Considerations when planning refurbishment projects.

The following areas should be considered when planning refurbishment projects.

A detailed assessment of the building should be completed at the start to understand the type of construction, materials and systems currently in place. Next, an assessment of any specific issues should be made which might impact on the applicability of different refurbishment solutions. It may transpire that the initial idea for a refurbishment solution may not turnout to be the most appropriate for the particular situation.

As with new build, refurbishment projects will need to follow the current regulations and legislative process. It must be remembered that a significant change to the building envelope may mean that new design criteria or regulations have to be adopted. This is particularly relevant for thermal, fire and structural aspects. The current design philosophy regarding structural capability and design codes and parameters should also be taken into account.

The details of the components and systems that might be applicable needs to be understood. A system approach may help to reduce difficulties as many of the issues likely to be encountered have been solved elsewhere. The interfaces with other parts of the structure are also important and need to be well thought out. The right approach at an early stage could reduce costs, time scales and future problems. Through time a structure can move and settle which will result in misalignment. In many cases, the specification of a new system can also result in interface problems or the misalignment of junction points and flashing details.

The following issues should be considered:

• The potential for the system to encroach on the sizeof openings.
• The size of the flashings.
• Water run-off into the gutter.
• The interface between adjacent items, including both old and new elements.
• Additional loads and local settlement or deflection.
• The method of sealing junctions.

• What level of refurbishment can be achieved?
• What will it look like?
• How long will it last?

These are three important questions that cannot be considered in isolation and need input from the client, contractor and material supplier.

During the planned refurbishment of a property, it is important to look ahead and consider access and how the future maintenance of the building is going to be undertaken. The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 1994 require clients, designers and contractors to take into account health, safety and environmental issues throughout the complete life-cycle of a building including the initial site works, construction, commissioning, operation and maintenance. It is therefore the responsibility of both the designer and the building owner to make provision for safe access and to ensure safe movement across the roof when carrying out future maintenance programmes.

In many cases, access to the roof is gained via ladders, scaffolding or modern access platforms. Due to the complexity of some roof structures and the resulting difficulties which may be experienced, a refurbishment programme should address alternative options. Due consideration should be placed on the introduction and incorporation of internal access ways, roof ladders and roof walkways. In addition, provision should be made for the incorporation of fixed wire ‘latch-on’ points across the surface of the roof, or the use of an alternative method of attachment for personal safety harness systems.

It is important to involve a contractor or supplier who understands the traditional methods of construction, but can also interpret how the modern systems could be interfaced. The issue of warranties and product guarantees is also important and the building designer should ensure that they include a provision for material, design and workmanship.

The quality of a solution and its longevity is heavily influenced by the way in which it is installed, the contractor’s workmanship and their adherence to the product manufacturer’s guidelines. Always insist on robust guarantees to provide peace of mind. As with new-build projects, it is important to ensure that the pre-finished steel itself is covered by a guarantee such as the Confidex® guarantee available only on Colorcoat HPS200® Ultra and Colorcoat Prisma®. Many system suppliers also offer guarantees and these will give reassurance on the system performance. Many such guarantees are insurance-backed which could prove invaluable should the guarantor go out of business in the future. Some system manufacturers have approved contractor schemes whereby they train and monitor the work of the contractor and guarantee their work direct to the building owner, such as in the case of over-painting.

Asbestos-based products are widely encountered during the refurbishment of industrial and commercial properties. However, in the building envelope it is generally found as profiled sheets which have been used for roof cladding applications. Occasionally, it is also encountered within the coating used on some old profiled steel sheets. In all cases, however, it should be treated with caution and dealt with and disposed of in the appropriate way by specialist contractors.

The asbestos situation in law is quite clear. Regulation 4 of the ‘Control of asbestos at work regulations’, 2002, which governs the ‘Duty to Manage’ asbestos in non-domestic premises, came into force in May 2004. The ‘duty holder’ under these regulations encompasses every person who has any obligation in relation to the maintenance or repair of non-domestic premises, or even any means of access to such premises. Even if you do not fall within the wide definition of a ‘duty holder’, you may have to comply under this regulation.

Where a review shows the presence of asbestos which cannot safely be left in place, the duty holder is obliged to ensure that it is removed.Financial help is at hand with that obligation. The government encourages the clean-up of contaminated land by giving enhanced corporation tax relief for costs incurred by companies in cleaning land which they acquire in a contaminated state. Furthermore, under the Finance Act, 2001, up to 150% of tax relief may be available for companies which incur expenditure for the removal of asbestos from existing buildings, provided they are not the original polluters.