Redevelopment of 11 Upper Montagu Street - March Update
Progress over the last three or four weeks has been relatively slow as Elsworth & Bond have been concentrating on works to be carried out in the basement. The number of labourers has increased from seven to fourteen to carry out the labour intensive work of removing over 50 tonnes of rubble in the basement area. This has been done with the use of kangos and then manually bagging the waste for removal by skips and grab lorries on the ground floor level outside the property.
The right level has now been struck and new rainwater and waste pipes have been laid throughout the basement with the precaution of installing three anti flood valve chambers to the external courtyard, internal hallway and to the front of the property. These chambers are double sealed and whilst expensive to purchase and install are a necessary precaution in this vulnerable area after heavy downpours.
The process of fitting a damp course membrane, steel reinforcement and concrete is progressing, which will enable the builders to finish with a 30/50 cm screed to provide a perfectly flat finish. This will be carried out once Rentoseal have completely tanked out the basement area which will provide us with a 25 year guarantee for any water ingress that might occur in future.
Due to the digging out, some internal walls had to be removed and rebuilt with engineering bricks to maintain the integrity of the foundations. The advantage of all this work has enabled us to reconsider the layout of the basement area and incorporate a self contained kitchen and a further ensuite bathroom for Bedroom 2. This will enhance both the apartment’s value and rental once the development has finished.
We have also agreed with the builder to make use of all the vaults underside of Upper Montagu Street for the meters, water tanks, dustbins & general storage for cleaners, etc.
Our Architects, Michael Phillips Associates, in conjunction with Paul Brodie, have now completed the electrical layouts for first fix and are presently working on the plumbing layout throughout the building. The bathroom layouts have also been completed and prices obtained from Marble Arch Bathrooms for the supply of equipment. We are still finalizing the kitchen layouts and although Magnet have provided detailed plans and pricing, we are obtaining further estimates from Redmount Ltd in Seymour Place, London W1.
Paul Brodie has received prices for the fire alarm and smoke detection system from both EMS Radio Fire & Security Systems and Greg & Co. The former have recommended a radio system at a cost of £12,000 plus VAT. It was therefore agreed to instruct Greg & Co to install a hard wire system whilst the property is in it’s present state at half this price and work will commence within the next two weeks.
Soundproofing of the floors has been a continual discussion point and it has now been agreed that further discussions will continue with the Building Control Officer, Jason Dunn, with a view to insulating under the existing boards where plugging does not exist and installing Isocheck 15T on top of the existing floorboards, with a further layer of 6mm plywood and finish with a laminated floor covering which will provide a practical finish throughout the apartments. This will minimize the height of the threshold between the apartments and the common area, reduce sound transmission between the apartments and reduce costs.
Project Information: Freeholders: P R & G J Brodie, Bankers: Adam & Co , Accountants: Haslers, Architects: Michael Phillips Associates, Contractors: Elsworth & Bond