The Covid-19 pandemic is having an impact on the building surveying profession, especially where the work involves contact with clients and customers, in their offices or through visits to a property. During this challenging period, MCP remains open for business and you can rest assured that we are undertaking safe working practices. MCP’s Covid-19 contingency and business continuity plans are … Read More
Replacing a slate roof
Choosing the correct slate for a roof replacement is hugely important, here are a few things to consider: Always ask for a sample of the slate before you place an order. The slate should be tested to BS EN 123261 (the recognised standard for natural slate quality). Check the grade, for slate graded T1, which is the highest grade, the … Read More
Lead pipework repair
You see some funny things when you visit a residential property which has been let for a number of years. In one such property recently, I came across an incoming water mains which had been repaired with PVC electrical insulation tape – but provided it complies with BS EN 60454-1:1995, which are the specifications for pressure-sensitive adhesive tape, then it’s … Read More
Case Study: Building survey on Heathrow House
Keyance appointed MCP Ltd to undertake a due diligence building survey of the third floor Heathrow House. The building was originally designed for a single occupier and has been extensively refurbished to provide Cat A office occupation. The building comprises of a complex structure with a central lift core separating the front and rear offices. The large ground floor area … Read More
Case Study: Fire damage reinstatement
As part of our disaster recovery services, and combining that with our contract administration expertise, MCP assisted Chestertons following a fire in one of their properties. We undertook an initial survey and prepared a specification. MCP tendered the repair work to a selection of specialist contractors to undertake the reinstatement work required after the property was damaged. Following a competitive … Read More
Is your flat door a fire door?
Fire doors have two important functions in a fire – when closed they form a barrier to stop the spread of fire and when opened they provide a means of escape. Older panel doors, especially if less then 44mm thick, are unlikely to be FD30 – which in the event of fire provides 30 minutes of protection. Hollow flush doors … Read More
Brick is beautiful
Brickwork forms an integral part of hard landscaping features throughout the public realm on both commercial and residential sites. We owe a lot to the skill of bricklayers in creating beautiful brick facades. The difference in scale of brickwork and buildings varies immensely from simple, low level boundary walls, built to basic ‘rule of thumb’ tradition, to more elaborate walls … Read More
Fire safety legislation explained
MCP, working with a managing agent, has been instructed to upgrade a number of common parts to meet the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Until recently fire safety was covered by about seventy pieces of fire safety legislation, the principal ones being the Fire Precautions Act 1961 and the Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations 1997/1999. However the regulations were simplified … Read More
Thames riverbank refurbishment
One of the latest MCP projects involved the unique nature of undertaking the removal of vegetation from the riverbank wall along the Thames in order to assess the condition of the structure. Anyone contemplating works in any watercourse must consider the impact that such works may have, either directly or indirectly, to any other river users. Due to the complex logistics … Read More