Welcome to Southern Piling, specialist piling contractors

Providing outstanding foundations throughout Sussex, Surrey, Kent and Hampshire.

Piling contractors for both domestic and commercial contracts, using Southern Piling means solid results, whatever the project. We’re here to deliver the right piling foundations for your building projects, safely, on time and on budget.

Southern Piling, Vinalls Business Centre, Nep Town Road, Henfield, West Sussex , BN5 9DZ

Telephone: 01273 493863      Fax: 01273 493691

http://www.southernpiling.co.uk

Here we start to see the gradual deconstruction of the older part of the house. This first picture shows the new floor beams going in to what will be the kitchen.

But then things started to get heavy. The next few pictures show the roof over the older part of the house completely removed.

You’ll notice that the immersion boiler is still visible and useable also you can see that the wall has been removed where the new front door will be.

This view looks through the hole created leading through to the diner from the kitchen. Just beyond the doorways at the back is the master bedroom. These up stair rooms have been striped back to the basic brick work. You will notice that the walls are only one brick thick.

This is the view from the landing looking down into the old kitchen.

The side wall has almost completely been removed and floor beams have been installed throughout the first floor providing a strong level surface. This makes way for a flitch beam to be installed across the whole length of the house. A flitch beam (or flitched beam) is a compound beam used in the construction of houses, decks, and other primarily wood-frame structures. Typically the flitch beam is made up of a steel plate sandwiched between two wood beams, the three layers being held together with bolts. In that common form it is sometimes referenced as a steel flitch beam. Further alternating layers of wood and steel can be used to produce an even stronger beam. The metal plate(s) within the beam are known as flitch plates. Only after this can the roof be rebuilt.

Yep that immersion boiler is still there.

Here the flitch beam is being prepared for installation.

Much earth has to be removed and a slope built to allow access to the mini piling rig. This will pile down 6 meters ready for the support steels to be put in.

Enter the piling rig. It has arrived and over the next few days it will drill up to 12 holes each one taking around an hour.

The company we have used is called Southern Piling.

Well this at last brings us up to date the date being 3oth July 2009. I will continue to update as progress moves.

So far I haven’t mentioned the total scope of work involved and what our budget is. Firstly the work scope, which falls broadly into three sections as, mentioned before.

1. Is to add an on suite bathroom and create a family bathroom together with extending the kitchen to create a kitchen diner.

2. Is to implement under floor heating for thermal mass, add thermal cladding to the outside walls and install both solar heating and solar photovoltaic panels.

3. To restore the house to modern standards.

To achieve this our budget needs to cover:

Roofing

Removing roof tiles from roof and saving to reuse. All of the roof to be strengthened to accommodate solar panels (under instructions from Local Authorities) felted and battened using untearable breathable felt compliant with new fire regulations. Roof cut into and modified to incorporate dinner extension.

Bathroom extension

Excavate out all foundations to agreed specification. To raise bathroom brickworks, internal block works tied to external skin with stainless steel wall ties. Roof and render.

Ground floor

To excavate the entire ground floor and fill in with hard core and insulation covered in a couple of inches of concrete. To then lay on electrical cabling and cover with an inch of concrete.

Diner extension

To pile drill support holes for raised diner and balconies and construction of dinner including Rhenzink standing seam roof. Steel works calculated by structural engineer and agreed with local authorities and then implemented.

Whole house to be thermal clad in 140mm thermal cladding. All windows to be replaced and in some case enlarged with UPVC double glazed frames. The whole house to be re-wired, fire alarms fitted, mains boards moved all worked carried out to new 17th amendment specifications.

All walls and ceilings to be plastered and painted. All carpentry work to be updated and replaced.

Solar and photovoltaic panels installed and log burners sourced and installed.

Bathroom and Kitchen to be fitted out. New flooring throughout.

Saving all hardcore to be crushed and placed into new foundations. All demolition to be saved and crushed on site. All wood saved and stacked for use in wood burning stoves.

I think that covers it. Budget to be discussed soon