BACKGROUND:

Miss Dovey is permanently based in France. Following a particularly hot and dry summer she noticed cracks appearing in the concrete basement of her 1930's French hillside property.

The property is built on a steep slope, meaning the basement walls are 2.9mt high at their lowest, and 4mts high at their highest, points. The basement walls are constructed of steel reinforced concrete, cast panels which had cracked vertically at their seams.

Access for building works on this French property was restricted due to the steep gradient of the driveway, and proximity to a dangerous bend on a busy main road.

RENOVATION PROJECT REQUIREMENT:

Miss Dovey was referred to Lane Associates Ltd with a view to investigating the extent of the problem, and to propose a solution.

Lane Associates Ltd called on the services of a specialist in France who advised us on the most appropriate course of action. Our specialist recommended the fitting of steel staples across the cracks at 50cm intervals, and to then pour reinforced concrete pillars against the stapled cracks. During the course of building work, we also found it necessary to reinforce the first floor of the property, as the existing beams were found to be inadequate for the span of the floor.

BUILDING WORK CARRIED OUT:

1. The first task involved fixing 12mm diameter steel bar staples across the cracks.



2. We then built timber shuttering in front of the cracks, taking the opportunity to create bearings for new larger beams to support the floor above.



3. During work we discovered a corner of the basement, cut into the hillside, had been substantially damaged by damp. This area, approximately 8 sq mts, was treated using bitumen waterproofing material. We then suspended steel trellis in front of the two affected walls, before enclosing them in substantial timber shuttering.



4. We then poured all of the piers and the corner reinforcement by hand. This amounted to approximately 6 cubic metres of concrete. Due to the restricted access to the property, building materials had to be brought to site in small quantities as they were needed.



5. After the concrete had cured we removed the shuttering, and then manually placed two x 8 metre timber beams on top of the piers.

ADDITIONAL BUILDING WORK:

Following the successful completion of this initial phase, Miss Dovey employed us to convert the loft space of her French property into two bedrooms.

We have also been able to provide Miss Dovey with ad hoc English/French translation services.

Please click here for our client's testimonial.