Tag: suspended ceiling

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All Project Categories Mezzanine Floors Mezzanine Floors Partitioning Suspended Ceilings

Mezzanine Floor in Taunton

Mezzanine Floor in Taunton
Installed Mezzanine floor, ready for painting by client.

Client: Space Adventurers Soft Play
Value: £65k

The requirement

Our client runs a successful soft play centre in Taunton. Part of the centre is the nursey, which has grown in popularity and earned a great reputation. The client had ran out of space and could not take on any more children despite a full waiting list.

Our solution

The café area in the soft play part of the building adjoins onto the nursery and is all on the ground floor. Our solution was to install a lightweight steel mezzanine floor over the café and seating area. This will maximize the height of the building and gain a whole new play room for the nursery.

The customer already had a staircase in place which was used as a staff entrance into the first floor nursery rooms. This was kept in place and the mezzanine floor was built level with the existing floor.

The mezzanine floor was built as an L-shape around the existing soft play equipment to maximize the square meterage of floor space for the nursery. Careful consideration was made on where the support pillars were to be located below so it did not interfere with the existing café counters.

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.

Building the Mezzanine Floor.

A fork lift was used for the installation process as the main beams were extremely heavy. The fork lift allows the main beams to be lifted to the height required whilst the upright support posts are installed.

Once the mezzanine floor was in place a new fire rated partition was built along the leading edge of the mezzanine up to the roof level. This was almost 6m high which meant the installation was completed using a scissor lift and the space was very narrow between the soft play and the partition in some parts.

A 1-hour fire rated suspended ceiling was installed below the mezzanine floor with 1-hour fire rated column encasements fitted and a 1-hour fire rated bulkhead along the exposed front edge and stairwell.

Above the mezzanine floor we installed a new suspended ceiling with new LED lighting on both floors.

Do you want extra space?

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

01380 73 88 44

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All Project Categories Office Refurbishments Suspended Ceilings

Hall Refurbishment in Chippenham

Hall Refurbishment in Chippenham
New wood effect vinyl flooring

Client: Chippenham Rotary Hall
Value: £21.5k

Chippenham Rotary Club wanted a Hall Refurbishment to bring the dark and dated old hall into the 21st century and make it more appealing to those looking at hiring the space.

The first task was to survey the existing space and understand the requirements for the space.

Existing Hall Space

The existing space was very dated and there were a number of tasks  that we could easily identify that would make a big impact straight away. The dated carpets, the woodchip wallpaper and the poor lighting all needed replacing.

Our first step is to measure the space, have a meeting to discuss what the customer likes and dislikes and how the space will be used.

Next we go away and produce some plans and costs for the project. 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 before we carry out any works.

Work in Progress

The Hall Refurbishment went really smoothly and every element made such a big difference.

The new suspended ceiling used a modern flat white tile which looks much cleaner than the old fissured tiles, we also cranked the ceiling to maximize the available height in the middle making the space much more light and airy.

The woodchip wallpaper was removed, all walls were re-plastered before being decorated in a neutral grey with an orange feature wall. All of the old dark wooden skirting boards and window sills were painted using good quality white gloss to compliment new lighter colour scheme.

The LED lighting with spots around the edges and LED panels in the centre fills the space with much more light and it is fully adjustable with dimmer controls for each section making it nice and easy to see the projector screen.

The new wood effect vinyl flooring looks great whilst being super hard wearing and ultra realistic with textured woodgrain and beveled planks.

The final element was to replace the double entrance doors into the hall with a modern light oak veneered door with extra large vision panels and stainless steel kick plates and pull handles.

Completed Photos

The finished hall looks clean, fresh and modern whilst also being much more practical with easy to clean flooring and much better lighting levels.

The new hall will appeal to more people running groups, training or events with such a versatile space.

Does your Hall or function room look dated?

Please give us a call or contact us and we would be more than happy to help you modernize your space and appeal to more customers.

