Carew Court – Housing 21

We won a Housing 21 award for Contractors of the Year for a works completed at Carew Court, which consisted of full refurbishment of 36 independent living flats.

Duration

12 Months

Contract Value

£650k

Location

Cramlington, Northumberland

The Project

Carew Court consists of 36 independent living flats which were in need of full internal refurbishments consisting of new kitchens, bathrooms, décor and flooring. We upgraded the facilities for the residents by refurbishing the kitchens and bathrooms to make the living space more comfortable. 

The Manager of the property also needed their one bedroom flat converting into a 2 bedroom flat.

The properties also needed insulation into the loft spaces to keep up with current regulations.

Our Solution

In the bathrooms, we fitted low level shower trays, we raised the height of the WC pans and added additional rails to make the bathrooms more accessible for the residents. 

The kitchens were a small space to begin with, so we needed to make the most of the space. We fitted a bespoke kitchen to maximise the space of the small area, we increased the work surface area and the cupboard capacity to increase storage space. We installed small under-counter water heaters which saved space whilst also saving energy and increasing the efficiency of the properties. 

To keep up with current regulations we insulated the loft spaces, as well as installing insulated wallpaper lining to all gable end walls to help combat issues of mould the building was having. We also installed Egress hinges to all the bedroom windows, which means they can extend outwards to create a safe means of escape in the event of an emergency. 

 

Challenges

One of the biggest challenges was that the programme was ever changing to suite Housing 21’s lettings department. As residents were still living in the building, we set up decant flats and relocated the residents for the duration of the works.

Once the flats were completed and the residents could move back to their original flat, we sent them for a cup of tea into the communal area and by the time they came back the team had fully relocated them and their possessions back to their homes. Our team moved everything for the residents from the contents of their kitchen cupboards to photos on the walls.  

The Result

The difference in the look and feel of the flats now are dramatically different. The kitchens now have a fresh, modern feel with more capacity for storage. The bathrooms are also modernised with a cleaner feel, whilst being more accessible for the residents too. 

The residents were really happy with the results of the project, and put us forward for the Housing 21 Contractor of the year award which we won! The residents said we had shown outstanding contribution and loved the work that we carried out. 

 

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