The total house refurbishment at Heslop Road, Balham, is one of the most challenging renovation projects we are currently working on.

The rear of the house is currently supported by an enormous steel, which is probably the largest we have ever put in. It was carried off the truck on a ginny lift and then took 10 men to move it!

Having knocked-out the right side of the house, the upper floors are currently sitting on the steel while we continue underpinning the basement.

We have, of course, built a temporary hoarding to secure the property and protect it from the elements, but it certainly wouldn’t be practical for someone to be living here at the current time!

The underpinning of the basement is going well, but there is another challenge on the horizon because the left side neighbour has a pad-stone foundation. Therefore, the excavation will need to be done in a certain way.

The neighbour is also undergoing building work for a three-floor extension and have had to re-inforce their foundations. It means we have had to put a method statement in place for how we are going to manage the underpinning, which will involve us propping-up the house as we go.

These challenges were all in situ from the party wall arrangement, so you just have to work around them; but overcoming hurdles, such as these, is one of the reasons we employ skilled builders and a dedicated project manager who are able to overcome the complexities that can arise in large residential building projects.