Located in the Historic town of Stourbridge and covering everywhere across Birmingham, The Black Country, Worcester and Wolverhampton, B-Connections specialisms are:

• Residential Homebuyer & Building Surveys
• Mortgage valuations
• Market valuations for matrimonial, inheritance & purchase
• Property Sourcing
• Retrospective Valuations
• Commercial Property Surveys
• Schedules of works and dilapidations
• Land and New Homes advice

Marine Surveyors

The job of a marine surveyor has to do with inspection, examination and surveys of marine vessels. It also entails reports on their condition and the items they are carrying. Marine surveyors also examine the equipment which is to be used on new or current vessels to ensure that it complies with the required standards. Other duties of marine surveyors include investigating and examining the structure of the vessel, navigational equipment and overall condition of a vessel. The international maritime organization (IMO) also sets out inspections that the maritime surveyors are supposed to conduct and that they are in accordance with international conventions and domestic statutes.

In line with their duties they are required to measure the tonnage of a ship and survey ships for load line assignment. They also conduct investigations on marine disasters, provide expert witness information in court as well as oversee testing of emergency and safety equipment to make sure it is in good working condition. A marine surveyor is charged with ensuring that vessels are built and maintained according to the proper standards of the class of vessel it belongs to. There are also marine surveyors for vessels involved in pleasure boating like yachts and small crafts.

When choosing a career as a marine surveyor, you can either work as an independent surveyor or for a marine survey firm. Depending on the option you choose, the duties may not be same. If you are working for a company you may be required to carry out responsibilities like cross checking a ships registration or enforce the safety standards established by the company. As an n independent marine surveyor you are at liberty to choose which jobs you want to do or specialize in.

For certification, you have to have enrolled in an accredited institution that teaches proper standards of vessel operation. Once you are through with the preliminary learning period, it is important to be certified and the National association of Marine Surveyors does this as well as helping advance a surveyors career.

Land Surveyors

Land surveyors are professionals that map and measure land. It can be an individual or a company formed to offer his services. Land surveying is an exact science. When it comes to hiring a surveyor you should not be guided by price alone. One of the most crucial things to look out for is whether the surveyor is licensed by the relevant authorities to render professional land surveying services. The consequences of hiring an unqualified surveyor are grave since it is illegal and their report will not be recognized as valid. For maximum assurance you can cross check with the licensing board to confirm if the surveyor you chose is valid.

Another factor to look out for is whether the surveyor has several insurance policies that are critical in this industry. The major policy a surveyor should possess is professional liability insurance. It is a necessary safety measure to protect you as the client from the surveyors errors or if his report is faulty. Another important insurance policy’s the workers compensation insurance since someone has to pay for the expenses if the surveyor or his/her employees gets injured while surveying your land. This insurance policies act as shield to guard the client from unnecessary expenses.

Experience and specialization are also important points of consideration when dealing with a surveyor. An experienced land surveyor is more knowledgeable in performing the job and is probably going to offer very professional services. You should also get to know the area of expertise as some surveyors are specialist in areas like topographic surveys, mapping, construction layout, mapping, boundary surveys or geodetic.

Another factor not to be overlooked is whether the surveyor is up to date with the latest technological advances in the field like global positioning systems, robotic survey systems as well as laser scanning which provide far much better accuracy in land survey. Finally you should make sure you obtain a written and signed contract once you decide on the surveyor who best fits your requirements.

1. Contaminated land reports
2. Asbestos surveys & management
3. Energy Performance Certificates and Display Energy Performance Certificates
4. Ground gas and water monitoring
5. Expert witness and environmental insurance consultancy
6. Fire risk assessments
7. Brownfield tax advice.

Working out of Sheffield the business is well placed to travel all over the UK to meet the demands of clients. Wilbourn Associates are a people driven business which invests in its  future through educating it dedicated surveying and support teams.  Wilbourn Associates has developed a considerable reputation in the market place and is underpinned by £5million pounds of Professional Indemnity Insurance.

Accreditations

Chartered Environmental Surveyors – Wilbourn Associates has had a chartered designation since 2002. As a practice over half of our employees are Chartered Environmental Surveyors.

Speciailist in Land Contamination – Philip Wilbourn qualified as a Specialist in Land Contamination (SiLC) back in 2001. Philip is a member of the Professional and Technical Panel.

IEMA – A number of members of staff are working towards or have obtained Associate membership of the Institute of Environmental management.

Investors In People – Wilbourn Associates have held the Investors in People standard since 2006.

As well as offering a comprehensive range of asbestos surveying services, they are also able to remove, encapsulate and dispose of asbestos and asbestos containing materials (ACMs). They have carried out surveys, encapsulations and removals across a wide variety of sites and have worked in challenging conditions and on hard to access facilities. Building types that Southern Insulation can work in include residential, commercial, industrial and even structures that have been damaged by fire.

All of Southern Insulation’s staff are fully trained and have their medical condition regularly assessed to ensure that staff are properly protected and that clients receive the highest and safest level of service. A key part of Southern Insulation’s programme is designed to ensure that all surveys and subsequent work are carried out in full compliance with the latest legislative requirements and procedural guidelines.

