Writing.
Field notes from independent practice. Plain-English answers to the questions that come up week to week — surveying, EPCs, retrofit, and the regulations behind them.
Selected writing
Longer pieces, written when a question comes up often enough to be worth answering properly.
Do listed buildings need an Energy Performance Certificate?
Most do. The widely-held belief that listed buildings are exempt is a misreading of a narrow rule — and the wrong assumption to make if you’re selling, letting or refinancing.
Surveyor’s notes
All 15 surveyor’s notes →Short daily notes on the EPC, landlord and surveying news that actually changes something — and what it means in practice.
Surveyor's notes — 3 August 2026: the cladding window
A funding window opens this month for sub-11m cladding fixes, and this week's tax deadline is the first bite of a threshold reaching far more landlords.
078 2 Aug 2026Surveyor's notes — 2 August 2026: the Section 21 deadline
The transitional deadline for old Section 21/8 notices expired this weekend, and Thurrock's selective licensing scheme survived its final High Court challenge.
075 1 Aug 2026Surveyor's notes — 1 August 2026: the £7,400 HMO warning
A Cardiff landlord's £7,400 fine for an unlicensed HMO riddled with damp, mould and fire risk, plus a Surrey council moving to shut off small HMO conversions.
Costs
All 15 cost guides →What things really cost in 2026, as ranges rather than false precision, with a surveyor’s view on whether the work is worth doing.
Underpinning cost in 2026
Underpinning costs £6,000–£25,000 for one wall in 2026, up to £50,000+ for a full house. What drives the price, and why most subsidence never needs it.
079 2 Aug 2026Repointing cost per m² in 2026
Repointing costs £45–£90 per m² for cement mortar in 2026, more for lime on period brick. What drives the price — and why cement can ruin old brickwork.
076 1 Aug 2026Rising damp treatment cost in 2026
Rising damp treatment costs £600–£2,500 for chemical DPC injection in 2026. What's worth paying for, and the cheap fix worth trying first.
Field kit
All 51 field kit guides →The tools I actually carry, and the ones not worth the money. Tested against survey work, not a spec sheet.
The best roof ladders for survey work
The best roof ladders for pitched-roof inspections — dedicated ladders and ridge-hook conversion kits compared by a working building surveyor.
077 2 Aug 2026The best padlocks for site and van security
Weatherproofing, CEN ratings and shackle types explained, why keyed-alike sets matter for the van and site kit, and six padlocks worth buying.
074 1 Aug 2026The best sack trucks for survey work
Six sack trucks compared for survey work — stair-climbing carts for flats without lifts, and standard folding trucks for the van.