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All Project Categories Suspended Ceilings

Small Suspended Ceiling Project in Chippenham

Small Suspended Ceiling Project in Chippenham

Client: Chippenham Accident Repair Centre
Value: £1.5k

The project was quite a small suspended ceiling to install and was an important part of the refurbishment project for the customer. The customers contacted us primarily to construct a new suspended ceiling as quickly as possible. After looking at the space on a Friday and turning around a quotation quickly within the day, we were able to fit this ceiling during the follow week.

There are many different types of suspended ceiling, the type used in many shops and some offices consist of a metal frame with plasterboard underneath. Please read this page if you would like to read a bit more about ceilings. In this particular project unfortunately some materials were damaged and we had to get replacements quickly but in the end the customer was very pleased. The main reason why the customer wanted one done was to hide all of the services that needed to be brought through, such as electrical, voice and data as well as air conditioning pipework. The other benefit of fitting this ceiling was that it gives good sound absorption to the space beneath it.

View showing the cuts around the edge of the new ceiling

Main grid had to stay open to allow the electrician to get cables in

Air conditioning pipes also had to go in.

We used a very rigid plain white tile which is designed with acoustic properties in mind. The electricians who came after us really liked the tile as they were very tough, without marking when you take them in and out of the grid. We use this tile quite a bit in all of our projects.

Completed Suspended ceiling.

These photos show our work finished, but there were lots of other activities that were carried out after we had left. One of the problems with fitting the suspended ceiling was that a general builder had built the stud partition walls and they were not square, so each cut around the outside edges of the ceiling was different.

Grid and tiles fitted in the hallway

Spaces left for the lights

Spaces left for the lights

Spaces left for the lights

Suspended Ceiling Projects

There are many different types of suspended ceilings and the range of tiles now can be quite baffling. The current trend is to focus on sound performance within the office and this can be dealt with by using a special tile.

Suspended ceilings are used for a number of reasons, they are quick to install and mean that all the services required for offices such as pipework for plumbing and air conditioning, as well as power and data can be hidden out of sight. Access to the services is also much easier than using a traditional plasterboard or MF type ceiling as the ceiling tiles just need to be lifted from the grid.

There are many offices with old fissured tiles, with sagging tiles and a mottled grey look they make the office look very dated. We like to fit nice white clean tiles to give a fresh look.

If you want to improve sound performance for a space, or want to hide some services, or have any questions about suspended ceiling types please give us a call on 01380 73 88 44

Categories
All Project Categories Partitioning

Glass Partitioning to Create an Office in Swindon

Glass Partitioning to Create an Office in Swindon
Finished glass door

Client: Johnson Matthey
Value: £8.5k

The customers’ main requirement was to segregate the large reception area to give some protection for the staff as they suffered from draughts and noise when the visitors went in and out of the entrance doors. They did not want solid walls but glass partitioning.

Other requirements includes in the cost were to partition off the end of the office so that the server could sit in an enclosed room, as well as providing LED lighting throughout the space.

As usual when a project like this is a bit tricky, we tend to do some basic drawings for two reasons. The first is so that we can work out what is needed in order to cost the work, and secondly is to double check with the customer that we have correctly understood what is required. There is a subtle difference between basic drawing work and space planning, we can carry out both as well as carry out 3d visuals. If you would like to know a bit more please click on this link. In this case the customer wanted us to use an existing door which was slightly smaller than the one next to it. The glass partitioning wall also had to join onto an existing wall of glass at an odd angle. This means the head track joint at the top of the partition somehow has to join the existing which was difficult to do.

Planning the work.

The project did not require any interior design work, but did need some drawing work so we could work out what could be done. We do carry out space planning and 3d visuals if required. More information about this is on the following page click this link.

Before photographs.

The existing lighting used in the area was CAT2, which everyone used to put in a few years ago, we thought LED panels would give a less direction light for the staff. You can also see the area with the lockers that need to be blocked off. In order to save costs, we had to use an existing door which was actually a good idea as the wood finish would be pretty close to the the existing one next door, and so it would not look too different. We also used a timber frame, as well as taped and jointed the walls so it blended in with the existing wall. There was a slight height difference as the door that we had to use was slightly shorter than the existing.

