Welcome to our September newsletter. A lot has happened over the summer with a number of offices holding summer events. On the work front 2012 continues to be a year of positive progression despite the continued uncertainty about the economy.
News 1
Assent International 1
Party Wall Act 2
Assent Services 3
Project News 3-4
Assent Answer SOS call 4
Project and Social News/Events 5
Assent Summer of Sport 6
Technical News/IT 7
New Starters 8
International Assent
In this issue
September 2012
News
Assent Building Control Limited have branched out into the International arena by helping a nation state in the middle east develop and train its people in the system of Building Control that mirrors the UK system. Martin Conlon, one of the Directors of Assent, along with Jaspal Virdee-Dhanjal from our West London office spent some time in the Middle East training staff and assisting the government in creating and developing a system of regulations and control that will increase building standards and improve the lives of people. “The experience of working with established profession-als and training them to think differently has been a very rewarding challenge” said Martin. They are very keen to learn and have some real skills that can be adapted. The current situation is that the country has some very old antiquated rules and systems. These are proving that they are “not fit for purpose” in today’s modern world. So following a major disaster ten years ago the government commissioned Assent to help get the system up and running as well train all those who are to operate it. This is a great recognition for Assent and proves that we
are the premier Approved Inspector in the UK. For further
information contact Martin Conlon on 01924 229180
Ali Neishaboori, based in Leicester, recently joined Assent in August. With over 25 years’ Building Control experience, Ali has dealt with some high profile projects including the National Space Centre, the Shires and Highcross Shopping Centre. He has been heavily involved in various projects undertaken by Loughborough University in preparation for the London Olympic Games. Ali can be contacted via telephone on 07932695680 or via email at [email protected]
Leicester
office is
taking
off…
This article is intended to be a brief overview of the Party Wall etc Act 1996 is an
enabling act; the purpose of the act is to allow progress of work on a party wall
structure between the adjoining neighbours. It places a statutory duty on the build-
ing owner (the person who is undertaking the proposed work) to serve a Party Wall
Notice on the adjoining owners (direct neighbours of the building owner).
The notice must be served on the legal owners of the property, therefore, if Mr and Mrs Smith own the adjoining
property it must be addressed to Mr and Mrs Smith. A land registry search is always advisable. Tenants of the property
providing they have a tenancy for one year or more (this excludes short hold tenancies of six months) must also be
served a valid notice. This includes flats where there is a party structure, ceiling or floor separating them.
Providing the adjoining owner (neighbour) agrees and signs and notice the work can continue without any further in-
volvement from the party wall act. A condition survey should be undertaken on the adjoining owner’s property and
any existing damage recorded.
There are different types of notices for different types of work coming under the act.
Section 1 Notice: This notice is served if you intend to build on the line of junction
(boundary line). In these cases your foundations may actually legally trespass onto
the adjoining owner’s property.
Section 3 Notice: This notice is served when the work involves the party wall and
covers such work as:- the insertion of steel beams, loft conversions, the demolishing
and rebuilding of the party wall, underpinning, inserting a DPC or cutting in for a
flashing. This notice must be served two months before the work begins or unless by
prior agreement.
Section 6 Notice: This is served if you intend to build within 3 m or 6 m (piling) of the
adjoining property and the proposed foundations are deeper than that of the adjoin-
ing property.
If the adjoining owner (neighbour) dissents or does not sign the form agreeing to the work within 14 days a dispute is
deemed to have arisen. Each party can then appoint their own party wall surveyor, usually at the cost to the building
owner. Once notice has been served a condition survey should be undertaken of all affected properties an award
(legal contract) be published by the party wall surveyors. This award can cover payments for damages, loss of income,
scaffolding, working hours and most things directly connected to the work undertaken relating to the party wall act.
Edward Phillips is an Associate with Assent Building control and covers the East Anglia area from Kings Lynn. Edward is
also a member of the Faculty of Party Wall Surveyors and the area east coordinator for this professional body. Edward
can be contacted on 01485 545778
Party Wall Act
IMPORTANT INFORMATION! Is this news letter useful to you? Do you find it informative? What would you like to see more of, what would you like to hear less about? Please let us know as this news letter is for you!