01380 73 88 44

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All Project Categories Toilet Refurbishment

Toilet Refurbishment in Chippenham

Toilet Refurbishment in Chippenham
Modern sinks, vanity unit and mirror and bulkhead removed.

Client: General Dynamic UK
Value: £22k

A toilet refurbishment can simply mean updating the sanitary ware or tiling the walls. or it can involve a great deal more. Our customer, General Dynamic UK, specialises in technical systems for the MOD and wanted to bring their toilets into the 21st century.

The toilet refurbishment incorporated everything from a new ceiling and LED lighting down to new easier to clean anti-slip vinyl flooring.

We started off by measuring up the toilets and drawing it on CAD which made working out the quantity of tiles and the sizes of new cubicles much easier. Luckily the overall layout of the toilets was going to stay the same so there was no need for a plumber to re-route any pipework. We worked with the customer using colour swatches and mood boards to plan the new toilets. By identifying what was wrong with the existing toilets we were able to define what was going the make the biggest difference.

Toilet Refurbishment plans
Toilet Refurbishment plans

Existing Toilets

  • The existing tiles were very dated on both the walls and the floor with some very bland grey cubicles. 
  • The suspended ceiling comprised old fissured tiles with marks on the grid and damage to some tiles.
  • The gold lights looked very dated and with halogen bulbs were not very energy efficient.
  • The toilets and urinals were very basic.
  • The lighting above the mirror didn’t work and the bulkhead above and down the side of the mirror looked poor.
  • The shower was fairly recent with a good quality shower installed.
  • The pipework below the vanity unit leaked and the sinks just needed updating.

The solutions

  • LED lighting compared to halogen bulbs will always make a space much brighter and eliminate the nasty shadows on the walls.
  • Large format tiles add a modern touch whilst also being much easier to clean.
  • Anti-slip vinyl flooring is not only much safer, but much easier to clean with coved edges and no grout lines to worry about.
  • Modern dual flush toilets, urinal and sinks are much more aesthetically pleasing.
  • New cubicles and IPS panels in a modern colour combination have an instant effect making the space much more modern.

Toilet Refurbishment Construction Photographs

As soon as we got on site our fitters made quick work of removing the tiles, suspended ceiling and old sanitary ware. We used floor protection to ensure the mess didn’t spread into the hallways and offices when we were transporting the rubbish to the skip. Once the toilet was stripped back to basics we could install the IPS panelling and all the associated plumbing behind them. The coved edges of the new anti-slip flooring provided a level base to start tiling which made a dramatic difference in a short space of time. Large format tiles look great and because of their size they cover a large amount of area very quickly.

Once the flooring and tiles were installed the suspended ceiling, sanitary ware and cubicles were installed. The mirror was given a new minimalist frame to replace the wooden architrave.

Toilet Refurbishment Completion Photographs

Once the plumbing had been checked and all of the electrics re-connected the toilets were ready for use. We installed some lovely new stainless steel toilet roll holders and soap dispensers to keep with the modern look of the toilets. The customer was very pleased with the work we did as it caused minimal disruption and we left the toilet area looking clean and tidy.

Summary on Toilet Refurbishments

  1. Tiling and lighting have the biggest impacts on the overall look of a toilet.
  2. Mood boards and samples are a great way to visualise how a colour scheme will look.
  3. We use floor protection on our projects to ensure dust and dirt from the construction doesn’t spread into offices and hallways.
  4. We like to install LED lighting and dual flush cisterns where possible to promote energy efficiency and save water.

Questions on Toilet Refurbishments

Want more inspiration? Have a look at another job we did in Melksham. If you have any questions or you have a toilet that needs updating, please give us a call on 01380 738844

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All Project Categories Suspended Ceilings

Suspended Ceiling in Devizes

Suspended Ceiling in Devizes
Suspended ceiling above the alarm

Client: CMD Recruitment
Value: £1,350

CMD Recruitment in Devizes specialises in recruitment and wanted to install a suspended ceiling in the back office. The top part of the roof was really high, the ceiling had plasterboard fitted which made the room really noisy, it was not really suitable for the staff who were using the room for phone calls.

