refurbishment

The Dulux Trade Commercial Colour Services team has been hailed for their expert design support on a council owned social housing regeneration programme that saw residents take a lead role in decision-making.

The initiative by Exeter City Council followed the principles of their Better Homes For Local People strategy that promises full and transparent consultation and involvement with those affected by building and renovation projects from the outset.

Fibo, the leading manufacturer of tile-effect waterproof wall panels, is giving housing associations the chance to trial its wall panel system for FREE.

For many years, tiles have been the go-to solution for bathroom installations and renovations, despite wall panels being the optimal solution. Recognising this, Fibo is offering private and public housing associations the chance to trial its range of waterproof wall panels for free on a bathroom project.

In the UK water conservation has been almost treated with derision.  Excepting the summer of 1976, water restrictions are limited to occasional hose pipe bans.  However, the wider impact of excessive water usage is now becoming recognised.

The connections between water, the environment and energy costs are being highlighted by organisations as diverse as the United Nations through to local conservation groups.  

The Encasement range of pipe boxing and casings for social housing is widely used across the UK to conceal interior and exterior pipework in fire sprinkler installations, heating system upgrade projects and low carbon district heating schemes.

Versa pre-formed pipe boxing is already installed in countless retrofit fire sprinkler projects to cover pipework in flats, lobbies and corridors, while for applications requiring a flame retardant solution, Versa FR pipe boxing provides an ideal solution.

The Pendock Profiles range is one of the most comprehensive available for concealing exposed pipework or services quickly & easily in a range of applications for social housing projects.

For interior pipework, MX and TK pipe boxing can be used in most general applications, such as heating system or waste pipework, while MXF boxing is a dedicated concealment solution for fire sprinkler systems, where its widespread use is helping speed fire safety improvement projects across the UK.

Aluminium has been increasingly recognised as a viable material for construction products over recent years. We spoke with Richard Izzard, manging director of AliDeck, about a recent major roof terrace refurbishment project for Hyde Housing.

With concerns over fire-safety in external wall systems shifting industry towards non-combustible solutions, the benefits of extruded aluminium profiles, such as decking or cladding boards, have answered many of these new challenges.

The benefits of using aluminium products in new-build construction go beyond simple compliance with regulations, though. Its lightweight, cost-effectiveness, striking aesthetics, sustainability and versatility are all key contributing factors to aluminium’s uptake. These benefits, of course, apply for the retrofit and remediation market and aluminium building products are routinely now sought by specifiers in the housing sector.

The switch from traditional tiling to installing Fibo waterproof wall panels in their bathrooms has allowed Places for People, one of the UK’s largest property management companies, to improve its installation rate by up to 133%. Providing tenants with a hygienic and maintenance-free finish.
 
The organisation owns or manages 182,725 homes and provides services to over 500,000 people. Its affordable and social housing properties, which include sheltered accommodation developments, are usually tenanted so finding a bathroom solution that would improve installation efficiency was crucial.