There are plenty of large leaning chimneystacks in London and it is only a matter of time before they come down and cause series damage. This project came to light when one of the flats to the property was sold and the surveyor picked up on the chimney stacks that had a series lean towards the roof of the property. Fact is, this was a project that needed to be done as soon as possible because the property was on the corner of Clapham Common Southside and Cavendish Road and the chimney stacks were situated above the pavement making them a serious hazard to the occupants of the property and the passing public.
Carrying out any building work on a property on the red route is an absolute pain in the butt because everything is awkward. None of the builders want to work on a red route simply because of the added complications for deliveries and generally getting the tools, plant and materials on site. Same for scaffolders who need to park as close as possible to the site for loading and there are no dispensations to be had. In this case I offered to pay the parking tickets whilst getting the scaffolding up and down and ended up with a nice bill for parking on the kerb.
When it came to getting a toilet for the site, we had the same problem and had it delivered to a house outside the red route and then trolleyed it up to the site. Again, more problems when it came to having the loo serviced and picked up at the end of the job.
Another consideration is that you need a license from TFL if you need to put up scaffolding on a red route. We paid around £650 for the privilege.
As for the chimney stack repairs and rebuild it was plain sailing. We have experienced London bricklayers who knew a thing about taking down chimney stacks and how to rebuild chimney stacks. The key to success is a well-designed scaffold, decent bricklayers and lots of hot tea.
About 4 new chimney pots were needed along with several hundred reclaimed imperial bricks so that when the chimneystacks were rebuilt everything matched up.
Before we commenced work on removing the chimney stacks all 14 flues were blocked with pumped up air bags with dust sheets on top. This worked a treat and there were no complaints from the 6 leaseholders as the work was carried out. Scaffold boards were used to protect the slates and more coverings were used to protect Velux windows.
As we were working above a public pavement, we also went to the trouble of installing additional timbers to the scaffold to seal up the gap between the scaffold and the walls. Additionally, we used sheets under the scaffold boards to stop dirt and debris going down. I'm pleased to say we didn't get a single complaint during the works.
The property was also in need of external repairs and repainting so it was decided that as the scaffold was going up for the chimney stacks to be rebuilt, it would make sense to do the repairs and repainting as well. With over 50 windows to the property and loads of ornamental stonework this would take about 4 weeks for our exterior painting contractors.
Whilst most of the windows were in good condition the stone sills had been repaired many years ago using angle bead which had now rusted, broken down and split open most of the sills. If you look over the project photos you will see the state of the windows and the extent of the repairs that were needed before any painting was done. We had to repair sandstone window sills to the front side and rear of the property where they were badly weathered.
Good prep is the key to a good painting job and of course it is essential that you use good paint. For the stonework we opted for Sandtex smooth masonry mainly because of the 15-year proven durability. For the woodwork we choose the Sandtex Flexigloss X-tra which is easily the best product on the market for exterior painting to woodwork. We used Sandtex flexible primer undercoat to provide a good base for the gloss. Both the Sandtex gloss and undercoat have the proven 10-year durability.
AVONPRESS exterior painters are London painting contractors and although the weather wasn't great they turned the job around in no time to give a lovely weatherproof finish to another lovely London property.
All in all, what initially looked like a tricky chimneystack rebuild and exterior painting project, turned out to be a really smooth job. It was well organised, well managed and a pleasure to carry out.
AVONPRESS Design & Build are architectural designers and building contractors and provide free quotes for all types of architectural and building work throughout London and the home counties. If you have a project in mind and need advice or a free quote, just get in touch.
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