‘Best practice’ sustainable housing refurbishment from the BRE

Construction has been completed on the BRE’s flagship project, ‘Rethinking Housing Refurbishment’, in which Helifix was pleased to be involved. This landmark scheme looked at ways in which housing renovation methods can be improved in order to provide industry and homeowners with examples of best practice for sustainable housing refurbishment.

 The scheme, at the BRE site in Watford, involved the transformation of a disused Victorian stable block into three sustainable homes fit for 21st century living, alongside education and training workshops and a visitor centre. The aim was to demonstrate how older buildings with solid walls, poor insulation, draughty windows, inadequate heating and in a state of general disrepair could be restored and upgraded to provide attractive, flexible and energy efficient accommodation for the future.

 Several areas of the building were suffering from structural failure, particularly one corner where ground movement, caused by a tree which has since been removed, had resulted in severe diagonal cracking and unstable gable masonry. Helifix was approached by the project engineers to design a suitable repair scheme which was then undertaken by our local Approved Installer, Underpin & Makegood (U&M).

Pairs of stainless steel HeliBars were grouted into the mortar beds at five levels around the failed corner to secure the structure while U&M used individual HeliBars to undertake crack stitching in several areas. Angled grouted CemTies were installed to stablise the gable end masonry with BowTies then being installed through the gable wall and into the end grain of the roof purlins to secure the wall, with all products being fully concealed.

 With the UK having the world’s oldest housing stock with 20% being over 100 years old and six million classified as ‘non decent’, this important BRE project, which improved the energy performance of the building from an F to a B rating, emphasises the social, financial and environmental benefits of sustainable refurbishment in securing the future of many currently low grade and vacant properties.

Helifix Ltd:   

Tel. 020 8735 5200

 Email: info@helifix.co.uk 

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