The commissioning of a classic sail

Timberwise has always had a strong commitiment to preserving heritage,
On land, and now on sea !

To see updated progress on the construction of the ‘Artic Tern’ visit the website for Classic Sailboats.

At Timberwise our passion for preserving heritage has now reached new levels with the personal commissioning of a classic wooden sail boat by our Managing Director, Mark Edwards, that showcases the talents of traditional craftsmanship.

The Seabird Half Rater is a 20 ft carvel planked dayboat.  Based on an historic design that dates back to 1898, the Seabird is keenly raced in the North West and North Wales, with fleets at Trearddur Bay, Wallasey and Abersoch.

The Half Rater will be built to the traditional specification, using time-honoured methods and materials. Planked in pitch pine, and decked in very attractive yellow pine, the Half Rater will be finished in mahogany.

Following the tradition of naming this kind of craft after seabirds the name ‘Artic Tern’ has been choosen. The project is due to finish for the summer of 2006 when Mark will take to the water in North Wales and put the ‘Artic Tern’ through her paces!

Timberwise is a high profile Basement Systems installer. Basement Systems are an internationally recognised basement waterproofing contractor network that supply ‘cutting edge’ waterproofing technology to a select number of installers in the UK.

Visit the Basement Systems Corporate Site

For over 20 years Basement Systems have been designing and installing products exclusively for basements. The range of patented products include:

• Waterguard (subfloor drainage)
• ThermalDry (Wall Membrane)
• ThermalDry (Floor Matting)
• TripleSafe (Sump and Pump System)

To see how Timberwise can help your basement project visit our Basement Solutions pages or if you want to Request a Survey click here.

Timberwise are proud to have assisted with damp proofing and timber treatments to a listed property in Harlaxton, Lincolnshire that has featured on the Channel 4 programme ‘Property Ladder’.

The property is a grade 2 listed building that was built in the early 1800’s as the village bakery. The building (a two storey semi detached structure) needed complete modernization.

The Survey

The property is constructed in a combination of 450mm stonework and solid brick walls. The property also included the original bake house ovens which provided a glimpse in to the buildings past. There was no visual evidence of an existing damp proof course.

The inspection to the main roof void, front and rear, revealed evidence of an active infestation by Common Furniture Beetle (anobium punctatum). It was also noted that water was entering the roof void to the rear and front valleys above the bake house extension. The water ingress had caused attack by Wet Rot fungus (Coniophora puteana) to several valley beams. The second and first floor floors were found to be of reed and lime motar construction. Our inspection also revealed attack by the Common Furniture Beetle, this appeared however to be of some age with no evidence of recent activity. One first floor area had evidence of attack by Wet Rot fungus to a number of joists. The decay had resulted in some considerable deflection in the floor.

Following our visual inspection and moisture profiling it was noted that a problem of rising damp existed to all ground floor walls. All ground floor wall plaster upto 1000 mm above the internal floor was showing signs of deterioration and salt contamination.

The Solution

We carried out a full woodworm eradication programme to the roof voids as well as providing a full damp proofing system to the retaing walls using our exclusive Driwise system. The groundfloor walls, having been damp proofed were then re-plastered using a high quality cement based renovating plaster.

The end result of our work and our clients renovations is a sympathetically restored Grade 2 listed property that is free of any damp issues and woodboring insect infestations.

Visit the Property Ladder website.

WaterAid is the UK’s only major charity dedicated exclusively to the provision of safe domestic water, sanitation and hygiene education to the world’s poorest people.

These basic services are essential to life; without them vulnerable communities are trapped in the stranglehold of disease and poverty.

For £15 WaterAid can provide a person with safe water, adequate sanitation and knowledge of good hygiene practises.

Timberwise, through Basement Systems, have pledged to donate £15 for each SuperSump system installed, meaning that not only can we remove your problem water, but at the same time help to provide safe, clean water and improved sanitation to those that really need it.

Find out more about WaterAid by visiting their website.

Timberwise – Preserving Liverpool’s Heritage

Timberwise are committed to helping with the preservation of Liverpool’s heritage through their involvement in a number of developments and regenerations as the city prepares itself for the Capital City of Culture 2008.

Perhaps the largest contract of them all is the treatment of extensive dry rot found in The Municipal Annexe, a listed building built in the early 20th Century. The stone façade five-storey building was originally constructed as the Conservative Club and was taken over in latter years by Liverpool City Council as an extension to their municipal offices. The Annexe was vacated by Liverpool City Council some 5 years ago and sold to property developers with a view to turning the building into a 5 star hotel. The developers’ intentions to develop the building were some way off and owing to a lack of occupancy squatters moved in and enjoyed the luxury of a state building, with intricate plasterwork and gold leaf decorations, for some time.

Through their reputation and skill in the treatments of heritage buildings, Timberwise were approached to carry out an initial survey to the inner stairwell and central lift shaft of The Municipal Annexe and to follow evident outbreaks of the true, Dry Rot Serpula Lacrymans from roof space to basement. Resulting from the survey findings, extensive sterilisation treatments were administered as well as repairs to the entire main staircase; the central feature of the building.

Timberwise’s works included the removal of all effected plasterwork, irrigation through low pressure injection through staggered injection holes, replacements to main joists, staircase treads, flooring, window and door frames. Due to the building being Grade 2 Listed, the entire works and any replacements, needed to be reinstated to its former glory, under the close eye of the Liverpool City Conservation Officer. Perhaps the most challenging of the works was the replacement of all of the ornate plasterwork, which had to initially be removed for treatments behind. As main contractor on site, Timberwise’s project management abilities have excelled themselves throughout the project. Keeping a close eye on quality and detail as well as time management, the project has moved swiftly forward and ahead of the original five-month schedule.

To visit the ‘Visit Liverpool’ website and find out more about the 2008 Capital of Culture click here

Home Building and Renovating Show
Harrogate International Centre 4 to 6 Nov 2005

Timberwise are proud to be supporting the annual Home Building and Renovating show that is held at Harrogate. Between Friday 4th November and Sunday 6th November the local Timberwise team can be found at stand 264B where you can meet our local surveyors and discover how Timberwise can provide solutions to help your building project. We are also offering visitors to the stand the opportunity to enter a Free Prize Draw to win a Free Property Health Check for their home. The show features over 140 exhibitors, putting home owners in touch with the top suppliers from the region and features a unique seminar session cover many areas of self-build and renovation. We look forward to meeting you there! Opening times: Friday and Saturday 10am – 5pm; Sunday 10am – 4.30pm

Visit the official site for the Home Building and Renovating Show.

Figures from the Association of British Insurers in flooding in the UK

• The ABI estimated that storm and flood damage claims following the 2000 floods amounted to between £700m and £750m.
• There are currently more than two million homes within a flood risk area, and an additional two million homes are within 100 metres of a flood risk area. An estimate 250,000 new homes have planning approval within flood plain areas.
• The Environment Agency predicted that there is likely to be a 10-fold increase in the risk of flooding over the next century, and The Foresight Report confirmed that is one of the likely costs of global warming if it continues.

For further information on flooding visit the Environment Agency website.

According to the Association of British Insurers (ABI), there are currently more than 400,000 properties in and at high risk and in need of flood alleviation or protection, and over 2.2 million properties at risk. In addition the Foresight Report, published by the government in April 2004, warns of significant increases in flooding in the future.