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Take Down and Rebuild Partitions in Bracknell

Take Down and Rebuild Partitions in Bracknell

Client: EB Mind Bracknell
Value: £1.8k

Take down and rebuild is a common activity with demountable partitioning. The existing office space was very small and as well as re-positioning a door, we had to build a new office in the opposite corner to match the existing design and colour scheme. The first task was to draw what they had, so measure everything, take lots of photographs, look at what the wanted to do, and then work out how many bits we create by talking the walls down, and then work out how many new parts we need in order to create the new. The system used in this project is a 50mm wide demountable partition system, offering a good value product which visually can still look good. In this case the partitions had to match the existing, but all of the frames and solid panels can be made from a wide range of colours and finishes.

This project is exactly a take down and rebuild project, but with a bit more added. Although this sounds complicated, it is exactly what demountable partitioning is designed to be, you do need not destroy the partition when you take it down, as you can re-use most of the parts. The only provision is that the re-built demountable partition needs to be in the same area with the same ceiling height.

Completed Photographs

Why Demountable Partitions?

  1. Demountable partitions are tax efficient in that they are seen as movable items and so can be treated differently in writing down allowances in the accounts. Please click this link for a bit more information we have written in a blog.
  2. We can also lease Demountable Partitions 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 partitions 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.
Categories
All Project Categories Dilapidation work Mezzanine Floors Office Refurbishments

Office and Factory Refurbishment in Chippenham

Office and Factory Refurbishment in Chippenham

Client: Image Factory
Value: £350k

Office and Factory Refurbishment project

This customer wanted a Factory Refurbishment having taken on the old Royal Mail building in Chippenham.

The first photograph below shows a £1m printing machine and Image Factory invested in two of them, along with taking over the old NHS distribution building on Bumpers Farm Industrial Estate. The complete building had to be refurbished, so the main factory along with the offices along the front of the building.

Factory Refurbishment

A large part of this project was electrical. The main factory had no power infra struture at all to power all of the print machines that the Image Factory owned as well as the new ones; so we had to install a heavy power buzz bar system into the factory and prepare the base and ground works for a new substation to be fitted.

In the main factory the floor had to be scrabbled to remove old oils in the concrete floor and then a high quality epoxy paint applied to the floor. All of the beams, walls and other surfaces also had to be painted.

Factory Refurbishment Photographs

Office Refurbishment

As well as the factory itself, the offices at the front of the building had to be completely stripped out and refurbished.

The mezzanine floor had to be turned around and a new jumbo stud fire wall constructed. Below the mezzanine floor we created a new reception area with fire rated ceiling, decorations and flooring. Upstairs included new ceilings, carpets, plastering and decorations as well as a new kitchen. Also fitted upstairs was a new office constructed from Komfort Kameo 75mm demountable partition.

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

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All Project Categories Partitioning

Demountable Office Partition in Chippenham

Demountable Office Partition in Chippenham

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Client: Mango Solutions
Value: £3.5k

Mango Solutions contacted us to build a new demountable office partition to be built onto the existing system which we installed originally many years ago. One of the offices needed to act as a server room and so had to be 30 minute fire rated, the other room had to be a small meeting room with two glazed front panels, with integral blinds. The demountable office partition system also had to match the existing system that we constructed a few months ago for another area of the office.

The difficultly with this project was the the ceiling is sloped and the door had to be constructed at a 45 degree angle making the ceiling joint difficult to construct. The system used was a 75mm wide demountable partition system offering good sound performance.

Why Demountable Partitions?

  1. Demountable partitions are 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 Partitions 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 partitions 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.
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Kitchen Tea Point in an Office in Chippenham

Kitchen Tea Point in an Office in Chippenham
3d version just to be sure

Client: Volutio
Value: £1.5k

This project involved installing a new kitchen tea point in an office in Chippenham. The existing office was open plan. The project consisted of careful spatial planning as the configuration had to allow for the possibility of future expansion while catering for a greater number of people. Drawing and design work were also undertaken to create a unique flooring/carpet design that fitted and complemented the kitchen and its surrounding office space. Fitting the units was only one trade, we also had to arrange plumbers, electricians, decorators and a new floor. We carry out these activities anyway when we carry out refurbishment or office fitting out work they are easy for us to arrange as the people we use know us and work well together on projects.