The partition to close off the existing area had to fix to an external window upright, and there was a gap between the suspended ceiling edge and the edge of the window. The customer also wanted to maximise the amount of glass used, so we used a glass partitioning system. The most expensive item was the glass door. Each panel of glass is individually measured to take into account the rake of the floor and the ceiling, and of course the door has to swing freely so it does not catch on the floor.

The first photo above shows the existing door.

Glass Partitioning construction photographs.

Creating the server room wall actually took longer than to build the frame and new glass door. There was quite a bit of work involved. As well as cutting the wooden frame and fitting the existing door, the solid wall had to be tape and jointed. When tape and jointing two coats are applied and the first coat has to dry overnight, so it can be rubbed down and the second coat put on. Once finished the wall was painted.

Glass Partitioning completed photographs.

We liked this glass partition system as the frame is slimline, and we joined the existing glass wall without a problem. The difficult bits around the window reveal we just fitted plasterboard so this made the glazing very straightforward.

Why Demountable Partitioning?

  1. Demountable Partitioning is tax efficient in that this type of partition is seen as movable items and so can be treated differently in writing down allowances in the accounts. If you would like some more information about demountable partitioning please click this link.
  2. We can also lease Demountable Partitioning as they are movable, this spreads the costs of having the work done as Demountable Partitions always cost more than customers think.
  3. Leasing of Demountable Partitioning is very tax efficient and Cre8tive can provide illustrations, please contact us for further information.
  4. Most landlords insist on Demountable Partitions being used for offices as it is much easier to take them out should the tenant renting the space leave for any reason. The benefit is that is saves making a huge amount of mess and destruction that would be need with a conventional stud and plasterboard constructed wall.

Questions on Glass or Demountable Partitioning?

If you are not sure about anything we love to talk about projects and sort out problems and issues with space, please give us a call on 01380 738844

Categories
All Project Categories Mezzanine Floors

Maximising Warehouse Space with a Storage Mezzanine

Maximising Warehouse Space with a Storage Mezzanine
Finished new mezzanine floor

Client: Henrich Hardware
Value: £6k

A lightweight steel mezzanine floor installation is often the cheapest way to provide additional storage space in a warehouse where you can use the height of the building to create the additional space. The customer in this case had an existing mezzanine floor installation which covered half the industrial unit. This design is not uncommon, and usually the existing mezzanine floor has been built as part of the integral structure of the framework of the unit. You cannot simply bolt on to the existing structure without effecting the loadings and stress designed into the original building so the easiest way to do this is to build an independent structure which is fully designed properly that can slot in the hole that needs to be filled. This is the type of floor we fit, in effect you could pick it up and build it in a carpark and it would be fully stressed and supported.

Building Regulations

There are also other important factors that must be considered when designing a floor and we bring this expertise in our advice of what can and cannot be done. The floor must be submitted for Building Regulation Approval which we do, and this is a legal requirement by law. Steel behaves in strange ways when it gets hot, before melting the steel can twist and as the floor is a fully stressed structure it can collapse and so there are all kinds of rules relating to travel distances and fire protection that must be adhered to.

There is more information about Building Regulations here.

Existing open space.

The primary requirement was to increase the stock storage space. The central staircase would remain, and the new independent floor would sit the other side of the staircase. Access onto the floor would be from the top of the existing staircase. If you look at the photographs the customer had the height of the unit, but not the floor space. So adding a mezzanine floor allows you to increase the floor space and maximize the height of the unit. We had a few issues to sort out as the existing light fittings had to be shortened. We also had to fit some new lights underneath the floor for obvious reasons.

Consideration also had to be taken to make sure there was enough space for the security grills at the front of the building did not interfere with the new floor.

Building the Mezzanine Floor.

As you can see from the photographs below, it is essential a fork lift is used. It allows the main beams to be lifted to the height required fully supported whilst the upright support posts are installed. We also use the forklift to lift up the 38mm thick particle board onto the floor which saves time. Each board panel is then cut to fit and is secured from the underneath of the floor.

Find out more about Mezzanine Floors on our news page.

