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Measurement of Works

Measurement of Works

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Tino Tiri
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24 views4 pages

Measurement of Works

Measurement of Works

Uploaded by

Tino Tiri
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Definition of measurement – Measurement of quantities for construction works.

Measurement of quantities for construction works is the transformation of drawn information into
descriptions and quantities, undertaken to value, cost, and price construction work.

It is not just about a quantity surveyor producing a bill of quantities for contractors to price during
tendering. It is used in both pre-and post-contract work, helping assess the likely cost of the works, and
determining what contractors and subcontractors should be paid for work that has been completed.

Pre-contract measurement

During the early design stages, the quantity surveyor will measure the dimensions of the building to
produce budget estimates, perhaps based on bench-marking against similar buildings.

As the design develops, they will measure more detailed approximate quantities for cost planning
purposes, ensuring that the design can be achieved within the budget.

The quantity surveyor then measures the completed working drawings to produce a bill of quantities.
Contractors tender for the job by pricing the work described in the bill of quantities.

Post-contract measurement

The contractor may use measurement for:

Preparing a construction methodology.

Ordering goods and materials.


Procuring subcontract works.
Calculating the effects of any variations.
Assessing work done against the construction programme.
Making payments to subcontractors.
Preparing or assessing valuations of work completed for interim payments.

The quantity surveyor may undertake measurement for:


Cost control.
Estimating the cost of variations to the work.
Calculating the value of nominated subcontractors’ and suppliers’ work.
Preparing or assessing interim valuations to pay the contractor for work done.

Levels of detail for measured information

The degree of detail to which construction work can be measured varies according to its use and the
stage in the project. In the very early design stages, there is not much detail available, so estimates are
based on general parameters, such as:

Functional unit: For example, cost per school pupil, cost per theatre seat, cost per hospital bed, and so
on.
Floor area: Cost per sq. m gross floor area.

As the design progresses and more information is known, estimates can become more detailed, such as
elemental estimates (for walls, floors, roof, frame, etc.).

During the later stages of the design, the work required to construct the building may be measured by:

Itemised specification: A detailed cost plan which is broken down into a series of elements. Initially, the
elemental cost plan will simply be the total construction cost for the project divided into elements on a
percentage basis.
Approximate quantities: A first attempt to measure defined quantities from the drawings (or to take
them off from a building information model (BIM)). This should be accompanied by a schedule of
assumptions made.
Bills of quantities: The work is measured in detail, usually in accordance with a standard method of
measurement.

Taking off

The term ‘taking off’ refers to the process of identifying elements of construction works that can be
measured and priced. Those elements can be measured in number, length, area, volume, weight or time,
then collated and structured to produce an un-priced bill of quantities. This process is sometimes
referred to as ‘working up’.
Standard measurement conventions

Always measure gross building area and then deduct items such as exterior walls to find floor space area.
Always measure on the centre line of the material.

Calculating girths and centre lines

The centre line is halfway between the external and internal girth.

Centre line (CL) = (Internal girth + external girth)/2

CL = Internal girth + (No. of corners) x 2(wall width)/2

or

CL = External girth – (No. of corners) x 2(wall width)/2

Calculating girths for irregular shaped buildings

CL = Internal girth + (No. of corners) x 2(wall width)/2

Number of external corners = 5

Number of internal corners = 1

External corners – Internal corner = 4

This occurs regardless of shape providing the walls encompass 360°.


In the example above, the internal girth was 8.00, and the external girth was 10.00.

Difference = 2.00 m = 4 x 2(wall width)/2

Buildings with an inset

Girth = 2(length + width) + 2(depth of inset)

= 2(6.00 + 5.00) + 2(2.60)

= 27.20 m

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