We started off by measuring up the space and working out the quantity of tiles that the ceiling grid required. The customer had fluorescent light fittings suspended from the ceiling on chains which needed to be removed and re-installed.

When talking to the customer we determined that the the reason for installing a suspended ceiling was to help keep the heat in during the winter as the high ceiling meant it was very cold. We recommended bagged insulation over the back of the suspended ceiling as this would help keep the heat in the room more efficiently. We also recommended installing LED panels as they would be much more energy efficient and they would have a much cleaner look as they are installed flush in the ceiling.

Existing Ceiling

New Ceiling Installation

The new  ceiling was installed very quickly and bagged insulation was fitted above. The electricians installed the new lights the next day. The office was left clean and tidy and much warmer.

Summary on Suspended Ceilings

We have some more news / blog posts on ceilings. Click this link for more details on some of the different types available.

  1. Great for thermal insulation.
  2. Brilliant for improving sound performance.
  3. Perfect for hiding services and flush mounting lights.
  4. Bagged insulation can increase both thermal and acoustic performance.

Questions on Different types of Ceilings?

Want to read more ? Why not have a look at another job we did in Chippenham.

If you have any other questions, or would like more information on Suspended Ceilings, please give us a call on 01380 738844.

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All Project Categories Projects Suspended Ceilings Toilet Refurbishment

Fire Damage Restoration in Swindon

Fire Damage Restoration in Swindon
The first toilet where the fire broke out.

Client: Keningtons LLP
Value: £11k

It’s not often we are requested to undertake fire damage restoration, and we hope that this is because we take the matter of fire protection very seriously at Cre8tive Interiors. Fire protection is part of the Building Regulations which is something we need to be aware of in every project. We have worked on many projects that involve replacing fire doors (click here to see why we replaced the fire doors in Allied Computer Systems) or installing fire protection to a mezzanine floor (click here if you have a mezzanine floor).

We were contacted by Keningtons LLP after something caught fire in the bin of the ladies’ toilet within one of the offices they manage. Luckily it was put out quickly because it was contained in a small space, but the fire damage caused by such a small fire was frightening. Working with Keningtons LLP and the insurance company we were tasked with restoring the toilets to the original condition.  

Initial Visit

At the first visit we could see immediately that the fire had caused a great deal of damage despite only being a small fire and being extinguished quickly.

The fire started in a small bin in one of the toilets which had completely melted along with half of the toilet seat and the towel dispenser that was above it. The suspended ceiling had given way and collapsed and all of the insulation above was black from the smoke. The walls, floors, doors and even the appliances were coated in a thick layer of soot from the smoke. The fire damage wasn’t as extensive in the second toilet, where the door had obviously been closed, but there was still a lot of soot from the smoke. The smoke damage extended out into the hallways where it had coated the suspended ceiling and walls in layers of soot.

As we went through we took note of all the fire damaged areas that would need replacing.

  • The vinyl flooring was melted in places.
  • The toilet, soil pipe and boxing in was badly damaged.
  • The plastic towel dispenser was destroyed.
  • The walls were coated in a thick layer of soot.
  • The appliances were very badly soiled from the smoke.
  • The plastic grill in the door was melted and the doors and handles were all badly soiled.
  • The suspended ceiling was destroyed and badly soiled in other areas.
  • One light had completely melted, the others were badly soiled and the wiring needed replacing.
  • Both of the skylights were black with soot.
  • The extractor fans were badly damaged and the ducts were full of soot.
  • The insulation above the ceiling was black along with the fire barriers.
  • The walls and suspended ceiling in the hallway were all soiled from smoke.

Fire damage is absolutely devastating and extends much further than you would think. Smoke penetrates very small holes and spreads the soot everywhere which is difficult to get rid of.

View into the fire damaged toilets and storage area.

The first toilet where the fire broke out had the worst fire damage.

The first toilet where the fire broke out.