We have written several articles about Mezzanine Floors, if you click the news / blog tab on the main menu of the website.  Mezzanine Floor installations are also governed by Building Regulations and so approval is needed which we obtained for the client in this project, but every project needs Building Regulation Approval. Sometimes if the floor is small, then fire protection is not required, particularly if the floor is used for storage only. In this project fire protection was not required. However if the customer wants to expand their office space upstairs in the future then the Building Regulation approval would not apply, and the floor would need to be protected as you have people working on the floor and different rules apply. There are also complications with the fire exit as at the moment it empties out into the warehouse. This may have to be enclosed and have direct access outside, so not quite straightforward. If you have any questions about this then please give us a call.

Do you want extra storage space?

Please give us a call and we can help with any aspect of interior office fit out, along with space planning and design work.

01380 73 88 44

Categories
All Project Categories Office Refurbishments Partitioning Toilet Refurbishment

Office Fit Out and Design work in Melksham

Office Fit Out and Design work in Melksham

Client: Oakhouse Foods
Value: £100k

The office fit out project for Oakhouse foods in Melksham involved initial space planning and design, through to stripping out and refurbishing the office space. The project included: partitioning, new air conditioning to server room, new kitchen and flooring, building of a shower room, decoration and office furniture

Design Work

Once we had a good look at the current space and taken a brief from the customer, then we draw it. We use Autocad, and we first have to identify exactly what is in the current space which will include the existing lighting, electrical and air conditioning aspects, as well as the walls and other items in the space. In coming up with a new design we first look to see what the customer wants and then try to squeeze it in. We always draw technical drawings which allows our suppliers to cost items, but sometimes customers can’t visualise what something may look like. We therefore organise some visuals to be produced which help the whole process in getting the project approved.

Existing Photographs.

Construction Photographs.

Finished Photographs.

Why Demountable Partitions in Office Refurbishments?

  1. Demountable partitioning is tax efficient in that they are seen as movable items and so can be treated differently in writing down allowances in the accounts.
  2. We can also lease Demountable Partitioning as they are movable, this spreads the costs of having the work done as Demountable Partitions always cost more than customers think.
  3. Leasing of demountable partitioning is very tax efficient and Cre8tive can provide illustrations, please contact us for further information.
  4. Most landlords insist on demountable partitions being used for offices as it is much easier to take them out should the tenant renting the space leave for any reason. The benefit is that is saves making a huge amount of mess and destruction that would be need with a conventional stud and plasterboard constructed wall.

Not sure what to do?

Please give us a call and we can help with any aspect of interior office fit out, along with space planning and design work.
01380 73 88 44

Categories
All Project Categories Toilet Refurbishment

Modernising an Office Toilet and Redesign in Melksham

Modernising an Office Toilet and Redesign in Melksham
Valldata toilet refurbishment

Client: Valldata
Value: £40k

Cre8tive was asked to carry out a toilet refurbishment in Melksham by looking at Valldata’s current toilets as they were showing the signs of age. There were two sets, reception side for visitors, and the office side which were much larger and were for the office staff.

Access is restricted into the office side . We were asked as the customer had seen a recent project on our website for Pew Hill House toilet refurbishment and liked what they saw. Please click on this link if you would like to look at this project first / as well as this one.

Existing Toilets

The photographs below show the two sets of toilets to be done, as you can see they look fairly dated and probably fairly typical of many toilets that need refurbishment. Our first step is to look at what they have, have a meeting to discuss what the customer likes and dislikes, produce some drawings and plans, cost the project and then carry out the work. Easy really!

Planning and drawing work

We follow the same basic principle for all projects, before anything we have to look and see what is there, measure everything and draw it. Regardless of what the final specification is the measuring and drawing allows us to be accurate with the costs. It was apparent that a large part of the costs would be tiling, so it is important to get the meterage correct. We can lay out the suspended ceiling grid as well so the light positions can be worked out. Once the basic cost is determined we can adjust the specification to suit the customers budget so we show all of the costings and juggle things around to get to a cost that everyone is happy with.

Work in Progress Photographs

Completed photographs

Within the scope of work we had to carry out the following:

  • Design and drawing work
  • Stripping out.
  • New suspended ceiling.
  • All walls dot and dabbed, drylined, tape and jointed.
  • New tiling, with decoration of non tiled walls
  • New plumbing, new radiators.
  • Electrical work, new lighting and power for the Dyson air blades
  • New toilet cubicles and vanity units
  • New non slip vinyl flooring throughout, with coved skirting to facilitate cleaning.

Poor Standard of Toilets?