Obviously what we have built is actually a mini-kitchen using all the materials that you would use in a house. We have accounts with all of the major suppliers of kitchens, and as we build these quite often in offices we are able to get some good pricing on product.

Types of kitchen.

We could use flat pack units available from most DIY stores. We use commercial grade kitchens which will not deteriorate and the carcasses are pre-made in a factory, already assembled so they are much quicker for us to build. The kitchen ends up being more durable. In this case, the toilets were the other side of the kitchen, it was a logical place to put the units as the supplies and waste were very close to connect to. We also had to fit an extractor in the suspended ceiling to take away those pot noodle smells when the micro-wave is used.

There are many options to chose from in terms of finishes, the range selected in this project was in the middle range, most refurbishment project we do have a small kitchen or tea point which is no problem for us to install.

Break out areas

Tea points are important in offices, more recently we have designed an area inside an office which is more than just a tea point and forms the focal part of the office with a breakfast bar. Please refer to this project for details by the clicking this link. The idea on this project was to encourage people to get off their chairs, away from their desks and to circulate, to encourage people to talk to each other and mingle. The customer was an American company that used to bring in bagels and have sandwiches brought into the office.

If you would like us to look at your break out / tea point area please give us a call on 01380 73 88 44

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This project involved installing a new kitchen tea point in an office in Chippenham

This project involved installing a new kitchen tea point in an office in Chippenham

Categories
Air Conditioning All Project Categories Mezzanine Floors Mezzanine Floors Office Refurbishments Partitioning Suspended Ceilings

Office Refurbishment in Milton Keynes

Office Refurbishment in Milton Keynes
Glass radiator in MD's office

Client: Edwards International
Value: £187k

Office Refurbishment

We were  invited by this customer to have a look at their existing office space as it needed an office refurbishment in Milton Keynes and the customer did not know where to start. They found us on the internet and liked our website as it showed real photos of actual projects rather than nice photo shopped images.

Out of the few that they contact we were the only ones to respond to their enquiry within a day.

When we first visited the client it was very obvious that the while area needed stripping out and starting again. What was surprising, although in reality we are not surprised, was that the existing partitions and mezzanine floor were not fire rated. We recognised the system below the mezzanine as a 50mm wide demountable partition system which has no fire rating at all. None of the exit routes out of the building were 30 minute protected and the mezzanine floor had a suspended ceiling fitted but it was not fire rated. The staff were working in a death trap. If there was any problem in the building then there would be a lot of trouble. The customer specialises in fire detection equipment, so for them to be in a building that was a potential death trap as it was not properly fire protected was nonsense.

Building Regulations

There were three different mezzanine floors installed at various times at different heights, and no paperwork to show that they had been passed Building Regulations, so from a fairly straightforward requirement to refurbish the offices there was a need to look at the whole building, design and specify it properly and get Building Regulation Approval. In the design we had to consider:

  • Fire protection of the mezzanine floors using the correct grade of suspended ceiling tile and support  column encasement
  • Correct design of protected fire exit routes throughout the building, checking of escape distances and signage
  • Full electrical design to suit.
  • New fire rated partitions where needed to meet Building Regulations
  • Supplementary fresh air systems to enclosed offices
  • Changes to air condition systems
  • Heating were needed.

CDM

There was no doubt that we were going to be on site for more than a month, and have more than 5 people on site, the whole project was quite a bit of work and so the work comes under the Construction Design and Management Regulations. The purpose of the regulations is to protect the employee and employer in making sure that a construction project is run safely. If you do not notify the Health and Safety Executive that the project is being carried out and there is a problem then directors of the company where the work is being done can go to jail.

