Walton Goodland – An interview with our Chartered Building Surveyor
Our in-house Chartered Building Surveyor, Matthew McKenna MRICS IMaPS, relocated back to his Cumbrian roots in July last year after nearly nine years living and working in London. We caught up with him in our new office in Rosehill to see how he’s settling into his new life.
Why give up big city life and relocate back to Cumbria?
When I first moved to London, one of the first things I really missed was the mountains. I had never realised it until then, but it feels like there’s always one somewhere in your peripheral vision wherever you are in the county. London was great while it lasted, but whenever I drive through or past the Lake District I just think to myself: “they’re my kind of skyscrapers”. I’ve never looked back.
What made you want to be a building surveyor in the first place?
Like a lot of chartered building surveyors, I was originally drawn to historic buildings. I remember having great family days out at Lowther Castle, Hutton in the Forest, and Dalemain when I was growing up and finding them fascinating. I feel lucky to get the opportunity to work on historic buildings now. Buildings that are protected by Listed status can bring extra challenges but it’s important to protect their characteristics.
Are there any other things about building surveying you find rewarding?
I love the variety it brings. No two days are the same. I can be diagnosing damp one day on a residential property and completing a reinstatement cost assessment or a dilapidations claim for a commercial client the next. Planning applications and listed building consent applications are good too because of the mixture of projects and clients. I need to keep up to date with the building regulations such as environmental sustainability targets so I’m always learning.
You also have IMaPS designations. Could you tell us about that?
I became an Incorporated Member of the Association for Project Safety not long after I finished my RICS chartership. It requires a greater understanding of health and safety in construction and it has really enhanced my learning for when I am acting as designer or principal designer under CDM 2015.
What’s next for your career progression?
Long term, I’m really interested in building on my existing experience in defect diagnosis, contract administration, and dilapidations to eventually progress into dispute resolution and expert witness work.
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