A building consultant is a business professional that helps a business entity to manage a building or group of buildings. They help to minimize risk, manage liability and help streamline the management of a building.
Scope of Service
The scope of the services that a building consultant provides can extend to commercial building and acquisition surveys, office building layout, project management, retail design and more.
Commonplace
Building consultants are now commonplace in the residential building industry. They provide a range of services to purchasers of new and established homes and contract directly with consumers.
Before Construction
Many times a building consultant could begin their influence at the pre-planning stages before a building is even constructed. This helps to kick-start a project from the beginning.
Why Do You Need A Building Consultant?
Most business owners and managers are active people. Taking on the responsibility of managing a large building and all the many tasks and chores involved in making sure a building is taken care of properly can be a daunting task.
Expert Advice
Seeking guidance and expert advice from a professional building consultant can be a very wise decision. This decision can save you headaches and help forecast unforeseen expenses down the road.
Various Building Services
A building consultant can help your business with many things including:
- Building Codes
- Insurance Assessments and Issues
- Security Inspections
- Building Audits
- Building Renovations
- Forward Planning
- Building Expansion
- Dilapidation Report
- General Building Advice
- Progress Payment Disagreement
- Sinking Fund Issues
Ongoing Construction and Maintenance
A building consultant can also help you plan for lifecycle costs of construction projects, keeping up with regular maintenance and assisting you to manage any unexpected events throughout the life of your building.
Manage Your Investment
Owning and maintaining a building is a huge investment and responsibility. Things change over time as codes are updated, flooding or other unforeseen disasters happen and offices need to be redesigned. The right building consultant will help you manage your investment and ensure a high ROI.
Property Inspections
Building consultants can provide pre-purchase property inspection reports for existing homes.
Also, a large portion of their work relates to the provision of pre-purchase inspections and reports for partly constructed or recently completed homes.
Forensic Inspection
A building consultant engages in forensic inspections. These inspections take place when an owner identifies a problem that needs resolution.
Inspectors work to reveal physical deficiencies that cause underlying issues and offer solutions for building owners.
Examples of physical deficiencies and issues include:
- Unidentified Water Intrusion Causes
- Intrusive Odors
- Litigation Support
- Defective Building Materials
Conclusion
Finding the right building consultant to work with will ensure that your commercial building is always in safe hands.