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Castellain Mansions, Maida Vale

Encore Estates (Phase 1) and Carringtons (Phase 2)

External Mansion Block Major Works

20 blocks of 10 flats along a whole street in Maida Vale

THE CHALLENGE

Liaising with over 200 residents to ensure their windows were repaired, decorated and eased and adjusted, as well as being left free moving after the decorations.
Dealing with very poor previous masonry repairs which were ineffective and unsympathetic in their appearance.
Dust control when carrying out extensive masonry repairs over parked cars on the street.
Working along a whole street and phasing the work with tight programming to ensure that scaffolding was kept up for a minimum time period.
Failing balconies and ornate iron railings.

WHAT WE DID

We created a phased resident mailshot keeping residents up to date with progress and arranging access to their flats when required.
We undertook significant masonry repair work which included repointing the whole street with a sympathetic coloured mortar.
We removed, strengthened and repaired the ornate iron balcony balustrades where they were rusted and loose.
We carefully carried out structural repairs and the re-casting of failing concrete balcony decks in liaison with a structural engineer.
We carried out an extensive DOFF clean to all elevations.
We partially reconstructed some chimney stacks where defective.
We surveyed and carried out window care resin and carpentry repairs to the timber sash windows before their redecoration.

WHY WAS IT A SUCCESS

The removal and proper repair of the previous masonry repairs along with the wholesale repointing scheme, toned down the brickwork and removed the ‘patchwork quilt’ affect which stood out against other Mansion Blocks in Maida Vale.
The residents were kept informed and built a strong relationship with our full time site manager who was able to advise them individually on the required sash window repairs and their aftercare.
The balconies were made safe and properly waterproofed with difficult concrete reconstruction carried out carefully around the residents.
The DOFF clean brightened up the blocks by removing the exhaust dust, and improved the overall appearance of the street.
The scaffolding was fully covered in sheeting with an integrated dust extraction and ventilation system to protect the parked vehicles from the dust created by the masonry work.

A S Ramsay are a competent and reliable contractor who I would thoroughly recommend for external mansion block repair schemes. They are easy to work with and non-contractual.

Peter Bensted MRICS