Solid Wall Insulation to BISF Houses, Ellesmere Port

Client: Plus Dane Housing Group
Approx Value: £1m

Introduction:

This scheme for Plus Dane Housing Group entailed the upgrading of 50 BISF properties over a seven month period. The work would require removing existing cladding and render, structural steel repairs (where required), fixing a new render support system and installing a Wetherby external wall insulation system.

The nature of the works on this scheme meant there would be significant disruption to all tenants, so effective customer engagement would be essential.

The Project:

The specification entailed stripping off the ground floor concrete and all steel cladding. This left the property exposed to the elements, creating risks associated with water penetration, noise and security.

In order to minimise disruption and protect property, Sustainable Building Services ensured that any sheet metal cladding removed was immediately replaced with plywood backing to make the building watertight and secure.

Work took place on up to 6 properties at a time and required excellent customer communications. SBS employed a full-time site-based TLO who engaged with tenants prior to any works, and visited them to ensure they understood the extent and scheduling of the proposed works. This was vital for ensuring appropriate access to the properties on the required days, thereby preventing delays and minimising subsequent disruption to tenants. 

The TLO visited residents twice daily (early on and later in the day) to keep them fully informed of progress and other important issues. These included, amongst other things, the impact that the works would have on them, and the measures/precautions that SBS recommended for reducing these impacts to a minimum.

Results:

The chosen EWI system featured a silicone and brick slip finish and it was installed together with all associated adaptations and enabling works.

The scheme was successfully completed on time and to budget, achieving excellent KPI data and customer satisfaction scores averaging above 9/10.