The simple answer is 'no'. But without the expertise of a quantity surveyor you are more likely to experience budgeting difficulties during the course of your build project.

A tight budget can in fact be a very good reason to consider the option of employing a Quantity Surveyor. Firstly the cost of doing so should be somewhat or completely offset by a reduction in your architect's fee as a result of their reduced workload. Secondly, your Quantity Surveyor will be committed to keeping your budget on track throughout the course of the project. Therefore by spending, say, an additional 1% of your budget on professional fees, you avoid the possibility of much more expensive budget over-runs.

The size of a project is largely irrelevant. Unless you are comfortable with the possibility of running over budget, accurate cost planning is important and it is best done by a dedicated professional with the relevant experience.

It's not absolutely necessary to employ a Project Manager. If you engage a Quantity Surveyor to work alongside your Architect, you should arrive at a successful outcome from a financial point of view. However, this approach assumes that either you or your Architect takes on the role of Project Leader, for without a strong degree of management any project is liable to flounder.

The Quantity Surveyor is best placed to ensure your project gets delivered within budget. At Stevens Martin we would recommend that if you are working to a fixed budget, one that you cannot allow to over-run, then you should seriously consider appointing your Quantity Surveyor as Project Manager.

At Stevens Martin we are always happy to tailor our services to suit your needs. Therefore if you simply want to engage us, for example, in preparing a Cost Plan prior to submitting a planning application, we would be more than happy to do so. The same goes for other aspects of our service.