The work was very difficult because the location is central to Huddersfield Town and very close to the university. The main problem we faced was removing all the waste when the houses were internally demolished and re-modelled. There were many structural changes including the removal of internal basement stairs and chimneys.
During the remodel, we faced many increases in construction costs as the planning inspectorate imposed more and more regulations on us. The small studios had to meet extensive fire safety requirements that included metal framing and partitions, as well as integrated panel systems for fire protection that were not originally included in the cost.
Other additional costs included new windows that we didn’t initially think would need to be replaced, new better security doors for the basement apartments, security camaras and security lighting. A final additional cost was the creation of an entirely new separate entrance and stairwell to the basement apartments for the safety of our student tenants.