MEET THE TEAM

David Clare FRICS C.Build E MCABE MFPWS
CHARTERED SURVEYOR

David is a Chartered Surveyor & Chartered Building Engineer specialising in surveying listed and conversion buildings. With extensive experience of surveying in the West Country, David offers in-depth knowledge of local vernacular building methods. David’s practice spans surveying all types of residential dwellings, party wall matters, specific defect reports and expert witness work.

Memberships:

  • Fellow Royal Institution Chartered Surveyors (FRICS)
  • Chartered Building Engineer (C.Build E MCABE)
  • RICS Registered Valuer
  • Member Faculty of Party Wall Surveyors (MFPWS)
  • CIOB Registered in Building Conservation
  • Associate Member of the Ecclesiastical Architects & Surveyors Association

Appointments:

  • Chair of RICS APC & SPA Panels
  • Assessor for SAVA
  • Associate Tutor at the University College of Estate Management (Building Surveying Degree Course)

Kate Coombes
PRACTICE MANAGER

Kate, our Practice Manager extraordinaire, has a knack for keeping everything running smoothly (often behind the scenes) whilst ensuring every client experience is seamless and stress-free.

When she’s not managing the office, Kate loves exploring the beautiful West Country coastline, drinking coffee and baking show-stopping cakes.

Erica Bond AssocRICS
RESIDENTIAL BUILDING SURVEYOR

Erica is a Residential Building Surveyor (AssocRICS) and RICS Registered Valuer specialising in surveying residential dwellings for both Level 2 and Level 3 pre-purchase instructions. 

Having surveyed hundreds of residential properties throughout the South-West, Erica is a fountain of knowledge from the stone cottages on Exmoor to the brick built Victorian housing stock in Bridgwater and even for modern flats in Exeter. A particular career highlight was coming across a roost of rare long eared bats during a survey of an ancient Devon farmhouse.

Erica loves nothing more than gaining a 5 star review from her clients, however when not focusing on client customer service she is expanding her practice to include more historic buildings and those of the traditional vernacular style.

Memberships:

  • Associate Member Royal Institution Chartered Surveyors (AssocRICS)
  • RICS Registered Valuer

Matthew Pilkington MRICS
CHARTERED BUILDING SURVEYOR

Matt is a Chartered Building Surveyor (MRICS) with a background in technical due diligence and project management within the residential and commercial sectors. Originally from the West Midlands, he has been based in Bristol since 2020. Matt holds a BSc (Hons) in Building Surveying and brings a practical, client focused approach to each instruction.

Memberships:

  • Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS)

Kelly Allen MRICS
CHARTERED BUILDING SURVEYOR

Kelly is a Chartered Building Surveyor (MRICS) with extensive experience surveying residential and commercial properties across the Southeast. In 2024, she made the move to the West Country, where she continues to expand her knowledge, particularly in local vernacular architecture.

Her practice spans more than just residential surveys. Kelly regularly takes on party wall appointments, snagging inspections, commercial property assessments and specific defect investigations.

Memberships:

• Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS)

Matthew Jones MCIOB AssocRICS
RESIDENTIAL BUILDING SURVEYOR

Matt is a Residential Building Surveyor with an extensive loss adjusting and surveying background in both domestic and commercial properties.

Based in south Wales, Matt is dual qualified by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB). He practices between Swansea, Cardiff and Newport focusing on Level 2 & 3 pre-purchase surveys.

Taylor Micallef
TRAINEE SURVEYOR

Taylor is a final-year SAVA student on track to qualify as an Associate Member of RICS and as a Registered Valuer by 2026.

Based in Bristol, she brings nearly a decade of experience in the lettings management sector, insight that complements her transition into surveying. Taylor is known for her strong attention to detail and growing expertise in building pathology. She is currently gaining hands-on experience by assisting our qualified team on-site.

