
Well, I have looked at the finance offer that we've received today, and provided the valuation stacks up, we're in business.
I would add, not that I have to, that my business partner has done several of these pub conversions over the past 20 years, one of them in the same road as the current one, in fact, not that long ago. He's also converted a couple of other commercial buildings to residential within the same vicinity. He knows his stuff, for which he has been highly commended in the past.
I don't know what planet the rest of your so-called "experts" live on, but I'm certainly glad I'm not in business with them!
By the way, Pieguts, our various schedules have been vetted by a very experienced QS in a National firm, and he has given them the thumbs up. He'll probably get the job of monitoring surveyor on the project, as he will definitely be on the lender's panel. The lender, itself, is very experienced in lending on construction projects, and their credit committee has offered us terms in principle, which they would not have done if our figures didn't stack up. I don't know who your "chartered civil engineer" mate is, but he clearly knows nothing about the type of project that we are building out. Either that, or he is thinking about a completely different type of project and factoring in costs and charges that simply will not apply to our project.
We're going to hold off accepting the terms that have been offered (we have 14 days from today to decide), since there is another financier interested in offering terms. We could have a little "beauty parade" on our hands, which might give us some lee-way, if the valuation comes in slightly under what we need it at.