Education & Training Assent Head Office 01924 229180
Compliance Monitoring Assent Head Office 01924 229180
Solving Problems
just
Building Control
Did
MORE
Project News - Hook Norton Brewery
Assent’s Birmingham Office has been appointed to deal with the ‘Change of Use’
and redevelopment of their current Visitor Centre at this historic brewery in the
Cotswolds.
The visitor centre currently attracts 10,000 visitors per year, the redevelopment of
this facility will extend the breweries function, café, shop and conferencing capac-
ity enabling the brewery to showcase its brewing heritage and award winning
products.
This grade II listed building was constructed in the 19th century and apart from the
special, and period features of this site, the main brew house houses an original
19th century steam engine that was installed to pump liquor (water) to make the
beer, to this day the steam engine is in perfect working order and is still used daily
to pump the liquor.
Paul Thompson says “This is going to be a challenging project due to the sensitive approach that will have to be adopted in the course of implementing the building regulations to ensure compliance with the regulations and harmonizing with the fabric of the development”. Paul can be contacted on Tel : 01564 826516 or via email at [email protected]
Project News Ian Wood from our Milton Keynes office has just completed a few interesting projects in London. Lancaster House Olympic Pavilion – A new temporary structure was constructed for the term of the Olympics which can also be used for other future events. Architects Waugh Thistleton were commissioned to design and over-see the construction of the temporary pavilion in the grounds of Lan-caster House. The timber pavilion acted as the key function space for the British Embassy during the entire Olympic Games programme and provided a central point for delegates attending the games to meet. Churchill War Rooms – Assent worked with the Imperial War Museum to help create a new bold edifice designed by London-based architects Clash Associates. The new entrance, made of burnished bronze and Portland stone, compliements the listed Whitehall buildings that surround it whilst referencing the bulldog spirit of Churchill, the military hardware of World War Two and the bronze sculptures of Jacob Epstein and Henry Moore. Tramshed restaurant for ‘celebrity chef’ Mark Hix, including artwork by artist Damien Hirst — Designed and built in 1905 The Shoreditch Tramshed is a Grade II listed building, which, until now has been hidden away from public view. Actually built as an early sub-station, It is a magnificent single space shed. With restaurateur Mark Hix, Waugh Thistleton Architects brought this hidden gem back to full public enjoyment through the creation of a beautiful restaurant and public art gallery cementing Shoreditch's mantle as London's home for fine art and fine food.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION! Is this news letter useful to you? Do you find it informative? What would you like to see more of, what would you like to hear less about? Please let us know as this news letter is for you! Email [email protected] with any comments you may have.
An Olympic Summer for Assent!
Assent answers (DIY) SOS!
Assent have recently being asked to help the BBC with a number of DIY SOS schemes across the country. In August John Miles from our Manchester office carried out Building Control inspections on work to a house for a family in Greater Manchester. The 11 day project involved the construction of a loft conversion and a rear extension to improve the lives of a very deserving family. The project forms part of the next DIY SOS Big Build series and will be aired by the BBC in the near future . Pictured is John Miles with the DIY SOS team.
Summer Hog Roast!
Assent and GB Building Solutions had a very successful summer barbeque with over 150 clients attending the event and 6 teams taking part in our very own Olympic Games. The overall winner of the events was The Spartans from Martin Walsh Associates. (pictured below) The great evening was capped off with a fantastic Q&A session involving former WBO Super Middle Weight Champion Joe Calzaghe and Olympic semi finalist and Team GB boxing captain Tom Stalker.
Work started in the middle of last year on the conversion and extension to a former nursing home in Hunstanton, Norfolk, in need of some care and attention and indeed a new use. The property, built in 1906, has been given a sym-pathetic refurbishment and extension in keep-ing with the surroundings. The conversion work was designed and executed by Jason Law who operates as ‘Strata Architectural Ltd.’ and the building works carried out by ‘Suiters Ltd.’ both local to the Hunstanton area. All ‘Building Control’ consultation and inspections were overseen by the local ‘Assent’ office based in Dersingham, Norfolk. The end result of all the hard work is a prestigious development now called York Place. The seven apartments fully comply with current sound and thermal insulation regulations having at the same time retained the period architec-tural qualities and providing modern, light and desirable residences.