The suspended ceiling and skylight damaged by the fire.

The appliances in the storage area.

The second toilet was more smoke damaged than fire damaged.

The lighting and electrics had all been damaged by the fire.

The walls and ceiling in the hallway were damaged by the smoke.

The soot from the smoke covered the skylight even in the hallway.

Fire Damage Restoration in Progress

One of the main things we had to consider when restoring the fire damage was how to minimize the spread of soot. The office was on the third floor above a high street so the rubbish had to be transported a considerable distance just to remove it from the premises. We used plenty of floor protection to make a safe route to the closest exit at the front of the building; everything then had to be carried around a side alley to the skip at the rear. The flooring, ceiling, insulation and any badly fire damaged items were removed first using plastic rubble sacks. The toilets were then given a deep clean and a layer of paint first which stopped any more soot being spread.

Temporary site lighting until the electrics were replaced.

The old suspended ceiling was removed.

New electric cables and ducts were installed.

Pipework was repaired and boxing was rebuilt.

Re-decorating in such a cramped space with only site lighting was difficult.

Suspended ceiling with LED lights.

Suspended ceiling replaced in the hallway.

Suspended ceiling replaced in the toilets.

New LED lights installed in the toilets.

PIR occupancy sensors were installed in the toilets.

The carpet in the hallway was replaced.

New toilets and sinks were installed like-for-like.

Anti-slip vinyl flooring was installed throughout the toilets.

New toilets and sinks were installed like-for-like.

Extractor fans were replaced and installed.

Completed Project Photographs

The insurance company specified replacements that were like-for-like because this was a fire damage restoration project. We normally prefer to install modern dual-flush toilets and more efficient hand dryers. The tenants within the building asked us to install LED lights in the toilets and hallway separately for energy efficiency. We were happy to do this as it is much better for the environment and they paid the balance on this.

The toilets look brighter and cleaner than ever before. With all new sanitaryware and LED lighting and being freshly decorated we have not only restored the fire damage, but made the toilets better than before.

Finished view into the toilets.

The second toilet ready for use again.

New sink tap and pipework.

One of the toilets with new tiles.

New bin and door grille installed.

Summary on Fire Damage Restoration

  1. Using floor protection and common sense we can reduce the spread of soot into the office.
  2. We look past the obvious fire damage and figure the true extent of the damage.
  3. We work hard to find like-for-like replacements to match the original fixtures.
  4. When replacing items we can use this as an opportunity to upgrade for energy efficient options.
  5. Proper site lighting and equipment allows us to work in the space straight away and get it clean before the electricians replace the wiring.

Questions on Fire Damage Restoration or Fire Protection

If you are not sure about whether you have adequate fire protection then we will be more than happy to offer honest advice. The safety of your staff is very important to us, please give us a call on 01380 738844.

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All Project Categories Suspended Ceilings

Suspended Ceiling in Calne

Suspended Ceiling in Calne

Client: St Mary’s Sports Centre
Value: £3k

The suspended ceiling at St Mary’s Sports Centre was part of a larger refurbishment of their swimming pool changing rooms. The type of suspended ceiling installed needs to be a special non-corrosive grid along with moisture resistant tiles to withstand the humid conditions above the shower cubicles.

The Old Suspended Ceiling

The existing ceiling was clearly in a bad state with rust appearing above the showers, and bubbling in the tiles where they had lost their moisture resistance. The old ceiling had a very dated shadow batten around the edge and had been damaged in various places over the years.

Work out what is needed

Sometimes the customer does not see this, but we do actually draw every single project. The purpose of this drawing is twofold, the first is to work out the materials, but the second is for the fitter to see how to work out the center lines of the grid pattern to help him set out all the runners.

The New Suspended Ceiling

The new ceiling had to be a specific non-corrosive grid which is designed for wet areas and will not rust over time. The ceiling tiles are also special moisture resistant tiles which prevents the tiles from absorbing moisture and sagging due to the weight.

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 find out more about ceilings.

