Clarity First, Numbers Second An Project By: Holme Valley Quantity Surveyors Early cost planning is not just about producing a number. It is about giving the client, contractor and design team a clearer commercial position before the project moves too far forward. On this private residential development in Huddersfield, I was appointed at pre contract stage to prepare a comprehensive cost plan for a proposed 3 dwelling bespoke courtyard scheme with a construction value in excess of £3m. The design information was still evolving, and the project included a number of high value and assumption sensitive elements. Drainage. Shared infrastructure. Attic trusses. Glazing. Underfloor heating. Renewable systems. Architectural features. External works. Access. Programme. All of these had the potential to affect the overall budget if they were not reviewed properly at the outset. As part of the cost planning process, I engaged with specialist subcontractors and suppliers to test key packages, challenge allowances and develop clearer scope definition before contract. That early work helped identify: where costs were fixed where assumptions still existed where provisional sums needed tightening where specialist input was required where design and budget needed better alignment This is where early QS involvement can add real value. … Continue reading Huddersfield Development QS Cost Plan