Assent helps as the
‘Sandcastle’ gets a
make over
Ready and Abel in
Norfolk! An introduction by David
Abel. Hello! I’m David Abel, Norfolk Office’s newest em-ployee. I’m still enjoying the benefits of living at home in North Norfolk regardless of the slight commute everyday! I started out studying construction at The College of West Anglia, after spending a couple of years studying A-Levels. I passed the Level 3 courses with Distinctions, and I am now currently studying for my HNC. However at this point I had no work experience in construction, so I really wanted a job (as stacking shelves was became a bit tiresome). I became increasingly interested in building surveying and building control so when I was approached by Edward who offered me a position, I was excited to start practically applying what I had learned. Now, after a few weeks I’ve now be-come an active member of the team gaining plenty of ex-perience and knowledge, which I can assure you, is much better than working in a supermarket. When I’m not at work I like to spend my free time either playing darts for local teams, or playing my guitar with friends.
Assent Sports
Its not just team GB that has had a memorable summer of sport. Assent offices across the country have been involved in sports events with clients and offices alike. A great day was had by all when the Liverpool Office of Assent treated themselves and 38 golf mad clients to a day at The MacDonald Portal Hotel Golf course in Cheshire. Set in the heart of the rolling Cheshire coun-tryside, the 18-hole Portal and Premier Golf Courses and 9-hole Arderne course have established Portal Golf course as a world-class championship golf venue. The Championship Course at the Macdonald Portal Hotel is relatively unknown to a wide audience, but having opened in 1990 it is one of the best courses to be com-pleted in England in the modern era. The course layout with the long third tips the scales at 607 yards, with a green guarded by a beautiful lake is a Par 73, Yardage 7037 and set in rural parkland. Having charged up with bacon rolls on arrival at the course they set about the warm up on the 9 hole Arderne course. After recharging batteries and fortified with lunch we set about the challenging 7037 yard Championship course and the competition got underway which was fi-nally won by John Parry from Wates Construction with runners up Ian Duffy from EC Harris and Sean Moon. Prizes were presented before tucking into an evening meal with many golf stories and hard luck shots discussed over a few well earned drinks. It was a most enjoyable day and evening and we would like to thank all of our clients who attended and made it a special occasion enjoyed by everyone.
Assent Wakefield also had its annual golf day but this year for the first time the event was held at Fulford near York. Fulford was home to several PGA European Tour events including the Benson and Hedges International Open between 1971 and 1989. Memorably, during the 1981 tourna-ment, Bernhard Langerclimbed the tree by the 17th green to play his third shot.[1] The club also hosted the Martini International in 1967, the Sun Alli-ance European Matchplay Championship in 1979 and the Murphy's Cup in 1990 and 1991. Unfortunately we didn't have the drama of climbing trees to take a shot but a good day was had by 24 enthusiastic golfers. The ‘Texas Scramble’ format was continued this year and as ever it proved a competitive match with the winners being the 4th team out on the day. The winning team consisted of Mark Dean from Bowman Riley, Ian Pawson an independ-ent architectural technologist, Paul Beattie from Miller Construction & Russell Haigh a local Builder. The afternoons golf was capped of with a fantastic meal in the club house and the prize giving ceremony. For those interested in taking part in next years golf days please contact Brian Hill or Martin Conlon at our Wakefield office on 01924 229180 or Terry Gordon at our Liverpool office on 0151 548 6330.
A
memorable
summer of
sport
IMPORTANT INFORMATION! Your local Assent office can provide free updates on forthcoming regulations changes, in house seminars and building regulations surgeries. Please look at www.assentbc.co.uk to find your local office and book us in to come and see you!
Technical News!
NHBC Technical Requirements Update Mechanical fixings now mandatory for all homes built to NHBC requirements and checks should be made to specifica-tions and on site with the builder to make sure that the correct approach is being made on site.
Since January 1st this year the NHBC has required all homes under its guarantee scheme to have mechanical fixed ridge and hip tiles. This is as a result of a large number of claims based around mor-tar based fixings. More than six months down the line, we are often asked on site how to comply with the NHBC guidance. It’s apparent that, onsite, confusion still reigns on how to mechanically fix wet bedded tiles. No one method is taking precedence.
