What Is a Construction Surveyor?

A construction surveyor measures and maps land, guiding where buildings, roads and other structures will be placed so every part fits correctly and follows legal boundaries. You rely on construction surveyors to ensure a project begins with accurate layouts, helping builders avoid costly mistakes. Their work touches everything from small homes to major motorways.

Here, we’ll cover the role of a construction surveyor, and how they can help your business with the management of construction projects.

Understanding the role of a construction surveyor

A construction surveyor is a vital role in the building industry, making sure every project meets strict standards for safety, quality and legal compliance. You will find these professionals essential on both new construction sites and during work on historic buildings.

Key responsibilities

Construction surveyors are responsible for much more than just measuring land. They determine the exact location, dimensions and elevations for construction elements so projects are properly positioned. You rely on them to verify that structures are safe and built according to the design. They will hold professional qualifications from reputable organisations like RICS.

They carry out inspections to check for any damage, loss of structural integrity or breaches of building regulations. Their work safeguards each step of the construction process. Surveyors also manage building project cost estimates, track expenses and help you make decisions about materials and budgets.

Construction project management is another key role. Surveyors supervise site progress, coordinate with other professionals and ensure that projects meet health, environmental and safety requirements. Their professional advice and risk assessments are important in preventing costly mistakes or delays.

Types of surveyors in construction

You may come across several types of surveyors within the construction industry. The most common include:

• building surveyors: they inspect residential properties, commercial sites and historic buildings, ensuring they remain safe, functional and compliant with regulations.
• construction quantity surveyors: these professionals act as project cost controllers, estimating costs, preparing contracts and managing finances throughout your successful construction project.
• development surveyors: they are involved in property management, assessing land value and advising on the best use of real estate.
• environmental surveyors: these surveyors focus on reducing environmental impact and promoting sustainable construction.
• building control surveyors: you rely on them for enforcing building codes and ensuring compliance with current legislation and regulations.

Essential skills and technical knowledge

Construction surveyors hold a solid set of technical and practical skills. Strong mathematics and an understanding of geometry allow them to record accurate measurements and carry out data interpretation. Proficiency with specialised equipment like GPS, theodolites, drones and mapping software is also key in modern construction surveying.

Surveyors have a deep understanding of technical issues and building regulations, and will offer practical, knowledgeable solutions. Organising budgets and understanding project management are often part of the role too.

A strong grasp of sustainable construction practices, knowledge of building materials and awareness of environmental impact are important. This means surveyors can ensure new builds and renovations are both efficient and environmentally responsible. Qualified surveyors keep up to date with the latest changes in regulations and technology.

The responsibilities of a construction surveyor

The role of a construction surveyor is varied, but they have core duties that form part of their day-to-day role in supporting you with your construction project that include:

• carry out surveys on properties, construction sites and landmarks
• provide detailed information and reports on these locations, depending on your requirements — whether that’s heat-mapping or site progress
• work with you to understand the scope of your surveying project
• ensure compliance with legal requirements throughout the project
• keep your project on time and on budget

Enhancing the role of construction surveyors with drones

Historically, surveying has been a manual process for construction surveyors. But thanks to the addition of drones into the surveying process, surveyors can work smarter, not harder.

Construction surveyors should be accredited with professional bodies like RICS, which all Angell Survey surveyors are, to ensure they are qualified to perform your surveys. This chartered status covers the use of drones in surveying, allowing your surveyor to produce more accurate reports and data with a faster turnaround.

The introduction of drones not only means your surveyor can provide you with more accurate and cost-effective results, but it’s also much safer for them. Drones can access harder-to-reach spots, keeping personnel safe.

Drones can help with a wide range of construction surveys, using a variety of different methods depending on your project requirements. This can include:

• aerial inspections: these surveys can help you inspect roofs and tall buildings
• remote inspections: survey an area that’s remote, hard to access or unsafe
• LiDAR: create detailed models of cityscapes for your urban planning project
• measured building surveys: create accurate digital models of your buildings that highlight potential issues, such as degradation.

What do construction surveyors inspect?

The types of buildings and sites that construction surveyors will work with include:

• historic buildings and landmarks: preservation keeps historic buildings in good condition, and construction surveyors play a key role in identifying areas for restoration
• existing homes: construction surveyors can assess the state and quality of existing homes, which can help real estate companies sell their plots
• new home development projects: assessing the plot for the development of new homes is a key responsibility of construction surveyors
• commercial buildings: identify potential issues in commercial buildings for owners looking to make them more efficient or sell.

Frequently asked questions

Here, we cover some of the most commonly asked questions around the role of construction surveyors and how they can help construction companies.

What are the different types of surveyors involved in construction?

Several types of surveyors contribute to construction projects. These include construction surveyors, land surveyors, building surveyors and quantity surveyors.

Each type focuses on specific tasks, such as measuring land, checking structural safety or managing building costs.

How does the role of a building surveyor differ from a land surveyor?

A building surveyor inspects buildings to assess safety, quality and compliance with regulations.

A land surveyor, on the other hand, focuses on measuring and mapping land for development, using tools to establish property boundaries.

What competencies will surveyors have in building surveying?

Construction and building surveyors will have strong analytical skills, good attention to detail and the ability to interpret technical drawings.

Problem-solving and good organisational abilities also come as part of the package. With a strong sense of responsibility, surveyors will be highly knowledgeable on safety and compliance with building regulations.