The installation at St Mary Sport Centre was part of a bigger project refurbishing the changing rooms and we worked with the client splitting the install into two parts to keep one half operational whilst the other half was being worked on.

Suspended Ceiling Challenges

There are many different types of suspended ceilings and the huge range of tiles from which to choose can be quite confusing. The current trend is to focus on sound performance within the office and this can be dealt with by using a special type of 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 prefer to use plain white tiles which give a fresh, clean finish.

Questions about Suspended Ceilings

We have been supplying and fitting suspended ceiling systems as part of our main refurbishment projects for a number of years. We can therefore answer any questions that you might have about suspended ceilings. Please give us a call on 01380 73 88 44.

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All Project Categories Dilapidation work Mezzanine Floors Office Refurbishments Suspended Ceilings

Dilapidation Work in Swindon

Dilapidation Work in Swindon
Finished mezzanine

Client: REPL
Value: £25k

We can carry out Dilapidation work for customers when the customer is required to carry out work by a landlord if they are moving premises, please see our post for more description about what it means by clicking this link.

We carried out quite a major change visually to a worn out factory that looked tired and needed sprucing up. The main elements were a new factory floor, decoration, refurbishment of the offices, and to tidy up the existing mezzanine floor. The existing fire protection on the steel work was not adequate and not fitted correctly, so rather than just paint it, we decided to completely strip it off and install a new fire rated suspended ceiling and a new column encasement system. A quick lick of paint would not have satisfied the fire protection requirements so we decide to do this properly and install all of the correct materials.

Existing Warehouse

The customer has been in the existing building for many years and the unit the occupy is part of the original railway buildings in Swindon, so is probably around 100 years old. As you can see from the photos the the building was quite dilapidated, and this is often referred to as dilapidation work.

Old mezzanine floor

Electrics need sorting!

Wider view

Lots of wires need sorting

Some wires not connected!

Poor fire protection

Poor walls

Toilet to be reduced in size

Toilet block to sort

Kitchen to come out

What was most alarming was the existing fire protection had been carried out by people who clearly did not know what they were doing and there were gaps everywhere, there was no way that the mezzanine floor had adequate protection, so even though the customer just wanted a very basic patch and mend, we took the decision to completely replace everything and do the whole job properly.

Although the photographs do not show it, there was quite a bit of work to completely redecorate the offices at the front of the unit. This included stripping out the kitchen, toilets, stairs, repainting the doors, walls, ceilings and skirting boards.

Construction work

The other constraint that we had is the whole job had to be completed in 3 weeks as a new machine was due to arrive in the unit. The reason why the toilet block had to be halved, was that the new machine was 26 meters long and so it would not quite fit.

Toilet door moved back

Poor state of mezzanine

Steel work being exposed

Exteriors walls bad

Plasterboard stripped out

More stripped

Bottom office demolished

New fire line board bulkhead

Starting wall treatment

Toilet halved

Walls nearly done

Walls nearly done

Our van

Completed Photographs.

We were very pleased with the final results as there was such a difference between what was, and what we achieved in the end. The client was also very pleased with the work as we completed it on time and within budget.

New tea point downstairs

New floor

Office decorated

New ceiling

Toilets redecorated

Our van

Internal doors painted

Finished floor

Fire exit door

New equipment just coming in

View from other direction

Finishing things properly

On top of mezzanine

New fire rated ceiling

Dilapidation Work

As you can see from the photographs, the work is general office refurbishment, and covers all of the things that we would carry out for office interiors. If you have any requirements for dilapidation work that is relevant to offices or warehouses then we would be very pleased to hear from you, as we find this type of work very rewarding, and that is not from a monetary view but seeing the difference between old and new.

Please call 01380 73 88 44, or use the contact us form on our website.

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

Offices on a Mezzanine Floor

Offices on a Mezzanine Floor
Outside of building

Client: H J Knees of Trowbridge
Value: £45k

We are asked to look at making some office alterations to a new office for HJKnees in Whitehorse Business Park. The customer wanted to fit some new offices on a Mezzanine Floor. At first glance we could see straight away that the work would need extra work to make the project comply with Building Regulations as none of the existing mezzanine floor had any fire protection on it at all.

