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Timber Repair at the Boathouse in Fallowfield, Manchester
Client: The Boathouse
The Platt Fields Bike Hub is a community project located in the old Boathouse in the centre of Platt Fields park in Fallowfield, Manchester. It supports the local cycling community by providing a skilled bike repair service, workshop space and tools, as well as supportive, like-minded people.
It is characterised by beautiful wall murals on the exterior, as well as a covered walkway to the front of the building.
The structure of the building had been compromised by wet rot to the wooden beams supporting the roof covering the walkway, as well as cracks in the masonry on 2 exterior walls.
The Problems Our Client Was Facing
The bottom of the timber support posts that hold up the roof above the walkway, had rotted away due to water ingress over the years and as a result had suffered with wet rot.
The walls of the building had formed cracks due to movement in the masonry. The walls had to be monitored over a period of time until a structural engineer deemed that all movement had stopped, prior to any remedial works beginning. Without this, the remedial crack stitching works would have been rendered useless or could have made the issue worse and potentially enlarged the cracks.
The Methods We Used
To replace the timber support posts, the roof structure first had to be propped up to ensure the roof didn’t move. Then, one at a time, the defective timber posts were taken out and replaced with quality timber as a like for like basis. A waterproofing membrane was added to the base of the posts, where the previous water ingress had taken hold of them.
The walls were fixed by a method called crack stitching which involved installing steel bars and a mixture of grouts and resin to provide additional strength and durability to the walls.
The Results
Our technicians completed all the work within the timeframe allowed and within the budget.
The masonry was structurally strengthened and the defective timber posts were replaced to ensure further structural stability to the roof. Our timber repair works are guaranteed for a period of 20 years, and the stitching of the cracks are guaranteed for 10 years.
Speak to a Timber Repair Specialist in Manchester
Timberwise has fully trained and experienced Surveyors who can provide a range of options and tools available to help deal with any timber repair problems that you might face. Don’t hesitate to contact Timberwise via our form above, by calling on 0800 288 8660 or you can request a survey online.
