HOUSE REPORTS:

House reports are undertaken by HCE. Reports may be requested to assess the overall condition of an existing property for a prospective purchaser prior to completion of contracts or in other cases to make an assessment of a certain defect of concern to a property owner. The most common defects forming the subject of our house reports are cracking of structural elements, dampness, poor thermal performance or settlement related.

A house report is completed following a detailed visual inspection of the property.

ENGINEERING SERVICES

As a small growing consultancy HCE provides an ideal design service for small to medium size construction projects. Working hard to produce tailored design solutions which are efficient and buildable, resulting in an economic use of materials and savings on a build cost.

Clients in recent years have become more aware of building costs as margins have shrunk. Higher value is now placed on looking at all aspects of a project’s costs, including the engineered solutions provided by their engineering consultants.

Recent advances in the thermal performance of our buildings has led to a requirement for Architects, Engineers and clients to all work closely in achieving modern buildings which look good, use less energy to construct and operate and are cost efficient to construct.

R.C. DESIGN & DETAILING

HCE has considerable experience in the design and detailing of reinforced concrete. High quality r.c drawings and bar bending schedules are prepared using AutoCad related design software. Use of this software allows high volume of output needed for larger projects whilst providing accuracy of the scheduled information produced.

Automation of the design process provides a more economical design of r.c elements resulting in less specified reinforcement and therefore a saving to clients.

STRUCTURAL STEELWORK

The company have been involved in a wide range of projects  involving all forms of construction using steelwork. Again AutoCad related design and detailing software is used to produce accurate and economical design solutions. Quality detailing drawings and schedules are produced.

RETAINING WALL DESIGN

HCE is experience in design of retaining structures using a variety of materials.

1. Reinforced concrete cantilever retaining walls.
2. Stone filled gabions – gravity wall construction
3. Masonry and masonry r.c hybrid design.

SERVICES DESIGN

HCE provides a responsive design service suitable for small to mid-scale municipal developments. Foul & Storm sewer systems are design using the leading software available. We have experience in liaising with the various Local Authorities and enjoy a good working relationship, endeavouring to ensure we are up to date with policy relating to services.

Design information is normally produced pre-planning for submission as part of an Architect’s planning application.

SITE SUITABILITY ASSESSMENTS

HCE carries out site suitability assessments and characterisation reports for one off dwelling houses.

This involves site testing; p-tests, T-tests and trial hole investigation as well as completion of the site characterisation form.

Site testing usually involves multiple site visits over 2-3 days. A series of test holes are hand dug to allow multiple tests to determine the rate at which water soaks away.

Note: The layout and dimension of Typical P & T-tests are show on sketch P01 Appended.

Click the image & right click on the mouse to download the file.

STORM WATER DISPOSAL – BRE 365

When assessing planning applications, a recurring concern of many Local Authorities in more recent years has been the proposed method of storm water disposal. At a policy level in controlling the increased rate of storm water run-off from a large number of developed sites, Local Authorities reduce risk of flooding down stream.

Infiltration characteristics of a sites subsoil  is determined through site testing in accordance with the methodologies set out in BRE365.

Note: Refer to pdf appended showing BRE365 INFORMATION BY CLICKING HERE

Bre365 Site testing involves the excavation of 1 or more test holes, dimensions vary but normally the volume of water for each test is 1.0 cubic metre or greater.

A series of tests are carried out which allow the calculation of an average rate of infiltration for the site, from which a soak-away may be designed.

Local authorities are increasing looking for this level of testing for both domestic  dwellings and commercial  property development  urban and rural.

Further  Sustainable Urban Drainage techniques.

• Storm water attenuation tanks
• Storm water attenuation ponds
• Infiltration to ground via ground water soakaways
• Permeable paving

Planning & Building Regulation Compliance

FIRE SAFETY CERTIFICATE

HCE has prepared Fire Safety Certificate applications for

• Nursing Homes
• Residential apartments
• Shopping centres
• Sports facilities
• Bar & night clubs

DISABILITY ACCESS CERTIFICATE

HCE has prepared Disability access certificate applications for

• Residential apartments
• Shopping centres
• Sports facilities
• Bar & night clubs

FEASIBILITY STUDIES

Feasibility studies are often undertaken on behalf of a client considering a potential site purchase of lands which may be either zoned or unzoned. Experience in the design of services needed in preparation of planning applications allow us to identify potential site specific pitfalls or areas where considerable expenditure will be needed in order to develop.

MAPPING & COMPLIANCE

• Land Registry Mapping
• Multi-Storey Registration

SNAG LISTS:

A snag list is a list of visible defects evident in a finished property, and is an essential undertaking to ensure a purchaser is getting full value for money. When prepared by an Engineer or Architect or other professionally qualified person it identifies all reasonable minor defects in need of repair.

Having the snag list done by a professional takes away considerable stress from the purchasers as he/she is acting to communicate the snag  items to the builder. In other words they will act to demand a high standard of finish allowing the client to maintain a stress free, friendly relationship with the builder.

From experience the professional will know where to look for less obvious snag items as well as having the technical expertise to quote acceptable building tolerances etc should a particular issue become contentious.

For many purchasers, particularly first time home owners, there is a tendency to accept a less than perfect finish, assuming that the minor defects can be put right within a short period of time and without too much effort. The reality is, however, that once the house is occupied it becomes much more difficult to carry our such repair works. It is sensible to have it put right by the contractor as is the entitlement. In most cases the contractor will have monies withheld from his sub-contractors to ensure that everything is completed satisfactorily   prior to their payment.

Common snag items (non-exhaustive)

• Sockets fixed off-plumb
• Skirting/architrave poorly mitred
• Door saddles poorly cut
• Sticking doors
• Bathroom fitting/trim
• Tile grouting
• Stairs string/skirting
• Plaster on window/frames
• Paint splashes
• Mortar dropping on paths
• Poorly fitted gully covers/A.J Covers
• Badly fitted window boards
• Insulation incomplete in attic space

The list is endless and varies from property to property.

Hollywood Consulting Engineering carries out snag lists.

Raft Foundations

Raft Foundation are generally required where traditional strip foundations become too wide to offer an economical solution. The raft will exert a lower bearing pressure on subsoil resulting is less settlement of the structure.

The nature of the raft will depend on the ground conditions as well as the layout and weight of the superstructure.

Typically rafts are constructed from reinforced concrete and have thickenings along their perimeter and under internal line loads. The use of raft foundations is also common where rock is encountered, in such instances a lightly reinforced raft acts to cap the rock layer.

Piled foundations

Where the subsoil cannot sustain a raft design piled foundations offer a solution. Steel or concrete piles, either driven or bored, act to carry load to a suitable depth. The layout, nature and depth of the pile foundation system is determined based on an appraisal of the building and site investigation.

Where a firm bearing strata such as rock is not too deep end bearing piles are usually employed, in other cases friction piles are adopted. In all instances pile testing is a requirement to determine pile integrity and allowable loadings.

Reinforced concrete beams and floor slabs are then constructed between the piled foundations to carry the superstructure.