12 November 2012. By Jeff Anderson
To us, building maintenance and the provision of specialised services is just one aspect of doing a job right. Whether we are providing concrete cancer repair, applying fire sprays, or laying a new industrial floor, in our eyes, environmental responsibility and sustainability measures must be factored into the job specificiation.
30 October 2012. By Hamish
There is a saying along the lines of “A man (or woman’s) home is their castle”. I have no idea where the saying originated, but I think many of us can relate just the same. Home is where we feel safe, where everything is in order and where everything just feels right. Whilst we may enjoy this truth on the inside, sadly outside is not always the same. In some instances it is gardening duty and in others, building repair. Sadly, in many instances, Mother Nature works to conspire against dreams of our house being a castle, causing buildings to suffer from the effects of the environment (too often this is combined with poor quality construction methods).
13 September 2012. By Chris Jakovljevic
I was reminded this week of the need to fix structural issues as they become apparent and to not delay maintenance. I was discussing the importance with a potential client who believed that fixing concrete cancer was as simple as removing the drummy concrete and rendering over the exposed area. I explained to them that this was a myopic view and one which would cost them more money in the short and medium term. They didn't want to agree, arguing that no immediate action was necessary to rectify the underlying issues I had explained. When they said this, I was reminded of the old expression which I will paraphrase here to make my point:
8 June 2012. By Jeff Anderson
I was recently reading an article posted in the Sydney Morning Herald (“No end in sight to waiting game on Bunn Street”) about an apartment complex in Pyrmont Sydney with chronic structural issues and fire safety non-compliance. Due to these issues, residents had been forced to move out of the building in 2009 until such time the identified issues were rectified. Sadly, the residents are still not back at home in their apartments; instead, they are being housed at a cost of $90,000 a month, in Zetland. This is just mind boggling. Not only is the cost of housing the residents elsewhere an unnecessary drain on the coffers of the NSW Government, but it is a gross imposition on the residents themselves who have been moved across town from the waterside suburb of Pyrmont to Zetland, a suburb in close proximity to the airport.
7 June 2012. By Jeff Anderson
Earlier this year, independent research and testing laboratory Exova Warrington finalized a report on a recent project which Remedial Building Services were proud to be a part of. Through 2011, international company ABI Group contracted Remedial for the purposes of assisting in performing upgrade works to the Iconic, Heritage listed building, the Brisbane Town Hall.
18 April 2011. By Jeff Anderson
For some time there has been debate over the alternative solutions to concrete and structural repair issues. Some argue that treating the visible signs and monitoring them closely is a solution, whilst others put forward the thought that rapid response will ultimately lower the long term costs to the owner.
7 April 2011. By Jeff Anderson
The upgrading of building structures, be it for structural rectification purposes, or for a change in use building use, has always been associated with significant financial cost. Whilst the procedure may be inhrently necessary, the cost associated with upgrade has often meant the proposed work is delayed. When the decision to go ahead is made, more often than not, steel and concrete has been the chosen methodology to achieve the outcome. Whilst the advantages of Carbon Fibre have been well documented for many years, it is often overlooked due to a perceived higher cost than the concrete/steel combination.
