66 TREDWORTH ROAD
Gloucester
Rachel Capener is the Renovation Project Manager for Gloucestershire College.
In March 2016, the college made a ground-breaking and high-risk decision to purchase a two-up, two-down Victorian mid-terrace house, namely 66 Tredworth Close in Gloucester for their construction students (studying plastering, electrical, plumbing, carpentry, bench joinery, brickwork and painting and decorating) to renovate.
‘It’s quite difficult for us to get our learners work experience,’ explains Rachel. ‘There’s massive implications in terms of Health and Safety and Insurance. We’re the first college in the UK to do anything like this.’
Things were going great... until
‘The house was completely wet through,’ says Rachel. ‘Damp readings were through the roof. This project posed a real risk for the college and we needed all the appropriate certificates to sell it on once we’d finished.’
There would have been no point in paying a damp proofing company to hack all the plaster off, damp proof it and replaster it when the whole purpose of buying the house was to get the students to do the work. But finding a company who would guarantee the work underneath her students’ plastering was a tough call.
Then along came Guardian
‘Guardian were the only company I approached who got back to me,’ says Rachel. ‘Without them we would have been snookered. They did the work and they fitted a damp proof membrane free of charge, to solve the leaky roof. Tim did a couple of demonstrations for our plastering students, explaining what he was doing, and why they don’t use chemical injections anymore.
‘They’ve given us a certificate to guarantee the work they’ve done and our remedial work on top it for 10 years. I’m really grateful for all they’ve done.
Becoming a Best Practice Case Study
The Health & Safety Executive were involved throughout and are comfortable with Guardian’s work and the work we did. In fact, they’re so interested they’re going to be doing a best practice case study on the project when it’s finished. Hopefully the students will be more ready for work as a result.
Would Gloucestershire College recommend
Guardian Preservation?
‘Definitely,’ says Rachel. ‘They're so, so easy to work with. So reliable. Nothing’s too much trouble for them. Hannah and Tim even call me now and again to find out how I am and how the house is going. It’s really nice.’
Over 290 students have been involved in renovating 66 Tredworth Road so far and the college is just about to exchange contracts on a second property.
On the job training for construction students is a fantastic idea and a great project. Everyone here at Guardian Preservation is delighted and proud to have been involved.
If you would like to meet up and discuss how we could help you to complete projects on time and to high quality specifications, please get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.