It is legally incumbent on business property owners and those leasing business properties to ensure that they have an asbestos management plan in place. The first stage of this plan should involve a survey to ascertain the location and extent of asbestos contamination in a structure. If asbestos is found, then encapsulation or removal may be necessary and may need to be included in the plan as options alongside ongoing monitoring.

Topographic maps show relief, but also take account of all features on the surface of the earth relative to the map’s scale. Highly detailed topographic maps on a scale small enough might show each individual building and tree in the maps specified area of coverage, though would miss out objects like cars or people that will not form a permanent feature of the area.

Different varieties of Land Surveyors are involved in using topography in different ways, but topography is a feature of much land surveying work.

If Geomatic surveyors are using their technology to map the earth’s surface then they are involved in producing topographic maps. These maps record both natural and man made features present on the earth’s surface. A key technology utilized by Geomatic surveyors is Light Detection and Ranging Equipment (LIDAR). This technology uses lasers to measure the distance between an aircraft doing the survey and the objects on the ground that it is mapping. Using this method it is possible to generate highly detailed topographic maps that show the relief of the objects mapped. This data can then be used by a range of different individuals and organisations for various purposes including land boundary establishment, dispute resolution and urban planning.

Topographic maps are of especial interest to environmental surveyors, as an accurate tool for establishing a picture of an area’s features in relief which in turn can help give an enhanced picture of potential problems such as flood risk. This could be done by looking at for example the height of river banks against the depth of local water sources. It could then look at the height of buildings in an area to calculate the square footage of building space likely to be damaged in a flood.

Mineral and Waste surveyors could be particularly interested in topographic data. If for example they are looking to locate a mining facility, an accurate topographical map showing surface features and relief might give them the best view of where to start extraction, and then build the required facilities on the point to enable mineral extraction whilst the ensuring that the facility sits on stable and easily accessible land. In this case the surveyor would probably cross reference topographical maps with maps showing the mineral resource they wish to accesses beneath the earth’s surface. An accurate topographical picture in this case would allow the mineral surveyor to get a picture of the depth of the mineral resources from points on the earth’s surface.

Planning and Development surveyors are another variety of land surveyor that makes good use of topographic maps. A clear picture of the exact position of key points can help planners understand the logistical requirements of developing an area. They can also be used to assess the benefits and impact of development on an area as the terrain is likely to change over the course of development projects. For example as residential or commercial properties are constructed on a piece of land it may need to be levelled which will alter the topographic makeup of the land.

Topography is a vital tool in the armoury of land surveyors. It gives them a very precise picture of the features of the surface of the earth in a given area and this information can be crucial in developing their understanding of their work and executing their projects.

Southdown understands that every client has different needs, and the services Southdown offers must try to be instep with those needs. They hope that this friendly, open and honest approach reassures their clients and give them peace of mind that their needs are being met by the most competent surveyors possible.

Founded in 2006 by surveyors who had garnered a wealth of experience working on large scale projects in and around London. When Southdown was founded, the aim was to take this knowledge and partner it with a friendly and approachable attitude that would bring clients back time and time again. Southdown is careful to always make sure that they make time to discuss any issues their clients might be concerned about with them.

Since its foundation the practice has grown considerably and is now able to serve London, the surrounding counties and all the way down to the south coast including the Isle of Wight.

In addition to the knowledge of their field of surveying, Jackson Rowe also always attempts to provide the best level of service for their clients. They do this by getting to know the clients and striving to tailor the services they offer to the client’s individual needs. They try and get the most out of working partnerships and use these partnerships to get the best possible value for money, for the project.

All teams working on client projects will be lead by a senior surveyor at director level, who will work day to day on the project and adopt a “hands on approach”.

All clients will be assigned a member of the client care team to act as a point of liaison between Jackson Rowe and the client. This method of managing relationships has proved highly successful and has lead to many clients back coming back time and time again and engaging Jackson Rowe for long term management of facilities.

Formed in 1989, Jackson Rowe have used their depth of expert knowledge to stay ahead of the pack, and over that time have built a strong reputation as being a leader in the field of quantity surveying.

MHC which match the package of services they offer to the needs of the client, and are always sure to work closely with all members of the project team to get the best on most efficient delivery of services for their clients.

MHC range of services includes:

•Preliminary cost advice and feasibility studies- This service examines the available budget and compares it to plans. This should take into account all planning and legal costs as well as an estimation of quantities to give a total project cost

•Cost Planning – Understanding what costs the developer will be liable for at each stage of development is vital for effective financial control of any project

•Investment Appraisals- To make a proper investment with full peace of mind it is vital to be in possession of all of the facts

•Risk Assessments – Risks to a project can come in many forms from health and safety risks to contractors to risks that can undermine the value of investment years after the completion of a project. A full appreciation of all of these threats is vital o mitigate them and eliminate them at the earliest possible opportunity

•Cost in Use Studies- The costs incurred operating a building can stack up surprisingly quickly. A full analysis of this sort is advisable to avoid unexpected costs once the building is functioning

•Tendering Process Management – To get the best value for money it is necessary to run a tight tendering process and ensure that all resources are procured as competitively as possible