Where do we start?

The first step is to measure everything and take lots of photos to see exactly what has been fitted. The next was to understand from the customer how they wanted to work in the space, so this included some basic functional block drawings identifying where they wanted Sales, Accounts and Technical. Once the broad locations were identified then the detail layouts were carried out identifying voice and data positions, partitioning and ceiling layouts and the work that had to be done on the mezzanine floor. Once the layouts were agreed we had to submit the plans to Building Control and get their approval which we did.

We produced many many drawings. All showing everything that was needed for each trade. Some shown below. The important document was the Building Regulations Approval document that is a legal requirement.

Existing Photographs

The first two photographs below show the immediate and obvious problem. The partitions are 50mm wide demountable and are not fire rated at all. The third photo shows the the vast storage area out the back. The rest just show the general bland and dated look of everywhere needed some tlc.

Stripping out and Construction work

We produced a plan and submitted all of the documents to the local Building Control people who assessed the drawings and arranged for some visits throughout the work. We also employed a Health and Safety Consultant who oversaw the work and kept all of the sub contractors on their toes, and they submitted the F10 to the Health and Safety Executive.

Refurbishment Projects

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All Project Categories Office Furniture Office Refurbishments Partitioning

Office Design and Fit Out in Chippenham

Office Design and Fit Out in Chippenham
Overall view looks great!

Client: Deltenna
Value: £18k

Office Design and fit out in Chippenham

This project needed some office design to include constructing an end office using demountable partitioning, supply and fitting of a new Howdens kitchenette, smoke detectors and fire alarms, supplying and fitting new carpets and office furniture to a design co-ordinating the whole colour scheme.

In trying to come up with something a bit more interesting we came up with a couple of options, as the function of the space in terms of where the office had to go was quite limiting, we played around with the carpet design and came up with a few ideas. Building the demountable partition was difficult as the roof was vaulted with tie bars, the demountable partition was built around the tie bars so they were hidden in the wall, we then tape and jointed the wall and decorated it to finish it. The vision panel in the door was the same size as the outside window maximising the light through into the main office. We also had to submit the plans for Building Control Approval which we obtained on behalf of the client.

Project Photos

Design Projects

We have many ideas on how to make the best use of space, and we are seeing offices and talking to customers all of the time. Over the years we have seen many projects and often have to work to a budget. What we do is get the space working right first and then focus on the budget. In this case the budget was very tight so we ended up using a very cheap carpet which did not affect the design of the office, and just brought it into the manageable level for the customer. This project was leased over 3 years. Please contact us for further information about leasing and financing.

If you are struggling to come up with something, please do not hesitate to give us a call 01380 73 88 44 or email us on [email protected]

Categories
All Project Categories Suspended Ceilings Toilet Refurbishment

Small Suspended Ceiling areas in Chippenham

Small Suspended Ceiling areas in Chippenham
By the entrance doors

Client: EJS Chippenham
Value: £2.5k

This project involved replacing an existing suspended ceiling in Chippenham. There were several ares to look at including a reception area, as well as supplying and fitting a new grid and tile ceiling for the shower room and toilets. As always the toilet areas take a long time as there are lots of small tile cuts to do as well as forming a bulkhead between some of the areas.

Existing pictures

Construction photos and Finished result

Suspended ceiling problems?

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.

We have been supplying and fitting suspended ceiling systems as part of our main refurbishment projects for a number of years, if you are not sure on what can be done please give us a call.

Please give us a call on 01380 73 88 44.

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All Project Categories Suspended Ceilings

Very Large Suspended Ceiling Project in a Warehouse

Very Large Suspended Ceiling Project in a Warehouse

Client: Connaught
Value: £35k

Suspended Ceiling

This suspended ceiling project involved two buildings, one very large area and the photograph above showing the front offices. The suspended ceilings were part of a main factory refurbishment project for one of their clients. Working for a Main Contactor meant we had to fit our schedule in with other trades which is always difficult without having tight control on site with every aspect of the project.

