyor
Naylors Chartered Surveyors
April 2009 – July 2013
Led the team of building surveyors in this local multidisciplinary surveying practice.
Chartered Building Surveyor
Lambert Smith Hampton
June 2005 – April 2009
Joined after graduating from University and gained Chartered status at this national company.