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Extensions and Refurbishment in London 8

Extension, consolidation, flooring and modernization

House Extension and Refurbishment in London.

Loft Conversion and Refurbishment in London.

House Refurbishment in London. New Build in London.

Flat Refurbishment in London. New Build in London.

Electricians and Plumbers in London. Refurbishment London.

Kitchen Furniture Fitting in London. Cleaning in London.

House Renovation and Refurbishment in London.

Office Refurbishment, Shop Refurbishment in London.

Bathroom and Kitchen Refurbishment in London.

Service Description

Extension, consolidation, flooring and modernization

For the consolidation, extension and flooring, we are not talking about the same type of house projects like when we make a new house.

What matters firstly is not to affect the resistance structure of the house. According to the local planning regulations not all the houses can be consolidated. The houses with timber-framed resistance, adobe or wood will be demolished. Indeed, for the houses made of timber or adobe, there is no calculation method that can evaluate whether such a structure is effective in terms of seismic activity.

So, in such projects we can only talk about houses with a bearing supporting structure made of brick with wooden floors, brick or reinforced concrete.

Any consolidation project begins with a technical expertise.

The technical expertise is drafted by the technical experts certified by the Ministry of Public Works (whatever name the ministry took in the meanwhile). The examination consists in a calculation of the existing structure through the design requirements of normative structures and it determines the earthquake insurance. Depending on this result, the expert proposes two solutions for lifting the level of earthquake insurance, one minimum and one maximum.

The expert uses for this the following methods, studies and project components:

– The surveying of the architecture or ofthe structures

– The surveying of the damage

– The initial projects (if they exist)

– The geotechnical study

– The surveys of the foundations

– The samples of materials (in some cases, for the older buildings are commonly used statistical data about materials commonly used in the age). Samples are taken especially from the newer buildings that have partially or totally reinforced concrete structures and they may consist of tests to reveal the reinforcement, concrete sampling to determine its class, etc.

When there are the cases of those projects that in addition to strengthening they suggest also expanding, flooring, modernization (external and internal changes), expertise, take into consideration a theme of architecture.

The theme of architecture for these projects is that one that defines the future plans of architecture (house plans), facades, sections, etc.

For each specialty projects of architecture will subsequently be prepared, the structure and the installations that must comply with the technical expertise. Moreover, the structures project (resistance) at the end is stamped and signed by the technical expert as a guarantee that the solutions have been properly established in the expertise and included in the special project.

For the brick houses, which have the ground floor and the loft, or ground floor, one-two floors and loft, which are the most common interventions in general, from what I have seen until now, the problems generally start from the foundation.

The foundations generally tend not to have sufficient depth, the many cases of houses with foundations only 40-50 cm deep being numerous, which practically they are not considered foundation in current standards. Especially if they have floors, often, the existing foundations, even if they were sufficient for the initial construction, they are not enough for new charges.

Generally through the interventions of the existing houses is also proposing big changes, such as the opening of spaces on the ground floor – living rooms, kitchens – while on the levels the interventions generally seek to detached rooms.

At the same time it should be noted as structures such as the historic masonry load-bearing floors made of wood or brickare not accepted by current standards. The interventions with the reinforced concrete on them fundamentally changes the way in which these structures work. If the first ones are the elastic structures that dissipate the earthquake energy through movement, the reinforced concrete structures are more rigid and they try to evenly distribute seismic accelerations induced efforts.

So the building with reinforced concrete solutions practically “binds” the house together: the reinforced concrete floors are considered “rigid washers” which forces the vertical elements (walls, pillars) to work together. The old buildings, elastic, allowed various items of construction to work by themselves, their co-operation being minimal.

This qualitative change occurs but also challenges us: that the whole structure behaves as a whole may cause undesirable phenomena such as general torque of the house, which basically means that the whole movement is a rotation around the more massive elements (walls generally), which means that huge efforts can destroy any smaller structure, but important, like the columns or smaller columns made of masonry.

The paragraph from above, longer and perhaps too technical, is a warning regarding the interventions made without a well thought out project without initial house expertise. Indeed, many interventions made by many owners of houses, such as the armed pellicles are pure and simply dangerous. Why? Once because they represent the additional difficulties that will enhance the seismic force, they bring additional efforts in any way possible to undersized foundations, secondly because that they can damage other parts of the building that until that moment could have a satisfactory answer.

The consolidations, expansions, flooring and modernization are more delicate house projects, more complex, but pleasant at the same time. This kind of intervention on a house is basically a revival of that building, an extension of its life with another 50-100-150 years.

House Extension and Refurbishment in London.

Loft Conversion and Refurbishment in London.

House Refurbishment in London. New Build in London.

Flat Refurbishment in London. New Build in London.

Electricians and Plumbers in London. Refurbishment London.

Kitchen Furniture Fitting in London. Cleaning in London.

House Renovation and Refurbishment in London.

Office Refurbishment, Shop Refurbishment in London.

Bathroom and Kitchen Refurbishment in London.

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