Considerations Before Restoring Stone And Brick Buildings
Before you undertake a project to restore your stone or brick building there are many things that you should take into consideration. We’ve put together a checklist for you to make sure that you not only choose the correct services but so that you can receive the correct solution too
1. The age of your building
The age of your building can be one of the main reasons it is in need of restoration. It is important to understand how long the building’s façade has been open to the elements. Especially if some elements are older than others. For example, the front of a building is more likely to receive specialist care than the back as the front of the building is visible to people on the street, and its visual appearance can have an impact on people’s perception.
2. If works have been carried out before
This might not have been the first time that you or someone else has carried out repairs or restoration work to the building. It’s important to understand this for two reasons. First of all, to understand if any previous work to the building might be affecting what is happening to it now, as poor maintenance work can sometimes aid deterioration. Or secondly, if the work that was carried out before is now failing, as it might be beneficial to try another solution or consider a more protective solution that will last.
3. Type of building (e.g listed)
If your building is stone or brick and is listed, then work will have to be carried out to certain standards such as working with a conservation officer and standards set out for restoring listed buildings. This is often the case with historic brick or stone buildings. It is important then that the correct restoration methods are used, and that no harm further or unnecessary harm is brought against the building.
4. Type of problem occuring to your building
Will the work need to include cleaning, repointing or replacement? The best way to find out is to get an expert to carry out a full survey to determine the best solution for your building. That way you can be provided with an overview of the condition, the causes of issues, and what the best restorative or repair method would be. At this point, you might also have to imagine what you want your building to look like upon completion, as you might want a complete restoration, or for the building to keep some of its character. Sometimes there are different options to achieve the look you are hoping for.
5. The location of your building
Stone buildings are often commonplace in cities such as London and Bath. This can mean it could be difficult to easily access sections of the building for stone restoration or brick restoration to be carried out. This means you might have to consider your access methods carefully. Luckily there are many to choose from such as rope access, MEWP, as well as the most common: scaffold.
If you are looking for a stone or brick restoration solution that fits in line with your current building’s design, contact our technical team today. We will review your current structure and help you source the correct details and solutions for your project.
The UK is home to some of the world’s best architecture, and we don’t just mean modern buildings. There are many stunning examples of architecture from centuries gone by. Everywhere you’ll find the hallmarks of our ancestors efforts to satisfy their needs, sustain life and express themselves. With more than one in five buildings in… Read More
The welcome news that London’s Grade II listed Battersea Power Station has been removed from Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register is another reminder of the importance of preserving historic buildings. Built in 1929, the Power Station was decommissioned in 1983 and, after years of neglect, added to the Register in 1991. But after extensive… Read More
Today’s façades reflect commercial intent, push design boundaries, change environments and showcase engineering capabilities. Are modern day façades merely used as a tool to showcase design progression and engineering egos? Are we considering the façade skin and the role it plays in influencing the urban landscapes of our future? With so much emphasis placed on… Read More
As the global economy tries to recover from its last dip, huge investments are being made in the construction industry, both in established and emerging markets. It’s anticipated that the volume of construction output will grow by more than 70% to achieve an annual worth of $15 trillion worldwide by 2025 (Source: Global Construction Perspectives… Read More
Building Transformation’s unquestionable honesty and enthusiasm for ensuring the client receives the correct whole-life solution (rather than a quick fix) resulted in us being able to ensure the building was not only returned to its former glory, but will stay that way for years to come. I would recommend them to anyone.
Kenny Gash - Carillion Amey
The work provided by Building Transformation was excellent. Their product and building exteriors knowledge is detailed, comprehensive and practically applied to the client’s needs. They offer a professional, detailed, high-quality and customer- focused service which meets the short, medium and long-term needs of the client, and provides practical, cost-realistic advice.
Kerry Quinn - Echo Arena
Customer service is paramount to Building Transformation and they invested vast amounts of time in providing me with a programme to facilitate what was a very complex and time-specific programme of work for the site. The quality and level of support provided by Building Transformation is priceless to any client/contractor.
Marc Blow MCIOB MBIFM - Carillion Amey
The approach and advice on setting up the works at the Wolverhampton Civic Centre were first-class. Building Transformation’s attention to detail was excellent and the RAMS were followed meticulously to every detail. We were delighted with the works and service, and would not hesitate to use them again, nor hesitate to recommend them to any organisation.
Kevin Egginton - Wolverhampton Council
A 200,000 sq. ft., four-storey leisure venue in the heart of Nottingham city centre surrounded by major traffic routes needed work to be done overnight to deal with the traffic issues, while the site remained open throughout. The project took around three weeks to complete and went exceptionally well; the Building Transformation staff were flexible and able to work round dynamic operational issues. The clean was of a high standard and has made a significant different to the image of the building. A very difficult job done well.
Suzanne Green - Land Securities
May & Co have worked with Building Transformation on a number of projects which have included external building cleaning and refurbishment. They provided a great service, supported by the high level of documentation from the initial quotation to books and industry-related guidance, all relevant to our project.
Anton Theobald - May & Co
I am very satisfied in the manner the job was conducted. Also the level of cleaning provided and attention to detail is much appreciated.
Waqas Bin Tahir - Ibis Southampton
I am using Building Transformation’s work to help justify façade restoration works around our business. They have produced excellent presentations on what can be achieved and is a brilliant piece of informed marketing that is helping slowly win people over in our business to take façade cleaning and restoration more seriously.
Needless to say Building Transformation is a name that is now becoming known and respected.
Simon Attwood - Broadgate Estates Ltd.
Building Transformation gave great communication throughout our projects. It will be my pleasure to recommend Building Transformation.
Sarah Cameron - My Hotels Group
Just signed off the job with Richard. Myself, the bosses and the tenant all are very pleased with the work. It definitely looks rejuvenated just a case of painting the concrete window surrounds in the new year to finish it off. Have found your company and staff very professional and helpful which has facilitated a project with minimal inconvenience and disruption to our in situ tenants.
Mark Hollinshead - Headruddy Property Development
I had a walk around today with Dave and am impressed with the work so far. Dave and the team have done a great job.
I’d certainly love to work with you in the future so perhaps before the job is completed we could look at what opportunities there are for the future.
Marie Green - Novotel Sheffield
At this stage, from my point of view your team has been extremely professional, informing us of what was happening at all times and most importantly no disruption whatsoever to our guests and business.
Ludovic Verzi - Novotel Leeds
We are very satisfied in the manner the job was conducted. The operatives on site were very professional and communicated to us at all times.
Maria Pinana Mateu - Science Museum
The team at Building Transformation understood our challenge of finding a facade cleaning solution that would initially restore the glazing to its original state, protecting our building for years to come. Through intelligent and thorough testing right through to the full restoration of Block D, we have been very satisfied with the project management and delivery of the cleaning programme.
Colin Pilkington - Renaker Build Limited
Thank you for all the work that you carried out in cleaning the outside of our school. We are delighted with the results. You have managed to completely remove heavy staining from many areas around the building.
We found you extremely easy to work with: your quote was reasonable, you carried out the work quickly and you were very flexible in terms of timings.
Tamsin Griffith - Courtney Road Primary School, Bristol
have worked with Building Transformation on several projects within the hospitality industry and have found them to provide high levels of professionalism and workmanship.
Stephanie LE COUTEUR - ARTELIA UK
e will definitely be working with you again! Your engineers were very polite and accommodating every time they visited site and have done a first class job. I will be recommending Building Transformation to everyone!