Mezzanine Floors and Building Regulations.

Our first consideration when considering an office project is Building Regulations, does the existing structure comply?, and whatever we do as far as changing things also has to comply. In each case we consider the Regulations and obtain approval before the work starts, during the work we usually have an inspection carried out before the walls all get closed in, and then a post project inspection.

We can then give the client a proper certificate from a Building Regulations Inspector that certifies the design and our work to confirm that all legal requirements have been met.

Please see our articles on Mezzanine floors and what you need to do with Building Regulations on the News section of this website. Unfortunately the customer has never been aware that their existing floor does not comply, and we do come across this quite a lot, so we are always on the back foot before we even start talking about what they want as the whatever work is done, adequate fire protection, escape routes and distances need to be considered to comply with the law.

The additional problem in this situation is that it is a legal requirement to have a 1 hour fire rated separation between offices and warehouse. The construction of a 1 hour wall is not an issue, often it is the height that is the problem as you have to construct the wall to meet the plasterboard and metal stud work manufactures specifications.

The most expensive parts are the doors and windows, so the plan is always to keep these to a minimum.

Initial site Photographs.

Original upstairs rooms not meeting fire regulations

Another view of old offices

Another view of old offices

Another view of old offices

They stored things next to the offices

They stored things next to the offices

Underneath the mezzanine, hardboard used a potential fire hazard!

Toilets needed doing

None of the mezzanine floor steels protected.

Edge of mezzanine not protected.

As you can see from the above photographs, a general builder has built the offices ontop of a steel mezzanine floor with no fire protection using timber windows and non fire rated materials. The offices look ok but does not comply at all. The whole lot needed to be stripped out and started again. All of the mezzanine floor underneath needed a 1 hour fire rated suspended ceiling, along with column encasement protection (1 hour) and some re-organisation of the access routes with toilets, a small office and warehouse access with some basic security.

Construction Photographs

The other constraint that we had is the whole job had to be completed in 3 weeks as a new machine was due to arrive in the unit. The reason why the toilet block had to be halved, was that the new machine was 26 meters long and so it would not quite fit.

Staircase needed to be scaffolded

Main fire wall plastered ready for decoration

First fix electrics underneath mezzanine

Demolition of existing offices

Timber frame exposed to be removed

Timber frame exposed to be removed

Start of dry lining the walls

Boarding of the main fire wall between the offices and warehouse

Building the frame under the angles steels of the building

Suspended ceiling grid is quite quick to go in.

Construction of the new offices started

Outside walls plaster drying out

Ceiling tile just starting to go in.

Fire rated ceiling going in under mezzanine floor

Underneath of stairs

Windows dry lined around and window boards fitted

Offices starting to take shape

LED panels fitted

More office walls going in

Column encasement system fitted to steel uprights

Offices starting to take shape

Offices starting to take shape

Window boards fitted, insulation for ceiling arrived

Completed column encasement and ceiling tiles fitted.

More fire rated walls downstairs

Mezzanine floor edge protection

You can see the back of the light fitting has a 1 hour smoke hood fitted.

Downstairs work nearly finished

Offices nearly done

Offices nearly done

Offices virtually done

Final Result

We do not have any finished photographs as the customer needed to move in straight away. We kept to the dates that we advised the customer and we did have a couple of snag items to deal with which was not a problem once they were in. The project was inspected by Building Control and a passed certificate was issued to the client, as well as the Health and Safety file. The Health and Safety file included all of the as built drawings, certificates and evidence of emergency lighting and fire detection equipment that acts as a reference binder for the client to use in the future.

We chose demountable partition for the main office upstairs due to the speed of construction and the final finish looking much more modern and professional that a traditional stud and plasterboard wall.

