About us - Hilary Ellis BSc Hons CEng MICE

I am a fully qualified Chartered Civil Engineer (Institution of Civil Engineers, London Membership No. 46655060) and graduated from the University of Exeter in 1986.
I have worked in many sectors of the building, surveying and construction industry, starting with Civil & Marine Engineering specialists Dean & Dyball as a Site Engineer and finishing my "site based" career as a Site Agent for the Southampton firm of contractors, P. Trant Ltd.

In 1990 I changed career direction and for the next 10 years worked in the specialist underpinning, mini-piling and foundations sector, surveying buildings for subsidence and related structural defects, designing remedial works schemes, supervising underpinning, piling and repair contracts and also designing special foundations for housing schemes,
power stations, jetties, bridges, racing car test beds, the National Trust etc.

In 2000 I set up my own surveying and geotechnical consultancy company, based in Bristol, carrying out structural surveys for prospective purchasers and insurance companies. I also worked as a Technical Officer for the charity Bristol Care & Repair, surveying, repairing and adapting elderly and disabled people's houses to enable them to remain living independently and with dignity in their own homes. I served as Vice-Chairman of the Avon branch of the I.C.E. and worked alongside my colleagues to help bring engineering into schools.

I made the move to Andalucía, Spain in 2003 and have been here ever since, helping home-in-the-sun buyers make informed decisions regarding their valuable purchases. I am also a freelance writer and write occasional articles on property renovation etc which you will find in Living Spain  magazine.

A note: many Clients sensibly ask me if I carry Professional Indemnity (P.I.) Insurance. The answer is that I used to but now find it increasingly hard to find suitable, sensibly-priced cover for a Spain-based practice. The cost of providing such insurance for a sole trader, working part time, is now prohibitive unfortunately and if I were to carry such insurance my survey fees would have to double! However, in all the years that I did carry PI insurance I never suffered a claim and I am willing to provide details of my most recent insurers who will confirm this. As a practising Chartered Civil Engineer I abide by the Codes and Ethics of that organisation. My engineering qualification is recognised by the equivalent body here in Spain,  the Colegio de Ingenieros de Caminos, Canales y Puertos, Madrid.  If clients would prefer to employ another surveyor with PI cover I am happy to refer them. I can provide references from my many satisfied Clients if required. Happy house-hunting!

USEFUL LINKS

 Andalucia dot com
 Spanish Property Insight
 Local Connections
Costa Luz Lawyers
Fuentesol Solar Hot Water Systems

STRUCTURAL SURVEYS SPAIN

+0034 955 913 956 / 646 587 599 / 679 360 343
email: enquiry@structural-surveys-spain.com

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