We have carried out a few projects now using this toilet cubicle partition system, which is actually mid range, so not the cheapest but also not too expensive. There are many styles and finished and so we can change the design and look depending on what the customer likes. The first stage is giving us a call to let us have a look to see what we can do. Please call us on 01380 73 8844.

Categories
All Project Categories Office Refurbishments Partitioning Storage Walls

Demountable Office Partitioning in West Super Mare

Demountable Office Partitioning in West Super Mare

Client: John Hodge Solicitors
Value: £45k

Office Fit out at Morston Court

John Hodge Solicitors required an office fit out in Weston Super Mare. They had previously occupied a prestigious location in Weston Super Mare and wanted to maintain the location but the property available next door was not big enough to accommodate all of the administration tasks that need to be carried out in a busy office.

The solution was to take on the building next door which was the old Choices video store and is covered in another new item. (click this link), and to take on a modern office which needed fitting out. This post relates to the fitting out of Morston Court.

Office Fit out work

The main building is rented, and so a requirement from landlords is that the partitioning needs to be demountable. The condition of the existing space was pretty good, with cabling and lighting already in place. We did have to re- cable all of the Cat5 data and voice sockets to the comms cabinet position, as well as re-position power sockets in the perimeter trunking so that there appeared in the correct places. All we had to do was to fit some partitioning as well as some storage wall for the main meeting room. We also had to build a small kitchen.

Office fit out for John Hodge Solicitors in Weston Super Mare
Design and drawing work first for both floors

Construction Photographs.

Completed Photographs.

Why Demountable Partitioning?

  1. Demountable partitioning is tax efficient in that they are seen as movable items and so can be treated differently in writing down allowances in the accounts.
  2. We can also lease Demountable Partitioning as they are movable, this spreads the costs of having the work done as Demountable Partitions always cost more than customers think.
  3. Leasing of demountable partitioning is very tax efficient and Cre8tive can provide illustrations, please contact us for further information.
  4. Most landlords insist on demountable partitions being used for offices as it is much easier to take them out should the tenant renting the space leave for any reason. The benefit is that is saves making a huge amount of mess and destruction that would be need with a conventional stud and plasterboard constructed wall.

Questions on Demountable Partitioning?

If you are not sure about anything we love to talk about projects and sort out problems and issues with space, please give us a call on 01380 738844

Categories
Air Conditioning All Project Categories Office Furniture Office Refurbishments

Office Refurbishment with Limited Space in Salisbury

Office Refurbishment with Limited Space in Salisbury

Client: Chestergate Financial
Value: £40k

We were asked by this customer to look at the whole office space to address several things, and carry out a general office refurbishment. One of the main problems is that they needed to fit another couple of desk positions and space was limited. Other requirements were to completely re-decorate the offices, and to do something with the existing kitchen. Currently they just had a bit of worktop and had to fill a kettle with water from the toilet which was not ideal.

The carpet needed replacing in the main office and we cleaned the others. The windows were very drafty, and so we allowed to fit some secondary glazing inside the sash windows. Other issues was that the lighting was poor in the corridors and the spot lights were dazzling which made the office difficult to work in. People also tripped up and down the steps so we came up with some step lighting to solve this problem. We fitted a new kitchen and piped the supply and waste through the building to connect to the toilets.

The problem of desk space was solved by using some narrow bench style of desks grouped together in a cluster or bank. The computer screens were then fixed to the desk screens by using gas arms, freeing up desk space.

When we came to decorate the previous decorators had filled in the panels in the meeting room with silicon rather than decorators cork which meant the edges cracked. It all had to be hacked out and filled properly and then repainted.

Original Office Space Photographs

Design and Drawing Work

Drawing is one thing, working out then how it could be done with an occupied office was another. We worked closely with the customer to work out which rooms we could have access to, and how much time we needed for each section before we could move things around.

Construction Photographs

Office refurbishment

If you need any advice or are thinking of an office refurbishment project please give us a call, we would love to talk to you, on 01380 738844

Categories
All Project Categories Toilet Refurbishment

Toilet Refurbishment for Pew Hill House in Chippenham

Toilet Refurbishment for Pew Hill House in Chippenham

Client: Pew Hill House
Value: £13k

We were contacted by Carter Jonas primarily as we were local and were asked whether we could carry out a toilet refurbishment in Chippenham. In the building there were several all needing different things carried out in them. When we carry out a refurbishment project fitting new cubicles is very much like the demountable partitions that we fit in that they all have to be made and cut individually, needed quiet skilled carpenters who know what they are doing.

