When the removal lorry draws up outside a business’s new premises, it’s all hands on deck to unload and move in as fast as possible. Prior to moving day, there will have been a fit out, creating the perfect working space to enhance productivity and employee well-being. However, even before this takes place, the property will have undergone substantial preparation work. This is what makes it safe and secure for a new tenant, so it’s a crucial part of the process.
When a tenant moves out of commercial premises, the landlord will immediately begin preparations to re-let the building and will call in experts to strip out the space. It could have been a shop, a restaurant, an office or a fitness suite, but the work needed to prepare it is the same, whether it’s basic enabling procedures or a complex catalogue of operations.
The very first thing which needs to be done on any job is an asbestos survey. It may surprise you to know that asbestos was only banned in the construction of new buildings in 2000, so if the building is older than this, it will need a survey to detect if there is any. There are different grades of asbestos requiring different treatments; complete removal is extremely expensive. One option is encapsulation, which involves applying a protective layer onto the asbestos-containing material (ACM). This contains the asbestos fibres behind it and protects it from damage. If this is the method used, then the details must be added to an asbestos register, which is a document outlining all the ACMs within any particular building. It’s essential for any future installation, maintenance or demolition works in order to keep workers and tenants safe.
The landlord’s permission is needed before any preparation works can take place, and the contractor will probably need to call in other experts at the outset. Advice from a building control surveyor may be needed if there are works taking place on the roof or if fire escapes are being changed or adapted. Planning input may be necessary, or if there are to be structural changes, a structural engineer could be consulted.
Sorting out the various services is one of the most important jobs. The electricity supply must be isolated right back to the distribution board and disconnected, and a certificate obtained from the relevant electricity board to say this has been done. In order to work on site and use power tools, a temporary service will then be put in. This will involve a transformer that drops the standard 240v power supply to 110v to keep workers safe and remove the necessity for expensive circuit breakers. A shock from a 240v power supply could kill you, but one from 110v won’t; all tools used on site are required to be 110v.
If there is a gas supply to the site, this will also need to be isolated and the pipework ‘purged’. This is to ensure that any hazardous gas, hydrogen or nitrogen is removed. An inert gas is injected into the pipe, which mixes with any old gas and prevents combustion and danger to site workers. An upstream valve is then opened to allow natural gas to enter, and a service valve is used to allow the old gas to escape in a controlled way. Although new gas pipes might be laid which will eventually be able to carry eco-friendly hydrogen instead of natural gas, the trend now is often to discontinue a natural gas supply completely for a solution more suited to the environment.
The water supply to the site will be isolated and turned off, sprinklers decommissioned, and any BT communications lines protected against possible damage. A temporary fire alarm should be installed, and arrangements made for insurance so that the building is covered during enabling works.
An essential job for a contractor is to set up a welfare unit, which is a legal requirement, in order to provide a suitably safe environment for everyone working on the site.
Welfare amenities include clean, well-lit and well-ventilated toilets, handwashing facilities and showers on larger sites. Drinking water should be provided, as well as changing rooms and lockers for home clothes and tools which aren’t taken home overnight. A rest area should be provided with a place to prepare and eat a meal, boil a kettle and relax during a lunch break.
A construction plan should be produced, in conjunction with health and safety regulations, which details all processes of the works up to completion. Safety fencing and signs will need to be put up. There may be problems to be overcome with regard to the site, for example, the route for removal of waste material. A city centre office building will have very different challenges to one in a spacious business park. Skips will be needed, but where can they be placed? Is there a goods lift, or a service yard in the basement, as is usually the case for a retail centre? In some premises, the only way to extract waste is to break it down and remove it by wheelie bin.
If work needs to take place on a roof, there are further logistical issues. Guttering gets weathered and may need to be replaced or re-lined. One of the most common problems with metal roofing is cut edge corrosion, or CEC, which occurs on the sheet laps and ends of profiled metal roofs. Cover flashing or edge protection paint or lacquer can be applied to guard against this.
Sometimes there may be old plant on a roof requiring removal; this will necessitate a crane, which needs stable ground and often considerable ingenuity to get it in place. If it has to be positioned in a busy thoroughfare, road closures may need to be set up with accompanying traffic management, or a night time installation arranged.
The term ‘enabling works’ covers a multitude of preparations which can include site clearance, re-roofing, removal of hazardous materials, façade retention and dismantling and removing old machinery. If groundworks take place, there is always the possibility of an archaeological discovery, with the resulting heritage investigations it may throw up!
A strip out usually includes the removal of all non-structural elements of the building, such as air conditioning units, lighting, built-in furniture, floor coverings, dividing walls and partitions, fixtures, cables and fittings, and will often involve forming new openings such as doorways. Services may need to be installed and commissioning certificates obtained which verify the stage completed. While a strip out is taking place, a reputable contractor will ensure that every item removed is reused or recycled if possible. Metal, wood, bricks, old air conditioning units, and even some concrete can all be salvaged responsibly.
The building is then left clean and tidy for the landlord to sign off, and finally, the fit out for a new tenant can begin.
Thorough preparation is critical for the successful transition of premises to a new tenant, and it may seem like a daunting prospect. At Oakwhite, we have a long track record of successful, on-time and on-budget enabling works throughout the UK.
Why not contact us via email, or give us a call on 01403 586062 for an initial chat, and find out how we can help you with your next project?