A day in the life - Project Surveyor

Andy Brown is one of our Project Surveyors.  

He’s often out and about, working with customers and colleagues to help create better working and living spaces.

In his spare time, Andy enjoys playing the guitar, visiting the pub with friends and enjoying quality time with his partner and three children.

We joined him for a day on the road, here’s how he got on…

7am (If I’m Lucky!)

I’m up early with the kids, making breakfast and prepping them for childcare and school. I’m on a health drive, so I heat my homemade vegetable soup using my new Ninja and fill my flask ready for lunch.

9am

After the school run, I set off to meet our decorating contractor in Northamptonshire to inspect a variety of external decoration works.

The team I work for is responsible for external programmed works such as roofs and roofline works, including fascia, soffits and guttering, windows, external doors and external decoration. We also undertake internal refurbishment projects and planned asset replacements like large-scale fire door renewals.

I live in Lincoln, so I arrive mid-morning to meet the contractor, visit properties and complete post-inspection forms on my tablet as we review the works. This involves recording and detailing any outstanding repairs, snags and customer comments for the satisfaction survey.

I discuss a timeline with the contractor for completing snags and remedial works, any logistical concerns and sign their handover form for all satisfactorily completed works.

12pm

We take a short trip to visit one of the sheltered schemes in Peterborough – something I’m getting to learn and get to grips with is the wide geography of our housing stock!

At the next scheme, we have completed an internal refurbishment project including internal and external decoration and new flooring to all communal areas within the building. I sign off all completed areas and discuss a timeline with the contractor to complete flooring to two stairwells that are incomplete and liaise with scheme managers.

We then visit some in-progress works with the operatives in the building next door to see how decoration is progressing and to discuss any potential issues.

1.30pm

I break for lunch to enjoy my vegetable soup and set off back to log on at the home office. My role is hybrid, so I work from home - or on occasions an office - when I’m not out visiting sites for various jobs.

3.30pm

As I’m on my way home, I can visit a local scheme to look at another refurbishment project which requires a large-scale roof replacement amongst other things.

All is progressing well, so I have a catchup with the on-site supervisor to proactively deal with issues and finish the journey home to log on and sign off today’s post-inspections.

This includes updating our internal programme monitoring sheets so that the contractor can invoice for completed works following the review of their application.

I catch up with my emails and respond to “Major Work” referrals. As an example, this was a fire door that is beyond repair following an inspection from another team and needs adding to the programme to be renewed by one of our contractors to ensure that it’s compliant.

4pm

I’m currently working on inspections for the Asset Team, where we have properties to review. I look at lifespans for components and how this works in with budgets for this financial year. I’m currently analysing our data and working towards producing our decoration programme for 2024 so I can issue it to our contractor for a quotation.  

4.30pm

I work through the uploaded and shared progress trackers from our window amd doors contractors which allows me to plan my diary for post-inspection and progress visits for next week.

5.15pm

With the working day completed, I log off from my computer and mentally prepare myself for an eventful evening of looking after the kids, dinner, bath and bedtime before I can relax!