Existing photographs

The pictures below show the state of the place when we first looked at it. A considerable amount of debris was on the floors and the main contractor was in the process of dismantling everything and clearing away the site.

Suspended Ceiling Construction photographs

Note the fire barrier that we had to install half way down the building.

We did give some advice on the selection of the tile, as the one that was specified was very expensive, and so we chose an alternative which was not much cheaper on the cost per square meter, but on 1200 square meters it made a difference to the customer.  Other areas such as stair wells and the entrance used an MF ceiling construction which is metal framework construction with plasterboard screwed to the frame, taped and jointed and then decorated in a neutral colour.

Suspended ceiling problems?

There are many types of suspended ceilings available, please click this link for more information. We have been supplying and fitting suspended ceiling systems as part of our main refurbishment projects for a number of years, if you are not sure on what can be done please give us a call.Please give us a call on 01380 73 88 44.

Categories
Air Conditioning All Project Categories Office Refurbishments Suspended Ceilings

Wall Removal to Enlarge and Refurbish an Office Space

Wall Removal to Enlarge and Refurbish an Office Space

Client: Kingsley Pike Estate Agents
Value: £13k

This Design and Refurbishment project including supplying and fitting two steel beams to support the three floors above the shop, and to remove a structural wall and so needed some design work in order to carry out the refurbishment of the space.

The effective use of space was very difficult to achieve due to the small space in the office, however we still had to produce drawings to satisfy Building Control and to determine exact positions of voice, data and lighting positions. The project included electrical work, decorations, air conditioning, construction of step, flooring, lighting design and carrying out the work in 7 days. We had to carry out a complete design and refurbishment of the existing space.1703 kingsley pike 11-10-05-Model

Design and Refurbishment work

We spent some time working out what was needed in the space and what we could get in. The beam was calculated, as the back wall to the shop needed to come out to widen the office space, the issue was that the wall held up the 3 floors above. One of the main problems was that the main beam was 6 meters long and it took 4 people to lift it into the shop from the main high street. The delivery vehicle had to leave the beams on the pavement whilst everything was prepared.

Construction Photographs

Completion photographs.

General Refurbishment and Fit out Work

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 Mezzanine Floors Office Refurbishments Partitioning Suspended Ceilings

Office Expansion in Corsham for Coombe Castle

Office Expansion in Corsham for Coombe Castle

Client: Coombe Castle
Value: £48k

Office Expansion in Corsham

This project consisted of converting a storage unit in to office space in order to provide some much needed office expansion. The project would involve fire protecting a mezzanine floor as this is required by Building Regulations if you have offices above, steel work and a suspended ceiling.  Ventilation had to be put round a chiller and fire sensors had to be installed within the chiller as it could not be moved to fit the fire protected board. Office windows had to be installed to match the rest of the building.

Upstairs needed a complete office fitting, so a suspended ceiling, dry lining the outer walls, decoration of the outer walls,  some fire rated partitioning to create a fire barrier between the offices and warehouse, as well as demountable partitioning within. Full electrical work including CAT2 lighting, 3 compartment perimeter trunking, flooring and new windows were also required. As always we follow our process, so the first step is to understand what the client wants, and then to assess what they have by taking photographs, and drawing everything.

Existing Space Photographs

It is a bit difficult to see from the photos, but essentially we had several areas to deal with. Underneath the mezzanine and on top of it was the main area, but included absolutely everything we do.

Building Regulations

It is crucial to consider Building Regulations when looking at layouts for offices. In particular fire ratings and Building Regulations which is a legal requirement. This particular project needed offices to be fitted on top of a mezzanine floor and so this is why it had to comply to the law.

If you need more information about Building Regulations, we have written a few things here.

Construction and finished photographs.

Office Expansion?

If you have a problem with your existing office space and need it altering as you are running out of space then Cre8tive can help. Please give us a call on 01380 738844.