Finding out more from behind the scenes of the SHDF project
Chris Scott is our Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Building Surveyor. He plays an important role in the SHDF project.
Now that work is well underway at many of the homes in the programme, we caught up with him to find out a bit more about what his job entails.
How do you work with Morgan Sindall to develop a work schedule?
Most days, I tend to start with meetings. Usually, this is a design meeting, where I sit down with colleagues from Morgan Sindall and their sub-contractors to look at the measures and upgrades identified for individual properties to bring it up to an EPC rating of C. This often includes heating replacements, low-energy lighting, cavity wall insulation, external wall insulation and more.
How do you align SHDF work with other planned improvements?
I make sure that everything we speak about in the design meetings is acceptable and that it aligns with our Planned Works Team and their work. We want to improve our customers’ homes with as little inconvenience to them, so by working with colleagues in Planned Works, we can try to carry out work alongside each other. Essentially, communication is key!
How do you monitor the work “on the ground”?
As part of the design meetings, we also discuss ongoing work that is on-site and whether there are any changes required to the agreed measures. I also regularly speak with the coordinators on the ground to arrange site visits with customers and gather technical advice that I can pass on to customers. While many of our customers have good access to resources like Google for information, we must ensure they’re receiving accurate information.
What do site visits involve?
Customer engagement is essential, and a site visit also allows me to look at the challenges each home poses, from asbestos to current pipework and infrastructure. I can also validate completed work or flag any possible defects. I also use the opportunity to ensure our customers are happy with the work we’ve done and see if they’ve noticed any benefits yet. We take this feedback to learn what we could do better and what works well, so we can adjust our delivery of the programme in future.
What’s the most challenging part of the role for you?
The role is incredibly technical on all fronts. Paperwork and record-keeping is paramount, but so is developing relationships with our contractors and customers. I also have to cover a huge area, as well as attending monthly meetings in London – where I definitely look like a lost sheep! While it’s difficult to balance everything, I really enjoy what I do and knowing my work is helping improve the homes of our customers is the reward I get from it.
How do you switch off?
Well, if I’m not on call, once 5.15pm ticks round, I definitely enjoy a cold beer to relax!