Miley
OFFICE DOG + BISCUIT THIEF

Miley, our beloved office dog, is a 14-year-old Springer Spaniel with a heart of gold and a love for tennis balls! Despite having just one eye, Miley doesn’t let anything slow her down—whether it’s joining us for walks, napping in the sunniest spot in the office, or sneakily stealing biscuits when no one’s looking.

She’s the official morale booster at West Country Surveyors, always ready to greet people with a wagging tail and plenty of charm. Miley’s favourite activities include snoozing, chasing tennis balls, and keeping us all on our toes! 

MEET THE TEAM

ABOUT US

“It all started with a small box of Lego on a Saturday afternoon in London in the early 1980s, I was instantly hooked. There were bricks, and windows, and doors, and just about anything could be constructed given enough imagination! I was 3 and my parents unknowingly set me on course to becoming a Building Surveyor with this one small act.

Fast forward a lot of Lego, meccano and tinkering with real building materials and I somehow have renovated 4 conversion properties (church, oast house, Victorian school and a barn), qualified as a Building Surveyor and now get to spend my days doing what I love ….. taking the dog for long walks (ok, that’s the weekends) … but seriously, I get to be a Residential Building Surveyor in the West Country with all the wonderful properties this beautiful area has to offer.

My love for surveying eventually spread and after a couple of senior appointments at national surveying firms and a stint as a surveyor for the National Trust I set up West Country Surveyors.

Our ethos is to be straight talking and to tell you how it is. Why get a survey done if you don’t want to know what the surveyor has found? The idea is for us to view your intended purchase without your rose tinted spectacles, and that’s why this website is monochrome, because we bring the situation back to simple black and white.

We will try to help you understand your intended property purchase after spending a good amount of time looking at it in detail for you. We are always happy to chat on the phone post visit to give an overview and then do the same after you get the survey report too.

We are local, practice in the area we live in, understand the vernacular style of and conducted all of our training in.

When you are ready to book a survey, or to discuss a party wall matter, please contact us and we will be happy to help.

David Clare FRICS C.Build E MCABE MFPWS
Chartered Surveyor

David Clare FRICS C.Build E MCABE MFPWS
CHARTERED SURVEYOR

David is a Chartered Surveyor & Chartered Building Engineer specialising in surveying listed and conversion buildings. With extensive experience of surveying in the West Country, David offers in-depth knowledge of local vernacular building methods. David’s practice spans surveying all types of residential dwellings, party wall matters, specific defect reports and expert witness work.

Memberships:

  • Fellow Royal Institution Chartered Surveyors (FRICS)
  • Chartered Building Engineer (C.Build E MCABE)
  • RICS Registered Valuer
  • Member Faculty of Party Wall Surveyors (MFPWS)
  • CIOB Registered in Building Conservation
  • Associate Member of the Ecclesiastical Architects & Surveyors Association

Appointments:

  • Chair of RICS APC & SPA Panels
  • Assessor for SAVA
  • Associate Tutor at the University College of Estate Management (Building Surveying Degree Course)

Kate Coombes
PRACTICE MANAGER

Kate, our Practice Manager extraordinaire, has a knack for keeping everything running smoothly (often behind the scenes) whilst ensuring every client experience is seamless and stress-free.

When she’s not managing the office, Kate loves exploring the beautiful West Country coastline, drinking coffee and baking show-stopping cakes.

Erica Bond AssocRICS
RESIDENTIAL BUILDING SURVEYOR

Erica is a Residential Building Surveyor (AssocRICS) and RICS Registered Valuer specialising in surveying residential dwellings for both Level 2 and Level 3 pre-purchase instructions. 

Having surveyed hundreds of residential properties throughout the South-West, Erica is a fountain of knowledge from the stone cottages on Exmoor to the brick built Victorian housing stock in Bridgwater and even for modern flats in Exeter. A particular career highlight was coming across a roost of rare long eared bats during a survey of an ancient Devon farmhouse.

Erica loves nothing more than gaining a 5 star review from her clients, however when not focusing on client customer service she is expanding her practice to include more historic buildings and those of the traditional vernacular style.

