Project Description
Manor Lane is a £27.5m residential development by Weston Homes in Feltham, West London. Two new apartment blocks, the Hayward Apartments and the Winnow Apartments, are being completed. Over 100 new flats are now sold or on offer to local residents, with each block consisting of ground through fourth floor.
Our first project with Weston Homes, also in London, involved the regeneration of the Old Vinyl Factory, and creation of new flats. Things went well, and Weston Homes subsequently asked us to provide cladding to the top storey of both blocks in this new development.
Installation of fibre cement boards plus fire barriers
Our scope of works involved the installation of all necessary fire barriers and cladding. Cladding was required on the upper floor only, the blocks featuring traditional brickwork on the lower storeys. The fibre cement boards were fixed using standard omega and zed steel profiles. Cladding was required to soffits, as well as vertically.
“In theory, this was a fairly straightforward assignment”, comments Matt Green, Operations Manager at Eden Facades. “There were complications, however. It’s a busy part of London, with shops and other buildings very close to the site. Access was consequently quite restricted.”
Eden Facades worked with contractor and developer Weston Homes, and an access plan was agreed. Continues Matt: “Obviously, the developer is always keen to release new units to the market as soon as possible, and the initial block of flats was made available for habitation once complete, with work continuing on the adjacent block.”
At time of writing (August 2023) the first block is complete and now inhabited, with work on the second due to finish by the end of the month.
Working with Weston Homes to adapt to the unexpected
Eden Facades were originally due to complete all work in one continuous stretch, but that didn’t prove possible, due to early delays involving other trades. “That’s construction for you, “says Matt. “The key thing is for all parties to be flexible and have the right, can-do attitude. We worked closely with the team at Weston Homes and were able to adapt to the situation.” In the end, our work needed to be broken into several shorter spells to fit in around other continuing activity, but ultimately everything was scheduled.
“Particularly where there’s been a delay, the temptation is to do anything you can to speed things up,” adds Matt. “Another subcontractor might have just ordered the fibre cement boards from the design drawings, so they’re ready the moment we have access, but even a slight variance from the plans could mean what you ordered and cut is now not quite what is needed. In this case, there was no variance, but you can’t know that in advance.”
The result of our hard work
“Any rainscreen cladding will extend the lifetime of the façade and add value to the property, “comments Matt. “The ventilation stops condensation forming and evens the temperature, which helps prevent cracks. It also means more thermal comfort, not to mention lower energy bills. Swisspearl panels are very durable and should require little to no maintenance.”
Looking ahead
“I’ve worked with Eden Facades since 2015”, notes Matt. “A lot of the customers I work with go back through much or all of that period. Weston Homes is a newer connection for us, but it was great to work with them again. Hopefully, this is the beginning of one of those long relationships.”
To learn more about Eden Facades and the services we offer, please get in touch on 01268 744199 or at office@edenfacades.co.uk. Alternatively, use our contact page, where you can also sign up to our newsletter.