Quantity surveyor in Jerusalem: building in the hill country, and what it changes in the bill of quantities
A quantity surveyor in Jerusalem, an engineer or a registered building technician like Yaakov Avital, needs to know the ground conditions of the hill country: limestone, dolomite and chalk, and in the limestone and dolomite also solution channels and voids, in other words karst. According to Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), 87% of the dwellings whose construction started in the Jerusalem District in 2024 were in buildings with three or more dwellings, and almost a tenth were added to existing buildings. This page explains what these figures, the concrete supply and the removal of waste change in the bill of quantities (BOQ).
Building in the Jerusalem District in CBS figures
The district includes Jerusalem and Beit Shemesh. In 2024 construction started there on 6,621 dwellings, compared with 8,273 in 2023 and 8,478 in 2022: a drop of about 20% in a single year.
| Item | Dwellings | Share of starts |
|---|---|---|
| Construction starts, total | 6,621 | |
| of which in buildings with one or two dwellings | 209 | 3% |
| of which in buildings with three or more dwellings | 5,789 | 87% |
| of which additions to existing buildings | 623 | 9% |
| Construction completed | 6,311 | |
| Under active construction at year end | 22,570 |
Source: Central Bureau of Statistics, Statistical Abstract of Israel 2025, Table 20.6 (dwellings by stage of construction, district and type of building); 2024 data are preliminary. The shares are calculated from the 6,621 starts and rounded to a whole percent.
A quantity surveyor in Jerusalem reads the table this way: most new dwellings in the district are built in apartment buildings, and in such a building with a basement, separating excavation from rock excavation can produce one of the largest items in the earthworks chapter. An addition to an existing building brings in chapters that a new building does not have: a survey of existing conditions, dismantling, demolition and strengthening.
Limestone, chalk and karst: what a quantity surveyor in Jerusalem adds to the BOQ
A soil (geotechnical) report published in the hill country states that chalk loses strength under prolonged wetting, and that the flint inside it is very hard and wears down the drill bit. In karstic limestone and on sites with limited access, small-diameter micropiles are common, and in hard rock the work is done with core barrels and pneumatic hammers. In the bill of quantities this turns into items:
- Rock excavation separate from excavation, or an extra-over item for rock, added to the excavation rate, with an estimated quantity.
- An extra-over item for drilling in rock, with a clear unit, when the report mentions flint or hard rock.
- A micropile alternative, if the structural engineer and the geotechnical consultant have approved it, so that contractors price both options.
- Void filling in m³, with an estimated quantity that is measured during construction, because the volume of voids in karst cannot be known in advance.
- Drainage and protection of the excavation bottom, because chalk is sensitive to water: a separate item, or a note that it is included in the rate.
All of these are working assumptions until the soil report for the plot arrives, and that report is the only source for what lies under the building. Background on the soils of Israel is on the soil types in Israel page, and the calculation of excavation and fill volumes is on the earthworks quantities page.
An estimated quantity is not a missing quantity. The length of a pile in rock, the volume of rock excavation and the filling of voids are sometimes decided only on site. In a well-organised BOQ they appear with a unit and an estimated quantity, marked as an estimate and measured again during construction. An item that was left out usually comes back as a variation in the middle of the works.
Concrete, surplus soil and construction waste
According to the companies' own websites, checked in October 2026 (a partial list): Hanson Israel has a plant in the Givat Shaul B industrial zone in Jerusalem, and Readymix has a plant in Hartuv. A BOQ does not name a supplier, but it does state what the concrete rate includes: delivery, pumping and waiting time.
A list of construction waste sites, which comes from the Solid Waste Treatment Division and was published on the website of the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality (updated to 9 February 2019), shows two transfer and recycling stations in Atarot in the district, a disposal facility for surplus soil only, also in Atarot, and a transfer and recycling station at Haruvit, Sdot Micha. I have not verified that every site on the list is active and licensed today. Because one site accepts soil only, it is convenient to separate surplus soil from mixed construction waste in the BOQ.
I found no official gate fee for construction waste by region. A report by Israel's State Comptroller from July 2025, which dealt with municipal waste, found that entry fees at landfill sites differ from one another by up to about 300%. So I ask the licensed site for a current price in writing, and in the disposal item I record the distance to the site and the gate fee as a marked assumption.
Works manager, site safety officer and design supervision
Construction supervision is a general name for several roles, and each one has its own source:
- Works manager: under the Safety at Work Regulations (Construction Work), 5748-1988, as explained on the government services website, construction work is carried out under the direct and constant management of the works manager, and the regional labour inspector is notified of the appointment.
- Site safety officer: Regulation 2A, on a safety officer at a construction site, came into force on 16 October 2026. According to a 2026 summary by the Israel Institute for Occupational Safety and Hygiene, the safety officer needs a valid certificate of competence and at least two years of experience, and may order dangerous work to stop. The full text of the regulation is worth checking.
- Work-at-height instructor: according to the Institute, the Safety at Work Regulations (Work at Height), 5767-2007, prohibit employing a worker at height unless the worker was trained by a work-at-height instructor and holds a valid certificate, which is valid for two years at most.
- Registered contractor: the Registration of Contractors for Engineering Construction Works Law, 5729-1969, allows engineering construction works to be carried out only by a contractor listed in the Register of Contractors, and only within the scope and classification set for that contractor. The registration is open to checking in the database of the Registrar of Contractors.
- Design supervision and site supervisor: under the Engineers and Architects Regulations (Licensing and Reserved Activities), 5727-1967, as the Division for the Regulation of Occupations explained on 25 August 2021, design supervision (pikuach elyon) of residential, office, public and commercial buildings is reserved for licensed engineers and licensed architects, except for a simple structure. A site supervisor acting for the client, in full-time supervision or in construction review, fills a different role, and the contract defines what it includes.
In the contractor's BOQ, the works manager and the safety officer usually appear in the general chapter or in the site overheads (preliminaries), and the client's supervision stays in a separate contract. More on these roles is on the site safety officer and works manager page.
My background
I am Yaakov Avital, a registered building technician listed in Israel's register of certified technicians and a certified construction works manager. I have had hands-on experience in construction since 2012, with a main contractor and in a tender department. I completed a Revit Structure course, and I work from drawings and models on projects all over the country. More about the service is on the quantity surveyor for construction projects page, and choosing a quantity surveyor is covered on the recommended quantity surveyor page.
Frequently asked questions
Is there rock under every plot in Jerusalem?
There is no way to know in advance. The sources describe limestone, dolomite and chalk in the hill areas, but what lies under a particular plot, and at what depth, is known only from a soil report for that plot.
Why does a quantity surveyor in Jerusalem mark items as "estimated"?
Because in rock and karst some quantities become clear only during excavation and drilling. The mark tells the contractor and the client that the quantity will be measured during construction, and the item is already in the BOQ when the quantity becomes known.
Where does surplus soil go in the Jerusalem District?
The list dated 9 February 2019 includes a disposal facility for surplus soil only in Atarot. I have not verified that it is active today, so before pricing I ask a licensed site for a written price and record the distance to it as an assumption.
Have a project? Tell me briefly what the project is and what already exists. When the project is a good fit, I usually reply with focused questions and a written quote.
Contact me for a quote* Created with AI for marketing, for illustration only. Not reviewed by Yaakov Avital and not professional advice. Every project must be checked on its own by a professional quantity surveyor and an engineer.