Site Meeting 01 - Stripping out in Progress

Jigsaw of brickwork to extension

Rear extension demolished 

Ground floor front room

First floor rear bedroom

 First site meeting in Hanley with the on-site contractors team, Sanctuary Housing client, contract manager, clerk of works, and myself, the project architect.

The stripping out of the existing house is almost complete. Plaster from the bottom half of the walls has been removed so that DPC works can be applied.

The rear extension has been demolished also.

Issues discussed at the site meeting included confirming the contractor had all the information needed, such as electrical socket locations, door undercut heights for the whole-house heat recovery ventilation to work properly, and drainage locations, etc.

We also talked through the air-tight strategy for the retrofit, and I handed round some samples of the special tapes and membranes that would be used, as well as a sample of the sheepswool and woodfibre insulation boards.

Existing Water Main & Cellar

As with doing any works to existing houses, you're bound to discover a few unknowns are you start to peel back the layers of the existing house.

The rear extension has now been demolished, and the contractor has discovered an old water main pipe that comes under next doors rear extension / outrigger, branches off to supply our house, then continues to supply the neighbour on the other side as well.

As our re-built rear extension steps down in level from the existing, in order to allow insulation to the floor and roof, we will have to re-route this pipe on site.
There is also an existing small cellar below the front ground floor room, which was assumed to be there as neighbouring properties have unused cellar/coal holes.
As we are lowering the floor in order to insulate, the structural engineer has designed for the coal hole to be mass filled with concrete, to prevent the neighbouring party walls being unsupported as the new floor is excavated.

Retrofit Works Starts on Site!

The building contract has been signed, and the contractor has now taken possession of the house at St Lukes St, and will start the demolition of the existing rear extension that houses the bathroom, and begin the stripping out works.

The new 'Ecopassiv' triple-glazed windows have been ordered, as they have a long lead-in period as they are currently manufactured in Poland for the UK supplier, The Green Building Store. It is hoped that projects such as this retrofit will stimulate UK manufacturing of high-quality triple-glazed windows.

Anne Thorne Architect's have issued the final set of construction detailed drawings and specification.