We also had to coordinate new plumbing works, new sinks and taps, urinals and toilets, as well as electrical work, replacement of the flooring and complete redecoration throughout, all of the required things that you would expect in a toilet refurbishment project.

Existing mens toilet downstairs needing a toilet refurbishment !

Three other toilet areas and kitchens needed refurbishing as well.

Construction / build photographs.

Finished Photographs.

Do you need your washrooms, toilets or kitchens looked at? Please give us a call for a free no obligation quote on 01380 738844.

Categories
All Project Categories Operable Walls

Meeting Room Acoustic Operable Wall for Honda

Meeting Room Acoustic Operable Wall for Honda

Client: Honda Swindon
Value: £8.3k

We were contacted by Honda to look at their factory meeting room in which they wanted more flexibility with the offices. Honda wanted to open out the wall by using an operable wall, or moveable wall which can open and close by using moveable panels that slide on a track, that can clamp shut to give sound performance between the rooms, and then be opened out again when a larger meeting is required. There are several different types that could be considered, one of the main things that need to be considered is overhead support. The best systems rely on an overhead beam to support the weight of the panels and this does require ensuring there is suitable support above the suspended ceiling void.

There were some difficulties which we had to get over which we knew about when we surveyed the project in the first place which can be seen from the following photographs.

There are many options to consider, one of the features that is possible to have is enhanced sound performance from the panels when they are shut. This only makes sense if the suspended ceiling above, or surround walls are also constructed with sound performance in mind. In this case the ceiling was completely open and the customer did not want to go to the cost of replacing the ceiling for an acoustic ceiling, or adding insulation above. The sound performance from the standard panels was adequate.

Construction Photographs.

Finished photo.

I am afraid we did not take many finished photographs. The one below is the only one we have and shows the stack packed against the wall. The other thing that we had to finish off from this photograph are the ceiling tiles that had to be reinstated. As previously mentioned sound was one factor that was required but was not majorly important.

Operable Wall requirements.

If you have any questions about an operable wall for your meeting room please do not hesitate to contact us on 01380 73 88 44

Finished operable wall in open position

Categories
All Project Categories Dilapidation work Featured Office Refurbishments Partitioning Projects Suspended Ceilings Uncategorized

Extensive Dilapidation Work in Reading

Extensive Dilapidation Work in Reading

Client: The House of God Evangelical Church
Value: £100k

Dilapidation Work

The House of God Evangelical Church needed us to carry out some Dilapidation work in Reading.

We carry out dilapidation work occasionally and is very similar to the general term of office refurbishments. We carry out this work when a client leaves their current building and it has to be put back to an original state. In this case, the state of the building over three floors was pretty bad, but in essence it just needed all of the things that we currently do. Stripping out, new suspended ceilings, dry lining, painting and decorating, flooring work, demountable partitioning, fitting a small kitchen and minor structural work.

As we were doing the work the client asked us to build some new offices on one of the floors and we constructed the walls from demountable partitioning. Some finished photographs are shown below.

Existing state of the building

As you can see from the photographs below the building needed quite a bit of work doing to it, nothing unusual to what we normally do, just quite a bit of it.

Finished photographs.

Unfortunately we did not get to many finished photographs for this project, please find some below.

Why Demountable Partitioning?

  1. Demountable partitioning is tax efficient in that they are seen as movable items and so can be treated differently in writing down allowances in the accounts.
  2. We can also lease Demountable Partitioning as they are movable, this spreads the costs of having the work done as Demountable Partitions always cost more than customers think.
  3. Leasing of demountable partitioning is very tax efficient and Cre8tive can provide illustrations, please contact us for further information.
  4. Most landlords insist on demountable partitions being used for offices as it is much easier to take them out should the tenant renting the space leave for any reason. The benefit is that is saves making a huge amount of mess and destruction that would be need with a conventional stud and plasterboard constructed wall.

Questions on Demountable Partitioning?

If you are not sure about anything we love to talk about projects and sort out problems and issues with space, please give us a call on 01380 738844