Independent advice on remediating existing buildings. Facing remediation can be daunting, particularly the uncertainty over what is really needed and what it will cost. We will take the time to understand your building and help you find a realistic, well-evidenced way forward.
Remediation follows from a fire risk assessment or external wall appraisal that has identified a problem. The works required depend on the building, its construction and the specific findings, so every remediation scope is different. No two buildings are the same, and remediation is rarely as simple as it first appears.
We provide independent remediation advice, worked from the building's fire strategy: what the building needs to achieve, and how the proposed works meet it. Our advice is based on the assessed risk and the relevant guidance and standards.
We do not design the remedial works. Your appointed design team prepares the design, and we review it against the remediation intent and the fire strategy, commenting on fire safety matters as an independent reviewer. This keeps our review role separate from the design responsibility. Throughout, our aim is to help you understand your building and make informed decisions, not to leave you navigating it alone.
For external walls, a PAS 9980 FRAEW establishes the wall construction and the risk it presents, and this informs the remediation approach.
Timber frame and other lightweight framed buildings present different fire risks from masonry construction, and they need to be understood on their own terms. Their fire performance depends heavily on concealed details: the integrity of compartmentation at floor and wall junctions, the correct installation of cavity barriers, the condition of sheathing and lining boards, and the protection to the structural frame itself. Defects are often hidden within the construction, and the way fire can spread through cavities makes getting these details right particularly important.
Remediating a timber frame building is not the same as remediating a masonry one, and applying masonry assumptions to it can lead to works that are disproportionate, impractical, or that miss the real issue. We have a good understanding of how these buildings behave and, just as importantly, of what is realistic to achieve in remediation: where concealed defects are likely to be found, how they can be investigated with least disruption to residents, and which remedial approaches are both effective and deliverable in an occupied building.
If your building is of timber frame or a similar lightweight construction, tell us. We will take the time to understand how yours is built before advising on any works, so that what is proposed fits the building in front of us.
Related reading: fire risk assessments identify what needs remediating, and retrospective fire strategies give remediation a benchmark to work to.
By the fire risk assessment or external wall appraisal and the building's fire strategy, against the relevant guidance and standards. Where you have received remedial proposals, we can review them independently and advise on whether the scope is consistent with the findings. Every building is different, so each is considered on its own facts, and we will talk you through ours.
Yes. Timber frame and other lightweight framed buildings behave differently from masonry, and much of what matters is concealed within the construction, including compartmentation junctions and cavity barriers. We understand these buildings and what is realistic to achieve in remediating them, and we will advise on the approach that suits how yours is built.
No. Your appointed design team designs the works; we review those proposals against the remediation intent and the fire strategy as an independent reviewer. This keeps our review role separate from the design responsibility.
The fire risk assessment and any FRAEW identify the risk; remediation addresses it. We check that the proposed works align with the findings and the fire strategy and are closed out with supporting records, so the position is clear at the next assessment.
Yes. We are often brought in mid-programme to review a scope against the assessment findings, help resolve disputes about what is required, or review completed works where quality is in question. We would discuss the specifics with you before proposing a scope of involvement.
Remediation can feel overwhelming, and it helps to have someone independent who will take the time to understand your building. Every project is different. If you have remedial proposals or an assessment you would like reviewed, or you are simply unsure what your building needs, send it over and we will set out a proposed scope of involvement and fee.
The descriptions on these pages outline our standard approach to each service. The scope, methodology and fee for any instruction are determined for the individual building or project and confirmed in a written proposal before work begins.