Housekeeping: Week 04

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Thursday 9th July 2026


We talked this week from our dusty, messy construction site of a studio after finishing our custom shelving system ​(in 30 degree heat!)
We jumped straight in by going over all the conversations that have been had over emails and calls. These included:

• Eastwood Engineering Consultant: Andy

Andy gave us some insight into their potential involvement - recommending a QS (Quantity Surveyor) to look at our scheme first before they get involved with trying to figure out it’s construction. This is because he estimated that our plans for digging out the rear face of the house will be very expensive, potentially exceeding our budget after design and survey costs. He proposed we get someone involved to help us determine what we can afford, and then proceed with the logistics - he did this from a speculative, and overestimated viewpoint for safety. We understood this, and after mentioning we’d be happy to work with their QS (who’s rate is £75-100 per hour) we concluded that creating 3 options for the staircase solution is the best way forward to save time and therefore money when the QS gets involved. 
We are now still working as normal towards the initial planning application, but with the idea that we will be creating more schemes to present to a QS before going to our engineers with the solution we can afford. 

• Andrea, Bond Bryan

Sav has a friend, Andrea, who has worked at Bond Bryan for 30+ years. We’ve been talking to her about Structural surveys, looking for advice on how and who they work with. She has mentioned that this may be a project that they can support through their social value team, as they don’t usually get involved with works of this scale. We’ve shared our website so that she can better understand what we’re planning, and advise us on surveyors and engineers.

• Sheffield Pro Tree Care

No probelms in garden - good management advice. 

• Leonie, Alternate Arb

Leonie was a contact passed to Sav after talks with Sheffield Pro Tree Care. She was very helpful with sharing her experience with working in the Sheffield council planning department. She understood the social impact of PACT immediately and offered a reduced quote and quicker, phased turnaround for her report - with phase 1 being the info we need immedately for planning, with phase 2 coming later (if required) involving writing a full report. This example report is available in our resources. 


We then thought about other ways companies can get involved if they are too expensive or too busy. This could involve sponsorships, events, free advise etc.
We talked about how British Gas have a program where they send out some workers to help with decorating, or how a painted truck could raise awareness and help us to fundraise. We are aiming to plant this seed with everyone we get in contact with, so that we can reach out to them as the project progresses with new ideas and opportunities to get involved.

Decisions made:

• Accept Leonies’ quote and get invoice paid (£400) 
• Date arranged for tree survey

Resources Shared:

• Bond Bryan’s Portfolio
• Eastwood Consultancy Portfolio
• Leonie (Alternate Arb) website and contact
• Alternate Arb Survey Example

Goals for next week:

• Create a draft for planning application
• Secure a structural engineer