Concept to Completion

The end of month 5 saw the dismantling of our site scaffold which allowed us to commence with external works to the rear of the development. It was decided that these external works, including ground treatment and fencing, would be undertaken in order to avoid any possible future delays due to inclement weather.

External works extended to the installation of some of our utility services. Southern Gas Network undertook gas supply works earlier this month, with UK Power Networks having started our electrical supply works recently. Water supply installation is imminent, with BT following on soon after.

With external works pushing on, internal works were still progressing. Plasterboarding to all flats is near completion, with plasterers following close behind. This programming has allowed us to ensure works are not delayed, and that our M&E installation is not suspended for a lengthy time period. With decorating, kitchen installation, flooring installation and second fix joinery work planned for the upcoming weeks, we are still on target for our completion date of March 24th 2012.

It has taken a great team effort this month to ensure all the external structure has been completed ready for our clients quality control inspection. We have completed all the work ahead of programme to ensure we do not suffer delays in the coming weeks due to the typical British Winter, which is just round the corner.

A special mention should go to our site manager Andy Caldwell and Trainee surveyor Brad Allen, whom have jointly coordinated the works to ensure we have meet our completion targets.

This will mean we can now remove the scaffold to the building and begin the process of the installation of all the utility services, which will allow us to focus on the internal element of the works.

Our inhouse management team will now ensure all our internal design proposals meet the client employers requirements to ensure we continue to progress the works to the correct standards.

The month of August has seen us commence with the brickwork to the external elevations of the building , the completion of the tiled pitched roof and the completion of the single ply roof membrane to the flat roof along with the commencement of the mechanical and electrical engineering services to the building.

Everybody involved has worked hard to ensure the building is watertight coming into the autumn and winter months to ensure we do not suffer from excessive delays due to inclement weather.

Whilst the construction Phase is now progressing into the internal fit out stage, PHB’s surveyor, Brad Allen, whom is co-ordinating the surveying and procurement on the project, is engaging all the relevant service providers at present to ensure the building is correctly serviced ahead of schedule.

This coming month will see the windows and doors being installed to the building.

The internal design and finishes schedules being finalised to ensure that we at PHB receive Viridian's approval for kitchen and bathroom designs along with the approval of the decoration and flooring finishes ready for handover in 2012.

Works have progressed rapidly this month with the erection of the scaffold and the timber frame commencing late June and completing in the month of July.

The local residents were amazed as to how quick the structure of the building has appeared and we are now ready to begin with the roofing works - the brick cladding and window installation throughout the month of August.

The mechanical and electrical installation is planned to commence at the end of August.

Apart from the actual construction works, we have been undertaking various design and progress meetings with the client and our appointed designers and we have been audited for the housing association’s requirements for the considerate constructors scheme. The requirements of our client were to attain a score of at least 32 from a maximum of 40 points. We were very pleased indeed when we were told that our site had been awarded an exceptionally high score of 34.5 which according to the CCS scoring reference is a high level beyond compliance.

We now need to ensure all the service providers are correctly instructed and that we maximise the unpredictable British summer weather to ensure that the project remains on track for completion.

Works have commenced with the actual building phase of works at pace during month two and as you can see we have undertaken the following scope of works to ensure works start and finish on programme in the second month of the build.

• Reducing the site levels of surplus soil & debris

• Undertaking of a topographical survey & the plotting out of the building.

• Excavation of the foundations

• The undertaking of a test bore hole to ensure we achieve a correct design for the rain water drainage

• Pouring of the concrete foundations to the specified calculations

• Laying a substrate surface to the perimeter of the footprint of the building to ensure a suitable working base is achieved for plant & scaffold erection.

• The supply & fitment of the block & beam floor system

• Completion of the brickwork up to Dpc level

• The installation of drainage runs to the external elevations of the building

It takes a considerable amount of hard work just to enable a responsible building contractor to have a presence on site for a design & build project.

We have had to ensure all of the following was undertaken or ongoing to ensure the project commenced correctly from day 1 of the contract.

Firstly we have had to ensure we had all the relevant planning and construction drawings were formulated and issued, then we have had to instruct our health and safety advisor to commence with all the of the H&S project requirements.

We also had to instruct the following parties and services to ensure all aspects of the enabling works and pre project planning were undertaken correctly up to the point of construction.

• We had to supply our client with an insolvency and structural warranty during construction ,with the structural warranty in place for a further 12 years after completion.

• Our nominated building control inspector had to issue all the relevant notifications to the local authority

• As the site is adjacent to a railway line we have had to engage network rail asset protection team to whom we must demonstrate that we are constructing correctly next to a railway line. This will involve our construction proposals being scrutinised & inspected by their asset protection team to ensure we are not jeopardising the railway line with our build methods.

• Instructing all of the service & utility providers of the forthcoming construction to ensure they survey the area ready for connection to the new flats when built

• Instruct noise assessment & ecological assessment specialists to ensure we construct to the relevant environmental guidelines

• Appoint an assessor for sustainable homes compliance to ensure we build to the sustainable code.

• Undertake soil sample analysis to confirm the makeup of the ground prior to proposing a foundation plan

• Instruct a topographical engineer to review ground levels & plot the footprint of the building

• Instruct engineers to propose a drainage lay out

• Instruct recognised organisations for SAP & Air & acoustic testing on completion of the building.

• Instruct an approved Japanese knotweed specialist for removal of a knotweed infestation adjacent to the railway line.

Whilst the above was being undertaken, our site management team took possession of the site, this involved securing the site perimeter with site fencing & H&S signage. We also took possession of an adjacent commercial premises & our site offices & welfare facilities were set up accordingly to ensure our site facilities was fully functional prior to commencement of works.

We instructed an approved company to undertake a test for asbestos content for a garage which we inherited on the site which was due for demolition . Once we received the report from the supplying specialist contractor we instructed a further specialist asbestos removal contractor to remove & dispose of any material which could be deemed as hazardous if it was not removed or disposed of correctly. We then undertook ground clearance of debris & overgrowth to ensure our site was suitable for access to site personnel & site traffic.

We then instructed the Japanese knotweed removal & disposal which was undertaken by a specialist contractor under controlled methods to ensure there was no further risk of infestation to further areas of the site .

Hopefully the above gives a good understanding & insight of some of the processes & requirements a responsible contractor has to undertake prior to commencing with the construction phase of a design & build project.

I look forward to issuing a further update next month when the first construction phase of the project should be underway.