Country Cottage
Country Cottage refurbished & Extended
Procurement : Competitive Tender
Summary : Refurbishment and extension of existing farm cottage to improve the living space and reduce the properties carbon emissions and lower running costs.
GMC Building contractors were invited in at Tender stage to compete for this refurbishment contract. Upon our successful tender, our in house renewable energy department were on hand to advise and provide costs for renewable energy options.
Several options were considered, with Air Source Heat Pump and Solar Thermal Combinations considered. However with the property already benefiting from an almost new Worcester Oil boiler set up, this option was considered not cost effective and a waste of an almost new boiler.
With Solar PV offering an excellent return on investment this was decided as the most cost effective and beneficial option to the property. This combined with a low energy lighting scheme covered the electrical efficiency side of the build.
With the existing Oil combi boiler Solar Thermal while fees able was not considered viable by the client, so an underfloor heating scheme was considered the best option for extending the heating system.
Underfloor heating is considered more efficient than traditional radiators and at the end of the existing boilers life in 10-15 years, underfloor heating is the best heat emitter to work with a heat pump or other renewable heating system.
With build commencing during September 2011, GMC were keen to get the property opened up extended and wind and water tight before the winter weather set in. With GMC specialising in timber frame this task was achieved.
During the harshest winter months the team concentrated on the internal refurbishment works including internal structural alterations, removing infected timber floors, insulating and second fixing the extensions.
GMC working as main contractor project managed the build process under instruction from Architect David Darcy (http://www.darcy-architects.co.uk/) who designed and managed the whole contract.
Despite the construction period over winter GMC delivered the project on time and to budget.