Memberships:

  • Associate Member Royal Institution Chartered Surveyors (AssocRICS)
  • RICS Registered Valuer

Matthew Pilkington MRICS
CHARTERED BUILDING SURVEYOR

Matt is a Chartered Building Surveyor (MRICS) with a background in technical due diligence and project management within the residential and commercial sectors. Originally from the West Midlands, he has been based in Bristol since 2020. Matt holds a BSc (Hons) in Building Surveying and brings a practical, client focused approach to each instruction.

Memberships:

  • Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS)

Kelly Allen MRICS
CHARTERED BUILDING SURVEYOR

Kelly is a Chartered Building Surveyor (MRICS) with extensive experience surveying residential and commercial properties across the Southeast. In 2024, she made the move to the West Country, where she continues to expand her knowledge, particularly in local vernacular architecture.

Her practice spans more than just residential surveys. Kelly regularly takes on party wall appointments, snagging inspections, commercial property assessments and specific defect investigations.

Memberships:

• Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS)

Matthew Jones MCIOB AssocRICS
RESIDENTIAL BUILDING SURVEYOR

Matt is a Residential Building Surveyor with an extensive loss adjusting and surveying background in both domestic and commercial properties.

Based in south Wales, Matt is dual qualified by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB). He practices between Swansea, Cardiff and Newport focusing on Level 2 & 3 pre-purchase surveys.

Taylor Micallef
TRAINEE SURVEYOR

Taylor is a final-year SAVA student on track to qualify as an Associate Member of RICS and as a Registered Valuer by 2026.

Based in Bristol, she brings nearly a decade of experience in the lettings management sector, insight that complements her transition into surveying. Taylor is known for her strong attention to detail and growing expertise in building pathology. She is currently gaining hands-on experience by assisting our qualified team on-site.

Miley
OFFICE DOG + BISCUIT THIEF

Miley, our beloved office dog, is a 14-year-old Springer Spaniel with a heart of gold and a love for tennis balls! Despite having just one eye, Miley doesn’t let anything slow her down—whether it’s joining us for walks, napping in the sunniest spot in the office, or sneakily stealing biscuits when no one’s looking.

She’s the official morale booster at West Country Surveyors, always ready to greet people with a wagging tail and plenty of charm. Miley’s favourite activities include snoozing, chasing tennis balls, and keeping us all on our toes! 

ABOUT US

“

It all started with a small box of Lego on a Saturday afternoon in London in the early 1980s, I was instantly hooked. There were bricks, and windows, and doors, and just about anything could be constructed given enough imagination! I was 3 and my parents unknowingly set me on course to becoming a Building Surveyor with this one small act.

Fast forward a lot of Lego, meccano and tinkering with real building materials and I somehow have renovated 4 conversion properties (church, oast house, Victorian school and a barn), qualified as a Building Surveyor and now get to spend my days doing what I love ….. taking the dog for long walks (ok, that’s the weekends) … but seriously, I get to be a Residential Building Surveyor in the West Country with all the wonderful properties this beautiful area has to offer.

My love for surveying eventually spread and after a couple of senior appointments at national surveying firms and a stint as a surveyor for the National Trust I set up West Country Surveyors.

Our ethos is to be straight talking and to tell you how it is. Why get a survey done if you don’t want to know what the surveyor has found? The idea is for us to view your intended purchase without your rose tinted spectacles, and that’s why this website is monochrome, because we bring the situation back to simple black and white.

We will try to help you understand your intended property purchase after spending a good amount of time looking at it in detail for you. We are always happy to chat on the phone post visit to give an overview and then do the same after you get the survey report too.

We are local, practice in the area we live in, understand the vernacular style of and conducted all of our training in.

When you are ready to book a survey, or to discuss a party wall matter, please contact us and we will be happy to help.

David Clare FRICS C.Build E MCABE MFPWS
Chartered Surveyor