The challenge

Lockdown changed the conditions on site from one week to the next, on a job that still needed trades, materials and deliveries to come together in the right order.

• Working within site restrictions that could change at short notice
• Keeping the project moving through trade disruptions
• Securing materials during industry-wide shortages
• Building the extension and renovating the existing home as one project

The build

A renovation and extension depends on trades following each other in sequence, from structure and roofing through to services, linings and finishes. During lockdown, the sequence on site was rarely the one on the original program.

So we managed the program closely, reordering work around whichever trades and materials were available so the site wasn't left standing idle waiting on one piece.

The extension was built into the existing home, and the renovation carried through the original rooms alongside it.

The result

The owners gained the extra space they were after and a home renovated throughout, completed through one of the most disrupted periods the industry has faced.

Few builds will ever face another lockdown, but every build deals with late materials, changing conditions or trades who can't make it when expected. Keeping a project moving when the plan changes is part of every job we run.