Contract planning in St Margarets
Documented building context
Richmond's June 2016 St Margarets guidance describes Character Area 5 south of Amyand Park Road as mainly short terraced and semi-detached runs. Its page 24 notes predominantly two-storey houses with pitched roofs, while roof-level gabled windows on Claremont Road and isolated Beaconsfield Road examples give a three-storey appearance. It also describes one- and two-storey bays, recessed entrances and some timber porches supporting balconies.
Existing-building records for the tender
For an extension project, keep the drawings naming the added rooms alongside the available completion information. List later changes to paving or drainage separately so that their locations are not lost within a general refurbishment description. Where a boundary, balcony or access route raises an ownership question, preserve it for the legal adviser rather than resolving it by resemblance to another house in the St Margarets street group.
St Margarets tender and contract decisions
A St Margarets tender should show whether the actual house has two main floors, roof-level accommodation or a later alteration. The gabled-window examples on Claremont Road and Beaconsfield Road make a section drawing more useful than an assumed storey count. Identify the instructed roof slopes, dormers and junctions, with temporary weather protection and access priced at the relevant locations.
A one-storey bay and a two-storey bay should have distinct quantities and treatment details where included. Ask the designer to distinguish retained fabric from replacement and identify any concealed connection that needs investigation. Define that opening-up work and the decision it supports before tendering a permanent repair. A contractor's allowance for a bay should not imply that every surface, backing element and roof junction has already been assessed.
Where a timber porch supports a balcony, establish the actual structure and the intended treatment through the project design. Schedule protection of the entrance below and identify whether occupants retain access during the operation. Obtain any necessary arrangements for shared or adjoining space separately from the contractor's price for using it. The local guide describes historical forms; it does not establish that a particular support is defective or that every porch has the same function.
What should the St Margarets tender and completion file make clear?
Discuss the proposed JCT form with the design responsibilities and specialist input clearly recorded. Compare bidders against the same roof, bay, porch and access schedule, resolving different assumptions before acceptance. If an alternative treatment is selected, retain the designer's response and commercial adjustment with the contract drawings. During the works, link instructions and valuations to the affected component. At handover, record the completed repair, remaining making good and relevant product or design information by location, so a general description of frontage work does not hide an outstanding balcony or roof obligation.
Appointment
HCS cannot act as independent contract administrator where HCS is the contractor.
Local Sources Checked
- Richmond Council: St Margarets Village Planning Guidance, Supplementary Planning Document, June 2016 — PDF / printed 24, Character Area 5 South of Amyand Park Road, Character Summary: two-storey houses, Claremont Road roof gables, bays, porches and balconies.
Nearby contract administration
Accountability
Provider
Hampstead Chartered Surveyors & Building Consultancy — RICS Regulated Firm No. 923064
Other St Margarets surveying services
- RICS Level 3 Building Survey in St Margarets
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- Redacted RICS Level 3 sample reports
Need a RICS survey quote in St Margarets? We confirm a fixed fee after scoping. Call 020 7101 4590, email enquiries@hampsteadcharteredsurveyors.co.uk, or inspect our redacted RICS Level 3 sample reports. Sample reports.