Total Maintenance Overhaul for Large Property in North London

Introduction

These Luxury residential flats in Crouch End, North London, desperately needed a touch of Spectrum magic. 

Linked to commercial units on the front of the property and set on a busy high street, this property is comprised of 5 storeys at the front and 7 at the back in a ‘stepped’ wedge formation. The property is managed by Sebright Property Management who we have worked for on several other properties. 

Due to a narrow alleyway with many trees, one of the elevations of the property was covered in algae and moss. The damp, shady area provided the perfect environment for green algae to grow over the rendered walls and concrete path.

Challenges

The client knew the dirty render was ugly aesthetically but also knew it would damage the render long term. Minor signs of damage had already started to present due to the excessive algae growth in places. Which is why they called us in.

The rear elevation had a lot of trees and vegetation, which meant we could not use our patented pole system for the render cleaning in this location. Other areas of the property had maintenance issues which needed addressing, the render staining on other areas was severe but not as heavy as on the previously mentioned elevation. There was also an area of the underground car park ventilation which was corroding and required full restoration. To read more about this metal restoration work please click here.

The Logistics

We needed a tailored access approach to ensure every area of the building was being cleaned to the best of our ability. This involved ground-level teams tackling corroded metal ventilation grates, a pole team to reach and wash the render up to 18 meters and the abseil team.

We needed to be careful with people's belongings as the balconies had a lot of beautiful flowers, pots and furniture on them that we needed to navigate around. As it is summer people had their windows open so we did our best to communicate where we would be and when so people could close them, but we also understood that due to the weather, we would need to clean around these windows with care if they were open.

Our Solution

Regarding the resident's property, we showed flexibility and increased communication to liaise with residents. We also used universal car covers to cover up any vehicles that were not moved and may have been affected by any of the works. After we had cleaned the render, the windows and brick cladding had algae debris on them. As part of the ‘sparkle clean’ we made sure all areas were DOFF cleaned, leaving all areas clean and refreshed.

Having a team that is multi-skilled not only in the work we provide but the ways we access a property is key to everything we do at Spectrum. It allows us to save our clients a lot of money while still achieving amazing results.

The Project

We began by setting up a safe space of work below our abseilers. This involves creating a barrier of tape and signage beneath the area where our team will be descending. This prevents the general public or our team members from accidentally walking below our abseilers and potentially coming to harm. We do everything in our power to ensure the area below our rope access technicians is safe but it is essential to maintain correct health and safety practices when on site.

As the front of the property was commercial units, we had to schedule our work around the deliveries from the M&S. The areas of the property above the loading bay were cleaned in the middle of the day when deliveries and unloading were paused over lunch.

Our team applied the biocide treatment from top to bottom, leaving time for the solution to develop and sterilise the substrate texture. On higher elevations, this was done by the abseiling team using handheld lances, while the team on the ground used our patented pole system, allowing them to apply and remove the biocide with the same equipment. Our pole system can provide steam cleaning up to 18 meters, perfect for removing biocide and algae from tall buildings, or unusually shaped balconies and decorative features. This pole system means we do not require heavy machinery or ladders and can provide comprehensive cleaning services for the safety of the ground.

The Result

As is common for properties in London, the windows were dirty, so we cleaned them as part of the ‘sparkle clean’ after render treatments were complete. Brickwork was going to be affected by the render cleaning run-off so we cleaned that too, meaning the full external appearance of the property had been refreshed. 

Spectrum’s involvement in this project meant:

• We saved the client and residents from unsightly scaffolding for several weeks.
• Saved the building from any damage from having to tie in the scaffold.
• Our cost-effective approach of multiple access methods saved the management tens of thousands of pounds.

The property has now been completely renewed and looks like new, the client and several residents we spoke to have been impressed by our accommodating team and amazing results.