How much should I pay for a quantity surveyor report?

[ThirtySevenA]

We got a QS report for a feasibility study for a building project - an extension and loft conversion. The report is pretty generic, i.e. it breaks down into categories but doesn't give any unit prices or detailed breakdown of cost. He didn't visit the property - he just worked from a drawing given to him by the architect. He wants £750 + VAT for the report. Is this reasonable?

We paid about double that for something similar BUT he quoted for 4 different options (not different enough to be 4 times the work though, they were variations of the same thing, we used it to decide on which option to go for). He also worked off the architect's drawings. He provided quite detailed breakdown (so for instance under the M&E section there were "X sockets at Y per socket") but for some things like kitchen/bathroom there was no detail just an assumption (I guess that varies a lot based on finishes chosen). The whole exercise gave us a ballpark but apparently now we have to do it again for a more detailed cost plan based on the actual plans drawn (which have changed a bit since the feasibility stage).

Thanks. Maybe what we were charged wasn't too bad then. I saw some people on another thread mentioning that they had paid a couple of hundred pounds for a detailed report for the builders, so I thought ours might have been a bit steep.

We paid £500 for a similar service but the QS did come to the property with us and spent time getting in touch with the council to check planning issues on our behalf. The house was a complete wreck too so I'd say 750 PLUS vat is steep.

Mind you QS was an acquaintance of my sister so perhaps we got 'mates rates'