City Townhouse Renovation Case Study

A full house renovation of a three-storey townhouse in the centre of Cambridge with only restricted pedestrian access. There were other projects for us that promised to be an easier option and yet there was something about this property in Portugal Place that captivated us, probably in the same way our clients and the architect had experienced too.

We met the clients at the architect’s office and instantly warmed to them. They wanted us to create a home for them and we could see beyond the drawings, structural engineers’ details and asbestos surveys to the vision they had commissioned and we were in!

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- A Scope of Works -

  • Demolition of selected areas
  • A new, contemporary extension on the rear of the property, comprising of; 37 mini-piles and a 450mm thick ring-beam and raft foundation
  • New, bespoke made, timber, sash windows throughout the original part of the property
  • A new flat roof covered with a single-ply rubber membrane
  • Part demolition and repair of 3No chimney stacks
  • Removal and replacement of 6No dorma windows
  • Removal and replacement of all tile and slate roof coverings
  • Removal of all internal walls and all plasterwork
  • Removal of all floors and ceilings
  • Removal of all sanitaryware, plumbing and all electrics
  • Repair of over 30No structural cracks using helical bars, resin and purpose made metal reinforcement plates, braces and brackets
  • Removal of one chimney stack, seven chimney breasts and a substantial part of the rear ground floor, leaving the first and second floors suspended on acro props aided by significant internal bracing to prevent potential movement and collapse of the flanking walls
  • Replacement of the gas, water, electric and media supplies to the property
  • Construction of a new 9” solid garden wall and ‘Herringbone’ brick paving in the rear yard
  • Refurbishment of the existing front door (under a council preservation order)
  • Installation of a six-unit air-conditioning system
  • Refurbishment of the two-storey bay window
  • Removal and reinstatement of five brick arches that had failed above window apertures
  • Installation of 17No steel beams and columns
  • Installation of new floors with under-floor heating throughout on all six floor levels
  • Installation of a new, Hydrogen-ready, boiler
  • Installation of two bathrooms, one WC, Utility and Kitchen
  • Installation of a sliding Aluminium and glass door complete with electric locking
  • Installation of all studwork walls, some with structural plywood as well as plasterboard
  • All plastering of ceilings and walls
  • All internal joinery including room doors (including two single pocket doors and one double pocket door) architraves, skirtings, fitted wardrobes in three bedrooms and two personal dressing rooms, wall panelling in the Dining Room and bookshelf units in two bedrooms
  • Installation of an Integrated alarm system
  • Installation of new lighting and ‘Heatmiser’ zoned heating system
  • Removal and rebuilding of the front garden wall and installation of new railings and gate
  • Full decoration throughout
  • ‘Herringbone’ porcelain tiled floors in the kitchen, store and Utility and laying of Oak flooring in the rest of the property
  • Laying of an Edwardian tiled pathway to the front door
  • The commissioning and bespoke construction and installation of the three-storey, solid Oak staircase along with three other two-step, mini-staircases to transition from the split levels of the first and second floors

Delivery of the very comprehensive demolition programme left no doubt that the project had started!

Once enough of the house had been removed to allow unhindered access, we concentrated on the foundations for the new extension. The key to successfully completing this element was going to be managing the very tight access and limiting the effect of the noise, vibration and disruption to neighbouring properties; two of which were Cambridge University Halls of Residence.

After photographic condition surveys of surrounding structures and a test bore, the work proceeded and the new raft was poured.

Upon removing all plaster and finished surfaces from the internal walls, ceilings and floors it was very obvious that the property had suffered from decades of neglect and some questionable building practice decisions in its construction and maintenance, all of which had resulted in significant movement in several locations:

  • the North wall was in two parts with a vertical crack running from ground level to roof level of 60mm width at its worst
  • the rear wall of the main house had detached itself from the party wall opening up a 35mm crack
  • a dorma window had collapsed under an adjacent unstable roof
  • the front of the house had suffered subsidence, which had caused the front RH corner of the house to fall down and away from the main part with movement in the joints between the roof joists and the rafter of the front mansard of around 80mm
  • in many other locations, several other cracks were present, each one presenting its own implication and effect on the building’s structural rigidity.

 

We worked very closely with the project’s retained structural engineers in delivery solutions for these significant issues, which included over forty helical bar joint strengthening repairs, extra steel braces and support posts in key areas to tie the walls, floors and roof together and, crucially, to return the building to a position of structural rigidity and longevity.

Alongside the structural repair work, we installed the framework of structural steel to brace and support the building where the programme of works had asked for removal of key supporting walls.

Once the building was sound, we progressed forward with delivering the remodeling works and the extension. A new roof was required and extensive brick repair to the property’s chimneys.

The design included interesting elements such as vertical-stacked brick bond on the rear extension elevation, an angled footprint for the rear elevation walls, capitalising on the afternoon sun’s position into the rear yard, a herringbone brick paved courtyard and an Edwardian pathway to the front door.

It wasn’t long before we were installing the joinery package and the property took on character as a result of the sleek finishes.

All-in-all, we’re very proud of what we’ve achieved on this project for our clients and for the property itself. The project was one of the most interesting and rewarding in many ways. The end result is a stunning, warm and well-finished home.

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