Tag: glass doors

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All Project Categories Office Refurbishments Partitioning Projects

Glass Meeting room on the edge of a Mezzanine floor.

Glass Meeting room on the edge of a Mezzanine floor.
Completed office on a mezzanine

Client: ProsysDev
Value: £67k

We were asked to look at this project via an enquiry from our website, the customer had looked around and felt we could help. When he contacted us, our first reaction was that it was around the M25, and miles away, surely someone closer could build a partition. The problem was that the customer wanted a bit more than a partition as the new room had to sit on the edge of a mezzanine floor and he was unsure about Building Regulations. The people he had contacted just wanted to give him a price for glass walls, without listening to what else he needed and gave no reassurance that it would actually comply with regulations.

For us, it was unusual to find a client that understood that there were Building Regulation issues to be addressed. The customer wanted a piece of paper at the end of the work to say that it complies and everything is fine as that was the right thing to do. When they took on the unit we think it helped that part of the specifications was a mezzanine floor that had been fire rated and was suitable for offices above, and that must have triggered a question.

All the other suppliers of partitioning just wanted to build a wall and that was it. Didn’t even want to visit.

The Next Step

After speaking with the client, we decided to just have a quick look for him if he could send over some details and see what we thought and give some budget costs. We just wanted to see how we could help, so let us have a quick look.

These are the details that were sent to us, pretty good actually.

Building Regulations

Looking at it initially, slightly tricky. The handrail would be in the way and we would have to remove it, and build the wall to the edge. The other bit that was quite hard was the sloping roof, we could have to build up to it and deal with the beams and make it look right. The customer was quite right, and we had to check with Building Regulations which is what we did, free of charge. The key things were that there were two means of escape with the 45 linear meters, so that was fine. The room needed fresh air ventilation, via a VAM unit, any glass to be fitted, which was our preferred options needed to be a special thickness as it is right on the edge at height. Again not a problem. We would also quickly need to check the mezzanine floor itself, to make sure it had the right fire protection. As it happened there was no cavity barrier inside the suspended ceiling underneath as the floor was long than 18 linear meters, and it needed one, so we put one in.

There are other things we did, but in essence, none of this was an issue.

We gave a budget cost, subject to a visit and that was ok, we visited and they also wanted their toilets refurbished. So we refurbished their toilets as well.

Design work, specifications

We always produce a drawing, initially we do this anyway so we can cost the project properly and not just guess everything which we know many people do.

The drawing needed to be tided a bit, although not to architectural standards, it is good enough to explain what needs to be done.

Construction, work in progress.

We liked the design of this project, the idea was to build a bulkhead suspended down from the roof which would form a rectangular opening to accommodate smart modern looking glass walls. Another tricky bit, as well as having to remove the handrail was to follow the shape of the roof and box the beams to make it look right. There were a couple of beams at different angles but we made it look right.

To build the walls around the meeting room out of tradition demountable partition systems, with plasterboard and double glazed windows would have actually been more expensive with what we were proposing, and certainly it would not look as good.

There was a small bit of detail in the construction that we quite liked. When we fitted the fresh air unit, the VAM unit, we prepared all of the ductwork which gets hidden by the suspended ceiling above, but also included extra ductwork to feed the potential downstairs office below the mezzanine.

The interior wall for the meeting room we built flush over the steel work, that give us a cavity where we could run the 200mm diameter ductwork down the walls, through the mezzanine floor and capped off ready for the room below. The ductwork needed fire dampers in them for fire protection purposes; preventing potential fire travelling from the upstairs to the downstairs through the pipework in the unlikely event of a fire. The dampers are also required to meet Building Regulations.

Toilet refurbishment

As mentioned previously in this post, the initial enquiry was not to refurbish the toilets but when we visited, we said what else we could do and they needed something doing to them.

Although small, we could hide the plumbing by using IPS systems, which is a system of enclosing pipework and cisterns behind a closed panel. Often seen in commercial centers, like shopping centers, motorway  service centers.

We could also box the pipework, tile the walls, paint it, change the flooring, fit a new suspended ceiling and lights.  Quite a bit really for such small spaces.

It is not possible to get lots of trades to do this type of work.

Toilet refurbishment progress photos

Some work in progress and completed photos

One of the problems in refurbishing small toilets is that they need lots of different trades, and there is not enough room in them to have lots of people doing different things.

