Clerk of Works & Site Inspections
Independent quality inspections during construction — clerk of works visits, stage inspections and photographic reports that catch defects while they're still cheap to fix.
What is a clerk of works?
Defects are cheapest the day they happen. A damp-proof course bridged during blockwork costs minutes to fix that morning and thousands once the render is on. Clerk of works and site inspection services put an independent, construction-literate inspector on your site at the moments that matter — so quality problems are caught in the week they occur, not at handover.
What the Surveyor inspects
- Regular quality monitoring — scheduled visits (weekly, fortnightly or at agreed stages) checking workmanship and materials against the drawings and specification, with photographic reports after every visit.
- Key-stage inspections — foundations, DPC, structural frame, roof, first fix, second fix and pre-plaster: the points where poor work is about to be covered up.
- Pre-handover inspection — a full defects list before practical completion is certified, complementing our new-build snagging surveys.
- Evidence for disputes — contemporaneous inspection records that later support negotiations or expert witness proceedings if the project turns contentious.
What a site inspection actually checks
Inspection value lives in the detail. Depending on stage, a visit covers: setting out and foundation excavations against the drawings; damp-proof courses, cavity trays and weep holes before they disappear behind render; wall ties, cavity widths and cavity cleanliness; structural bearings, padstones and steelwork protection; insulation continuity and airtightness detailing; fire stopping and compartmentation — the defect buyers' surveyors most often flag years later; roof coverings, flashings and rainwater goods; and first and second fix workmanship against the specification. The inspector's habit of photographing work the day before it is covered up is worth more than any amount of arguing afterwards.
The report after every visit
Each inspection produces a dated, photographed report: items raised with locations, a running schedule showing which earlier items are closed and which remain open, materials and workmanship observations against the specification, progress against programme, and site conditions on the day. Over the life of the project this becomes a continuous quality record — useful weekly for decisions, and decisive later if workmanship or the final account is disputed.
Clerk of works, building control and snagging: three different checks
These are routinely confused, and the confusion costs money. Building control inspects at a handful of statutory stages for building regulations compliance — not for contract quality, and not for you. A snagging survey is a one-off inspection at completion, when defects are found but rework is at its most expensive and the leverage of interim payments has gone. Clerk of works inspection is continuous quality assurance during the build, on your side of the contract, catching problems while they cost minutes. On a well-run project all three happen — they answer different questions.
How often should inspections happen?
Frequency should match risk, not habit. Fortnightly visits suit most domestic extensions and renovations; weekly earns its fee on fast-moving or structurally complex projects; key-stage-only programmes suit tighter budgets, provided the stages are chosen so nothing significant gets covered up between visits. Where the same panel professional also acts as contract administrator, aligning inspections with valuation dates means the employer pays for verified work only.
Self-builds, reinstatement and developments
The service scales in both directions. Self-builders and homeowners commissioning one-off houses use programmed clerk of works visits as their quality function, filling the gap that warranty-provider inspections were never designed to cover. On insurance reinstatement projects, inspection reports double as evidence for the insurer that repairs match the claim scope. And on funded developments the role complements development monitoring — the monitoring surveyor protects the funder, while the clerk of works protects the employer's specification on the ground.
Who uses the service
Homeowners funding extensions and renovations who cannot be on site themselves; employers on JCT contracts wanting inspection independent of the contractor; lenders and insurers needing progress verification alongside development monitoring. Where the same surveyor also acts as contract administrator, inspection findings feed directly into valuations and certificates.
Fees and instruction
Per-visit fixed fees or a monthly rate for programmed inspections, agreed before inspections start — tell us the location, programme and contract value and we will quote the sensible inspection frequency.
Frequently asked questions
What does a clerk of works do?
They inspect construction quality on your behalf while the work happens — checking workmanship and materials against the drawings and specification, recording everything photographically, and raising defects with the contractor while they are still cheap to correct. They are your eyes on site, independent of the builder.
How often should site inspections happen?
Match the inspections to the moments where poor work is about to be covered up: foundations, damp-proof course, frame, roof, first fix and pre-plaster. On a typical extension that means visits at key stages; on larger or faster projects, weekly or fortnightly. The schedule is agreed against your contractor's programme before inspections start.
Isn't building control already inspecting my project?
Building control checks compliance with building regulations — the legal minimum — at a handful of statutory stages. It does not check that you are getting the quality, materials and details you are paying for. A clerk of works inspects against your specification, not the regulatory floor, and reports to you alone. The two roles complement rather than replace each other.