Taking Off Domestic Building Construction: An Introduction to Building Quantities

This book provides a detailed step-by-step guide to taking off building work. It is pitched at a basic introductory level especially suitable for technicians entering the construction industry from school, perhaps intending to follow a trade or technical career. An ideal workbook for students of quantity surveying, construction and civil engineering when learning to measure building work. It introduces students to the most basic aspects of measurement and prepares them for learning the more complex areas of taking off.

The book works through examples based on the measurement of a simple traditional pair of semi-detached (duplex) houses, with the relevant construction technology explained throughout. Although the format largely follows United Kingdom taking-off practice and conventions, it will be directly applicable to international practice in countries broadly following United Kingdom conventions. Each chapter presents a worked example from the substructure, through to masonry walls, upper floors, roofing, internal finishes, windows and doors. The examples are matched to an exercise for students and include a commentary of why and how the take-off work is being done. Concentrating specifically on the skilled task of taking off, the examples are designed to give confidence and practice rather than theoretical knowledge. This practical book is ideal for use on the Design, Surveying and Planning T Level; HNC Construction; and undergraduate and non-cognate postgraduate courses in Quantity Surveying, Construction and Building Surveying.

Andy Atkinson is a chartered quantity surveyor with a background in consultancy and public service. With 35 years’ experience lecturing in measurement of building work and contract administration at London South Bank University, he has acted as principal and co-investigator for several publicly funded research projects. Formerly a member of the Joint Contracts Tribunal BIM Working Group, examining methods for adapting JCT contracts to building information modelling, Andy is the author of the JCT Contract Administration Pocket Book (Routledge 2020). He also maintains a small surveying consultancy