SCOPE
The skeleton and the shell of the house
This group is the part of the house you never see and the part that costs most to get wrong. If the walls, the screed, the waterproofing and the façade aren’t done properly, the paint, the flooring and the cabinetry that go on top of them fail within two years — and putting it right then costs twice what doing it once would have.
Waterproofing can’t be inspected once it is covered. That is why we photograph it before it is closed.
WHAT’S INCLUDED
What we do under this heading
All of the following sit inside the same contract. You can take an item out if you want to — but taking it out is your decision, not a limit on what we can do.
Structural work
- Removing and building walls
- Taking out non-loadbearing partitions
- Structural strengthening
Floor and waterproofing
- Floor preparation and screed
- Waterproofing in wet rooms
- Terrace and roof waterproofing
The shell
- Façade and external insulation
- Roof repair and re-tiling
The site
- Rubble removal
- Licensed waste disposal
- Informing the neighbours and the building management
WORTH NOTING
Where the work gets difficult on this item
We say these things at the quotation stage, not afterwards. We don’t like surprises.
- Loadbearing walls are not touched. Which wall can come out is not a decision you make by eye. If a request affects the structural system, it needs structural design and statutory inspection; that item is outside our scope and we say so up front.
- Waterproofing in wet rooms is your only chance. Shower and bathroom waterproofing can’t be seen once the tiling is on. We run the water test, photograph it, and put the record in your handover file.
- No flooring goes down before the screed is dry. Screed covered in a hurry comes back as swelling in the parquet and cracks in the tiling. The programme includes that waiting time; we are not the ones who propose shortening it.
- Rubble leaves by the legal route. Waste goes to the tip the council designates, with documentation. This item is the single most common reason relations with the building and the neighbours break down.
THE DECISION CALENDAR
Which decision you make, and when
Every line becomes an annex to the contract. If a date slips, the work behind it slips too.
- Design stageThe wall plan is lockedA change to a partition rewrites the plumbing and electrical layout from scratch.
- Shell workWaterproofing and screedThe water test and the photographic record are taken at this stage.
- End of shell workFloor drying timeNo floor covering starts before the screed moisture is measured.
Houses near the coast have one more heading: detailing that stands up to sea air. An ordinary balustrade or window frame is finished within three years in salt air — so material selection is a job of its own here.
Let’s talk about the Structural Works item.
The survey commits you to nothing. We come to the property, take measurements, and talk about what can be done under this heading.