refurbishment

Adequate ventilation is of crucial importance to the overall maintenance and protection of your property and its inhabitants.

The build-up of condensation within the roof space remains an issue as the industry moves towards more energy efficient buildings.  For many homeowners, the big consideration when it comes to energy saving is insulation. Whilst this is an important aspect for keeping your house warm and reducing energy costs, the need for roof ventilation should not be neglected as this could lead to serious and indeed costly repercussions.

By ensuring you have an adequate level of roof ventilation in your roof you can make significant strides towards preventing the build-up of condensation and the associated problems of damp that this causes.

The UK Boxings pre-finished range of pipe and fire sprinkler boxing is designed to provide a consistent finish to retro-fit sprinkler installations, by concealing unsightly pipework, while also being quick and easy to fit on site to save time and money.

Manufactured from 9mm thick moisture resistant MDF, our fire sprinkler boxing is available in two-sided ‘L’ shaped and three-sided ‘U’ shaped profiles, with a choice of more than 60 different standard profile sizes and can be supplied in 2400mm or 3050 mm length options.

The Pendock Profiles range of specialist casings and pipe & fire sprinkler boxing has been a common feature in social housing for well over 30 years and is used on countless heating system refurbishments, boiler upgrades and fire-sprinkler installations by most UK social landlords.

Recent trials of various, older concrete block permeable paving projects following long-term use back-up previous research, endorse current minimal maintenance recommendations and debunk misconceptions about clogging up of joints. This research has important implications for the whole life costs of permeable paving on all types of housing. One of the projects involved also reveals major benefits of permeable paving for green infrastructure, particularly trees. 

In 2018, the Hackitt review required building managers to keep digital building records, from the design and conceptualisation phase through its life cycle. With the boom years of High Rise Residential Buildings (HRRB) development between 1953 and 1972, and with 6544 buildings erected in the half-century following the end of World War 2, nearly all of the remaining 270 HRRBs were built in a pre-digital age.

Thus, in 2021, complying with new design regulations while creating new digital records for those HRRBs presents a major challenge.

In any property, whether it’s a new build or a refurbishment project, there will inevitably be exposed pipework that needs covering for reasons of safety and aesthetics, or as a deterrent from tampering, accidental damage and vandalism, particularly for exterior pipework.

For housing associations and local authorities dealing with older housing stock that requires heating system upgrades, fire sprinkler system retro-fits and regular maintenance, as part of the property management regime, large quantities of exposed pipework can present a number of challenges.

As part of a wide scale refurbishment project from Enfield Council, Langley Structures Ltd delivered a series of Flat to Pitched (FTP) roof conversions across multiple residential premises in New Southgate. This project recently won RCI’s Pitched Roofing Awards for ‘best use of a flat to pitch system’.

The project saw the conversion applied to seven buildings located on Bowes Road, Cross Road and Massey Close in Enfield, as part of the larger ‘New Southgate’ refurbishment being carried out in the area. Approved in 2010, the New Southgate regeneration project provides quality homes, local shops and community services across the neighbourhood.

Langley Structures worked alongside Playle & Partners LLP’s, who provided lead architectural services as well as project management, contract administration, quantity surveying and principle designer roles. ENGIE, Langley Structures’ Approved Contractor, delivered the regeneration solution.