Some Roofers have used dry fix fixings through the mortar joints in a similar way as they would with a dry fix assembly, others have drilled and fixed twice and others just once. Also, correct assem-bly kits are not being used all the time and it’s critical that the cor-rect screws, washers and grommets are used to maintain a weather resistant penetration. Traditionally the fixing method for ridge and hip tiles has required use of deep-bed mortar, this is still allowed under the NHBC guidance. What’s changed is the need to now mechanically fix ridge and hip tiles in conjunction with mortar. It’s not difficult to see how confusion and bad practice can occur because there are two options to mechanically fix ridge and hip tiles. The first, and it seems most commonly used option since January 1st, is to continue using mortar with mechanical fixings as well. The second is to install a complete dry fix solution. Although the NHBC standards do not come under the building control requirements we feel that this mandatory re-quirement on NHBC schemes has resulted in further queries on site during our inspections on what is needed to com-ply. One point also of note is that each manufacturer has their own systems which are not typically interchangeable so detailing is crucial to compliance.
Ipads, tablets and smart phones are becoming common place on site and there are now an number of applications which can be of assis-
tance when designing and checking plans and specifications. In this news letter we though it would be good to highlight a couple of applications that we find very useful.
AutoCAD WS. The free AutoCAD WS apps for iOS and Android lets you take your AutoCAD designs with you wherever you go. On the job site, in a meeting or on the road, the AutoCAD WS mobile app gives you everything you need to view, edit and share DWG files on your smartphone or tablet. Celotex U-Value Calculator. The free Celotex app provides instant access to a U-value calculator based around Celotex products. The professional calculator allows you to specify your desired U-value before immediately calculating the required insulation thickness and product solution. D Photo Measure. This powerful application let's you draw measures and dimensions on a photo. After photos are marked up with measurements, they can be send to anyone. Available for both Apple and Android devices.
STOP PRESS..... The Hope Challenge mentioned in our last issue has been postponed. The event will now be taking place in spring 2013 in the Peak District. Further details to follow in our Christmas edition.
The last 3 months have been busy for new appointments at Assent.
We are delighted to announce that Steve White will be joining us from Liverpool City Council Building Control where he was the Principal Surveyor with special respon-sibilities for major projects in the city. He brings with him a wealth of experience and an enthusiasm second to none having been closely involved in a number of blue chip projects including Liverpool One, Kings Dock and the Echo Arena, the Museum of Liverpool Life and the renovation of the Central Library.
Steve will be familiar to many of you, particularly if you have been involved in any developments in Liverpool City Centre and the LABC Partnership Scheme and I’m sure that you will agree that he will be a major asset to our office.
With the addition of Steve as part of our team, we are confident that we can continue to provide an efficient and customer focussed building control service. Steve can be contacted on our landline: 0151 548 6330; mobile 07711392371 or e-mail [email protected]
In addition to our new team member in Liverpool we have a new starter in Norfolk. David Abel has joined Ed-ward Phillips. You can read a short introduction from David in this issue.
Our Sheffield office has recently taken on an additional surveyor and welcomes Simon Grindle to the team.
Other new Associates at Assent are John Gower, Iain Al-lars serving Taunton and Exeter to compliment the ser-vices offered by Alex Gaylard and Andrew Rich in the South West. Ian Wright & Neil Robinson joined Assent in the spring and are based in Colchester area serving Essex and the South East., Steven Dunn is also a new associate based in the Nuneaton area.
The new associates and surveyors represent the in-creased coverage Assent now has. It also reflects the hard work our team undertake to provide a first rate building control service.
Send us your caption for the above photograph and the best one will win a bottle of Champagne!!
E-mail your entry to [email protected] or enter via Twitter before 15th of November in order to enter.
The winner of our last competition was Tony Kirkpatrick from Leigh Surveyors in Greater Manchester with the line “Architect labelled basket case?” Well Done Tony!
New Starters
And Finally..Caption competition!
Assent on Twitter!
Follow us on Assent now has a Twitter account where you can keep up to date with news and new starters with the company between our additions of the news letter. It will also be the first place to find our latest copy of the news letter starting with this issue.
We can be found at the following address @assentbc or by searching Building Control Assent in Twitter. If you are
reading this on a computer or tablet you can also click on the
follow @assentbc icon. Remember to follow us as we will have a prize for the 200th follower!
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