For example, in these toilets we needed:

  • a plumber to disconnect / reconnect the existing and new.
  • Someone to build and fit the IPS panels, (needs a carpenter to cut the panels to size, sit them squarely)
  • a plumber to fit the sanitary wear to the IPS panel as it is being fitted.
  • A tiler to fit new wall tiles straight and flat.
  • A decorator to prepare the walls and paint them.
  • A suspended ceiling fitted to fit a new suspended ceiling
  • An electrician to disconnect the existing light and fit a new one, someone to fit a new toilet extraction system.
  • A flooring contractor to uplift the existing and supply and fit a new wood effect vinyl floor planks.
  • Someone to fit the new towel rail, toilet role dispenser, mirror, door signs.

Larger toilets are much easier as all of the activities can be scheduled and planned in as the elements usually take longer than a day. In this case there is not enough work to allow to bring in separate trades to do individual elements, planning and timing of those events would mean that doing the toilets would take months and cost a fortune. Luckily we have a fitter that can do all of the tasks, including the plumbing works. We were onsite anyway doing the electrics for the new offices, so it was easy for them to drop over onto the toilets to sort out the light fittings and extraction. Not so easy for anyone to do this type of work. Most plumbers would not know how to deal with the IPS system as there are commercial systems.

Some completed photos

The following photos were supplied by the client after we had left site. They show the boardroom table and chairs, and the comments from the customer is that they are very pleased with the final result and use the ideas wall along the long wall to good effect.

If you have any partitioning requirements that are perhaps a bit complicated and you are not sure on how things can be done, then we are sure we can help.

Please call 01380 73 8844 or email us via the contact form on this website, or at [email protected]

Categories
All Project Categories Dilapidation work Projects

End of Lease Dilapidation work in Calne

End of Lease Dilapidation work in Calne

Client: Fabrinet
Value: £365k

Cre8tive Interiors had been a provider of Office Interior fit out and refurbishment work over many years for Fabrinet in Calne. The previous name was Exceptions EMS and we had been carrying out work at the premises since 2014 to 2023. It was a complete surprise to find that the site was closing in 2023 with the loss of 100 jobs. For us, over the years we had carried out many projects, and actually knew the building and the people quite well.

Dilapidation work

When we were advised of the close, the management team contact us as they were presented with a £1.2m dilapidation bill from the landlord.

Fabrinet only rented the space, and over the years had installed many things, much of which had to be stripped out. All of the equipment was going to Thailand where Fabrinet has another facility, there were centralizing production, having closed their factory in Germany as well, earlier on in the year.

The big issue really was that Fabrinet obviously did not want to spend that kind of money and as the business was closing the first priority was the staff. Once the staff were sorted there was a limited amount left. It was then a case of prioritizing, going through each section to make sure it is the best that could be done with the money.

Scope of work

There were a great many things we had to do. Below is a list which probably does not show the scale of what we did as the areas were huge.

  • Stripping out all of the partitioning we had installed over the years on the ground floor, with the suspended ceilings inside them as well.
  • Removal of the metal skinned secure assembly area.
  • Replacing of suspended ceilings in many rooms, some were replacement of grid as well.
  • Replacement of carpet
  • Painting the whole of the building inside, as well as underneath the first floor, all staircases.
  • Check operation and repair all 103 internal doors.
  • Repair of all external doors.
  • Stripping out of redundant cables, removal of the old air conditioning systems and replacement.
  • Servicing all of the existing air conditioning and ventilation systems
  • Repair of the gas fired overhead Ambi-rad heating system.
  • Replacement of window boards

Some drawings and documents produced..

In order to cost all of the areas properly, we had to create many drawings and detail all of the activities that needed to be done. One of them that was time consuming, was that each door had to be looked at and cleaned / replaced if the oil from door closers had leaked into the wood, replacing damaged kickplates, push plates, replacing door closers and checking for gaps in the doors. There were 103 doors. We produced a schedule and then costed the work on each door.

A few initial photos

Throughout all of the years of doing work at Fabrinet, we were not allowed to take any photos. The only ones we could take were when they were closing and we managed to take a few just before we started the stripping out work. All of the equipment seen was being removed and shipped to Thailand or being sold.

Some work in progress and completed photos

It was demoralising to remove much of what we built on the shop floor over many years, not as bad for the employees losing their jobs of course. The key word with it all is of course demountable partitioning. It was all aluminium framed and easily removed, just a vast amount of it. All of the offices needed new ceilings, or replacement tiles, most needed carpets and decoration throughout.

Some completed photos

Dilapidation Schedules

Over the years it never ceases to amaze us how much surveyor costs are but fully appreciate they are to a particular code of estimating, which they all have to follow. As Cre8tive Interiors actually does the work and does not subcontract the majority of work we can actually do the work much cheaper than many traditional builders. All they would so is sub to us for the partitioning, ceilings, ac and ventilation work, so we may as well just do the work anyway.

Always interested in looking at leases at the time to move, if we can help in anyway and save money, please do not hesitate to contact us.

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