Going where others fear to tread
Client: A direct contract with the property company
Purkelly took on and successfully completed a contract to underpin and restore a residential building on the verge of collapse. There was little competition for the work!
Cavendish Road, Wood Green
The collapse of a Victorian sewer 6.4 metres directly below the building led to serious subsidence and consequential superstructure damage to the flank walls of the property which is arranged as 6 bedsits.
We recognised that in spite of the condition it was viable to underpin and then restore the building for occupancy. Restoration and not demolition was the preferred option for the owner - an existing Purkelly client.
The building was initially stripped of staircases, the ground floor structure and some internal walls. The split level cellar was then excavated to allow access for our mini piling rig. In total we installed twenty three 12m long 250mm diameter piles and then supported the building on these piles by means of a reinforced concrete raft slab constructed over the piles and running beneath the external, internal and party walls. At the same time the cellar was reformed.
This complex foundation work was designed and installed by Purkelly to the satisfaction of the local authority building control department and the consulting engineer overseeing the works.
Now that structural stability had been restored, a complete overhaul of the property was carried out including major superstructure repairs, roofwork, landscaping new bathrooms and kitchens and redecoration throughout.
