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Wimpey No Fines Refurbishment

Wimpey No Fines Block, Slatyford, Newcastle

A £8.5m refurbishment scheme on the Slatyford Estate in Newcastle upon Tyne began earlier this year. The scheme is part of an £500m Government funded initiative to bring all of Newcastle’s 30,000 social housing stock up to Decent Homes Standard by 2011.

St Astier’s contract, which saw our work begin in June, is in association with Straightline Construction, one of Your Home Newcastle’s Construction Partner Companies. Our work involves renovation of the outside walls to the Wimpey No Fines flats which were built in the early 1950’s.

The Wimpey No-fines house type was design by the George Wimpey company and intended for mass-production of social housing for families. They were built in large numbers in the United Kingdom from the mid-1940s onwards and are a common sight in most cities around Britain – in excess of 300,000 were built. ‘No-fines’ refers to the non-proprietary type of concrete used called ‘no-fines concrete’.

Numerous basic types of Wimpey No-Fines (WNF) bungalows, houses, maisonettes and in the case of Slatyford, low-rise blocks of flats were produced ranging from one to five storeys, although a few six storey blocks were produced under supervision.

We are installing an Alumasc Swisslab Insulated Render System to overclad the 18 blocks of three storey structures, upgrading thermal performance, preventing heat loss and reducing fuel bills for the 500 Slatyford residents. On top of the environmental benefits the system will give the 1950’s flats a fresh, contemporary look.

Other external work outside of St Astier’s remit includes the replacement of the old concrete tiled pitched roofs, new windows, doors and communal entrance canopies, new external lighting and the replacement of first and second floor open balconies with enclosed patio doors and Juliette balconies, to improve safety and increase the useable internal areas of the dwellings.

The external refurbishment programme is scheduled for completion in June 2010.

Posted on 14 December 2009 by Ranson Og and filed under .

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