What a site survey covers, and why we quote after it

We do not quote from photographs or from a sketch on the phone. Not because we are being difficult, but because the things that change the price are the things you cannot see in a photograph.

What we are looking at

The ground

Posts need something to stand on. An existing patio may be fine, or it may be a 50 mm bed of sand over soil. If footings are needed, that is a real cost and we would rather find it now than halfway through the install.

What is buried

Drains, water, gas, electrical runs to a shed, a septic system. We ask, and we look. Moving a post 400 mm at the survey costs nothing. Discovering a drain with a core drill costs a great deal.

The wall, if it attaches

Brick, block, render over insulation and timber frame all take fixings differently. External insulation in particular changes how a wall plate has to be mounted, and it is invisible from the outside.

Access

Six metre lengths of aluminium have to physically reach the back garden. A side passage with a right angle in it decides whether the frame is delivered in one piece or joined on site.

Exposure

Post spacing and fixing specification depend on how exposed the site is. A garden behind a terrace in Drogheda and one on an open site facing the sea are not the same job, even at identical dimensions.

Levels and falls

Roofs need a fall to drain. Where that water goes at the bottom of the downpipe is part of the design, not an afterthought.

How long it takes

About half an hour for most gardens. We measure, photograph, ask about how you want to use the space, and talk through planning exemption while we are there.

What you get afterwards

Drawings and a written quotation, valid for 15 days. The price is fixed. If ground conditions turn out to differ from what we saw, we stop and agree the change with you in writing before carrying on. That clause exists to protect you as much as us.

What it costs you

Nothing, and there is no obligation. If the honest answer is that what you want will not work, or that a different structure suits you better, that is what you will hear.