HBR
HBR Building Consultants Limited is a privately owned company, based on
Aucklands North Shore, owned and operated by Jeremy Blake, providing
Quantity Surveying Services throughout New Zealand.
Jeremy is an experienced Quantity Surveyor, having graduated in the UK in
1992 with a BSc (Hons) in Quantity Surveying. With over 30 years
experience, working in both the UK and NZ, for national house builders,
private developers and private practice consultancy, Jeremy established HBR
in 2023.
HBR aim to work to the mantra "Say what you do and do what you say",
offering a bespoke service to a wide variety of clients. This involves taking
the time to understand the clients’ needs and priorities and then aligning the
service to suit.
No two clients or projects are the same, though with the application of
knowledge & experience, a good quality unbiased service is provided,
tailored to the client.
HBR is a member of the New Zealand Institute of Quantity Surveyors, and is
bound by the NZIQS Code of Conduct.
HBR carries professional indemnity, public, and statutory liability insurance.
Since the 2011 Christchurch earthquakes HBR has been involved in the
preparation of costs for insurance related claims; working for Insurance
companies, Loss adjusters and Private property owners.
Work includes the preparation of repair cost estimates, replacement /
rebuild cost estimates, and reviewing of estimates prepared by other parties.
The intention is to provide realistic cost estimates to address the loss
suffered, be it from flood, fire, earthquake or storm; across all building
sectors residential, commercial, industrial, recreational; for both property
owners and insurers.
What will it cost? Cost estimates are prepared at differing stages of a project, to differing levels of detail, subject to the amount of information available and the clients needs. This ranges from an initial concept estimate, based on concept sketches, through to more detailed estimates, based on a complete set of Building Consent drawings.
All projects are a balance of Time, Cost and Quality. HBR recognises
that each individual client will have their own priorities and needs.
The form of procurement utilised for a project looks to obtain the
information required to enable an informed decision to be made by the
Client in the appointment of a Contractor. This may include such duties
as conducting interviews, preparation of tender documentation,
issuing tender invites to the open market or a selected list of
Contractors, preparation of the form of contract and special
conditions, etc.
There are many procurement options, each with their own priorities
and benefits. The key is to identify the Clients needs, and then tailor
the procurement approach to meet these requirements.
The Engineer to the Contract (ETC) acts as an independent party
overseeing construction contracts. Under the NZS3910:2013 contract,
the ETC undertakes a dual role, as an adviser and representative to the
Client, and also acting independently administering the Contract which
both the Client and the Contractor have entered.
Under the NZS3910:2023 contract, the role of ETC is replaced with
the Contract Administrator and the Independent Certifier. The
Contract Administrator acts for and on behalf of the Client,
administering the contract. The Independent Certifier acts
independently, making decisions on all contractual matters entrusted
to him/her under the terms of the contract.
Financial companies often require a Bank QS role to be undertaken to
ensure that the lending criteria is being met, and as such providing
reassurance that their funding remains secure and in accordance with
the funding agreement.
This may involve the preparation of initial reports to verify projected
costs, suitable procurement and contracts, insurances and the like to
assist the lender in assessing project risks.
Monthly/interim valuations are prepared reporting on site progress
and forecasting remaining programme periods and costs. These
reports form the basis of the drawdown information required to enable
the funder to release funds to the Developer for the work undertaken
to date.
HBR operate in all sectors and have worked on a multitude of projects including; fire and flood damage assessments, new build, refurbishments, and reclads.
Please do not hesitate to contact HBR to discuss your project requirements:
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