Case Studies

Goodgrooms Cartlodge, Bradwell On Sea

Stage 1

The Cartlodge at Goodgrooms was a completely new build within the grounds of Goodgrooms cottage, which has a grade II listing. Because of this listing, we needed to involve the heritage dept of the council in our consultations so that they could grant us listed building consent.

Initially, the site on which the cartlodge was to be built, already had some outbuildings on it, so before any work could start these buildings had to be demolished and the ground stripped back ready for the building work to start.

In order to complement the Grade II Listed Goodgrooms cottage, we required the cartlodge to have a traditional finish which we achieved by incorporating shiplap cladding on the external walls, oak cladding on the exposed steels, and handmade red bricks which provided a nice contrast with the shiplap into our design. Another feature required to give the traditional look was a vaulted roof, which meant incorporating a steel super-structure into the building to provide the appropriate support.

On this project, from the start, the clients had a strong vision of what they wanted the finished building to look like and what features they wanted to have included. The clients required that the new building have an area that could be used as a workshop, have some room for storage and they wanted a carport to be situated next to the building that was big enough to house all of their family cars.

At all stages of the design and planning process, we worked closely with the clients and with the architect to ensure that the final designs were in line with what the clients wanted, whilst keeping within our budget which had previously been agreed upon. We achieved this by producing BIMx designs and 3D models that clearly visualized what we wanted to build well before the work started so that everyone could see how the finished building would look which meant that once set we did not have to change our plans, other than a few small tweaks here and there.

The original buildings on site, which had to be demolished, did not have any services going to them so part of our quote included installing a new 3 phase electric supply and also we had to re-direct the water main and connect onto an existing drainage run so that the new building was fully serviced.

Stage 2

The first consideration for the new build was the ground conditions, which were highlighted as an issue by the structural engineer. The site was situated on soft ground so the structural engineer designed for us suitable foundations for the given conditions. We used a strip foundation that was 2.4m deep so we had to be aware of the health and safety implications which come with working in such deep excavations.

Secondly, the carport, the clients wanted had to be able to support several cars at one time, this meant that we had to include a re-enforced concrete slab to support the weight of these vehicles.

Even with our in-depth survey process, we cannot foresee everything and sometimes we come across the unexpected. This occurred on this job when we were digging out the foundations, we found an old well which was buried underground. Before any more work could continue the well had to be examined before being removed and backfilled with concrete.

Once the foundations were finished we could start the block and steelwork. We started by building the steel super-structure, before putting in the blocks to create the shell which we then finished by building the roof structure and finish on top.

In keeping with the style of building and its final purpose of being used as a workshop, internally we only had to leave a plastered finish, so most of the internal work required was to do with the installation of the hot/cold water supply and the installation of a 3 phase electrical power supply.

Stage 3

The main part of the 2nd fix was to attach and decorate the shiplap cladding to the external walls. This was a crucial part of our design, giving the cartlodge the traditional look required to complement Goodgrooms Cottage. Inside the electrics were made safe for the clients to use and the exposed steel beams were clad with oak to complete the historic/traditional look.

Stage 4

At the finishing stage, all paperwork was complete and any remedial works carried out. The whole site was then cleared out and a cleaning company employed to finish off to a high professional standard.

Stage 5

The job took 8 months to complete which was scheduled from the start and agreed with the client. On completion of the job, all necessary warranties came into play and the RCM team were on hand for any queries or issues.

For further details regarding any of the above, please refer to RCM Contractors on our website.