Case Study - New dwelling - guyhirn- norfolk
- Samuel Conibear
- April 4, 2019
- 12:56 pm
When it comes to self-build residential dwellings, beam and block floors are generally seen as the obvious choice by construction professionals and self-builders alike.
This wasn’t always the case. Way back when, homebuilders tended to lay timber joists on footings. Suspended timber flooring is still technically an option but the benefits that come with pot and beam renders timber joists pretty much obsolete. (this article from BTL Property London gives a pretty good comparison between different suspended flooring solutions).
So, when Lee Carpentry and Construction took on a new build project in Cambridgeshire, it was a no-brainer to look up a local precast concrete supplier. Below is a write up describing the new build over in Guyhirn and the input we had in the project.
As this self-build is local to our Wisbech depot, Michael was able to come into the office and discuss the project. This gave us a great opportunity to get to know the brief. We find that taking the time to fully understand the requirements at the quotation and design stage has a huge impact on how well the floor fitting goes. In producing a thorough design, we explain the thinking behind your quotation and give an indispensable guide to fitters.
We issued the adjacent drawing to Lee Carpentry and Construction. As you can see, we make sure that we explain our reasoning and flag up any potential stumbling blocks.
This is particularly important if you are planning on installing the floor/s with your own workforce rather than taking advantage of Floorspan’s installation service. In this example, the floor is mainly comprised of 150mm ‘light’ beam which can be handled easily by two people. This made it possible to carry out the work without the use of a crane (although, I definitely got the feeling that the fitters struggled a little with the heavier beams!).
I’ve not installed beam and block on this scale before, but I am thrilled with the result. The design drawing made everything clear. It was hard work, but everything came together. I can’t fault Floorspan. It did everything quickly and turned up on time exactly as promised. The entire process was completely painless.
Thanks to Michael Lee and the rest of the lads at Lee Carpentry and Construction for providing pictures and for taking the time to talk to me. It was really interesting to hear about their experience working with Floorspan and installing one of our beam and block floors.