05 Feb 19 by Stephen Hart
“The Ridings” is a large late Edwardian waterfront property on the Salcombe Estuary. Vickery Holman were employed to take forward a scheme for the refurbishment of the house to include a new two storey extension, a new driveway and the creation of a one bedroom apartment in the grounds. The house is used for summer letting. Works began in early 2011 with the deadline for completion being the summer letting period. This restriction on the contract period necessitated close management of the contractor and meant that the contract documentation had to be as clear and detailed as possible. The success of this ensured the house was able to be let for the summer period.
The constrained site offered its own problems. The original house was built back into the cliff, with the grounds around the house sloping at an approximately 1:1 fall. Careful site investigation and carefully considered engineering were needed to avoid undermining the main road behind the site or the houses on either side.
In this instance the scheme was designed prior to our appointment. Part of our brief was to value engineer the project, offering savings where possible to bring the scheme back within the client’s budget. This was undertaken successfully and ongoing detailed design produced further savings to offset the client’s additional requirements.
Clear and effective communication with both the client and the contractor was paramount in the success of this project. It ensured the delivery of a visually stunning building and it was a greatly rewarding project for all involved.
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