Summary on Demountable Partitioning

  1. Using Demountable Partitioning is very tax efficient as 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 as well as taking about all kinds of partitioning including Demountable we love to talk about projects and sort out problems and issues with space, please give us a call on 01380 738844

Categories
News Suspended Ceilings

What type of suspended ceilings should I have?

What type of suspended ceilings should I have?

What type of suspended ceiling should I have? There are many different types of suspended ceilings, and we generally select a good  quality plain faced tile in most cases, which will not bow if there is a bit of moisture, and is nice a bright and no pattern. 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.

The image to the right shows an ‘egg crate’ type of grid system that was quite common a few years ago. It is possible still to get the materials to build this system but it is much more expensive now than the new more conventional suspended ceilings installed today.

Office refurbishment in Bristol for Smurfit Kappa

Why should I have a suspended Ceiling?

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.

Why not use a Plasterboard Ceiling

Are strictly a no-no in most offices. You may see them in big shopping centres but usually there are lots of other things hanging from the ceilings to deal with acoustics, lighting and ventilation and the acoustics consideration would have been designed into the scheme. Plasterboard ceilings are fine in houses as they are quick to install and there are other plasterboard surfaces such as the partition walls in houses which need to be plastered and then painted. It is quicker just to skim the whole lot in a house. Most houses suffer from noise problems and noise transmission due to this method of build. New Building Regulations  In offices sound is one of the biggest problems, and sound bounces off hard surfaces..

Advantages in using Suspended Ceilings over plasterboard.

Another advantage with a suspended ceiling over plasterboard is that it does not need any finishing, so no plastering / tape and jointing or painted. It is a finished item. When carrying out a refurbishment project you want to minimise the amount of wet trades as speed is of the essence and you do not really want to wait for plaster to dry. If the area is cold then this will create a problem. The ceiling will also not have to be painted which is one less trade or activity to worry about.

Creating Features in Ceilings

You may have to have some hard surfaces to form thing like a bulkhead, see picture to the right. The construction of this was quite hard as it had to match the radius of the breakfast bar.

Formation of this bulkhead would be pretty hard to do with ceiling tiles.

Breakfast bar curve following bulkhead curve.

Access Problems with Plasterboard Ceilings

We come across problems all of the time where a traditional ‘builder’ has built an office and used plasterboard. We experienced one recently where a builder had sealed the complete ground floor up and had provided no access hatches or any way to get into the ceiling void. It is impossible to add additional voice / data cabling, get access to filters for air conditioning and ventilation units for servicing or if pumps fail, so a complete nightmare and this makes us very angry as these people should not be involved in building offices.

The other problem with this project was that the builder had not designed the offices properly and had missed out providing adequate ventilation to the offices, and completely ignored the law on this (Building Regulations). He was asked to fit air conditioning but completely threw his hands in the air as there was no-way to get anything through the building without destroying the ceiling. As it happens air conditioning was not the problem, no ventilation was provided and so an even bigger problem. At least with a suspended ceiling you would have had a chance to get the pipework through. Another problem is that a building inspector cannot assess the fire protection for the floor above with it all sealed up.

Sound Problems with Plasterboard Ceilings

I am afraid that the title of this section says it all, the other major problem with the project above was sound, it was extremely noisy in the offices, and there is no chance of improving it easily.

Projects with Suspended Ceilings

  1. Project in Reading:
  2. Suspended Ceiling in a Squash Court:
  3. Suspended Ceiling in Corsham
  4. Part of a larger project in Weston Super Mare.
  5. Suspended Ceiling in Bristol -(part of a larger project)
  6. Very large suspended ceiling for a warehouse.
  7. Awkward suspended ceiling in a church in Swindon.
  8. Ceilings in some toilets in Chippenham.
  9. Difficult suspended ceiling for Chippenham Motor Co.
  10. Fire rated suspended ceilings

We have more projects that can be found on the ‘projects’ tab above
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 Toilet Refurbishment

Toilet Refurbishment in Melksham

Toilet Refurbishment 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.