Quantity Surveyor

Down in Perungalathur, specifically on Perasiriyar Street, you will find our little office. It’s house number 283/2. Chennai is always hot, so we keep the fan running all day while we work on these construction estimates. I have been a quantity surveyor for a long time now. I decided to set up shop here in Alapakkam because it’s where I live. The work is mostly about counting and measuring. We look at a drawing and figure out every single nut and bolt that goes into a building. It takes a lot of patience. My desk is usually buried under rolls of paper. I don’t use those fancy digital systems for everything; I still like to write things down in a ledger sometimes. It feels more real that way. Neighbors stop by to chat while I’m working, which is nice. We aren't some big multinational firm. We’re just local people who are good with numbers. If a builder in the area needs a cost analysis, they know where to find me. Sometimes the power goes out and we have to wait it out, but that’s just how it is here. I try to be as accurate as I can because nobody likes a budget that changes halfway through. It is a quiet life, just doing the math and making sure the builders stay on track. We've been at the same spot for years now.