Life of an Apprentice Building Surveyor

Michael Luttners Tickner our Apprentice Building Surveyor gives an insight into a recent Project Management for a CAT A office refurbishment in central London, W1.

Mike joined PRE in March 2018 as a Trainee Surveyor and in the last 6 months has become a valuable member of the Building Surveying Team headed up by Matt McGettigan MRICS.

Having graduated in November in 2016 with a Product Design degree from UAL, Mike started out his career as a carpenter following which he developed an interest in property.

In March 2018 he joined PRE Chartered Surveyors Building Surveying apprentice scheme, with an end goal to become a member of the RICS.

He initially joined the PRE measured building surveying division, where he undertook a variety of projects including NIA/GIA, IPMS, ITZA, 3D Scanning and EPC’s. During this time he gained experience and knowledge in the property sector.

Mike chose to study a distance learning, 2 year masters degree at Northumbria University and will graduate in March 2021. So far he has worked through modules including, The Business Environment, Law, and Sustainable Construction and Technologies and this year became fully enrolled in the RICS APC graduate scheme.

He is currently providing support to the Building Surveying Team on Due Diligence, Party Walls, Dilapidations and most recently Project Management and Contract Administration for a Cat A refurbishment at Castle House in London’s West End.

Here’s what Mike had to say following completion the CAT A Office refurbishment project;

“I’m thrilled to have positively contributed to the successful completion of a Cat A refurbishment for a West End Office of approximately 7,000 sq. ft, allowing the office to undergo a new letting. Under the guidance of my Supervisor Matt McGettigan I was able to experience first hand how a project is run from inception all the way to completion and what each stage involves. For example, I assisted in preparing and submitting the planning application to Westminster City Council and was responsible for ensuring approval of the application.

I learned that a large part of the pre-construction work was in preparing the relevant project documentation such as; Asbestos reports, noise consultancy and CDM (so that current legislation could be complied with).

It has been an amazing experience to work alongside the appointed contractor to deliver this excellent project to an extremely high spec. There has been a lot of learning throughout this project, from contract administration, valuations and even chairing my first ever site meeting!

Of all that I have learnt throughout this project, it has become clear what how crucial and beneficial it is for continuous clear and effective communication to remain for the whole project.
The biggest challenge during this project was to implement a sustainable design that would achieve improved energy efficiency for the client, I learned that this could be achieved through PRE having a clear communication channel from client and contractor alike and having the ability to influence design where necessary.
To say I’m excited for what’s to come is an understatement!”