September 25, 2018

Construction firms join forces to bring history to life in Sunderland

Two construction companies are making history by conquering the delicate job of restoring a 600-year-old castle ruin. Seymour Civil Engineering has been brought in by principal contractor William Birch to help carry out the painstaking work of transforming Hylton Castle in Sunderland into a visitor and learning centre. The £4.5

Read More »
Latest Issue
Issue 323 : Dec 2024

September 25, 2018

Construction firms join forces to bring history to life in Sunderland

Two construction companies are making history by conquering the delicate job of restoring a 600-year-old castle ruin. Seymour Civil Engineering has been brought in by principal contractor William Birch to help carry out the painstaking work of transforming Hylton Castle in Sunderland into a visitor and learning centre. The £4.5 million project is a partnership between local community group Castle in the Community and Sunderland City Council and is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The site is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and the castle itself is a Grade I Listed Building in the guardianship of English Heritage. The project will rejuvenate the site for locals and visitors alike. Once open, it will be managed with and for young people and offer training and internship opportunities. Andy Mountford, Site Manager at Seymour Civil Engineering, said: “Hylton Castle is a magnificent building and we’re really proud to be working alongside William Birch to bring it back to life as both an historic attraction and a hub for the community. “Due to the nature of the project, the work has been far from run-of-the-mill, largely because of the archaeological significance of the site and the effect this has had on our work programme as we carry out all the groundworks. “Working closely with a team of archaeologists has certainly brought with it a fair few challenges, as you don’t know what you’re going to uncover as you go. “However, this has made working on the project really exciting and the team on site has adapted incredibly well to the situation, showing lots of ingenuity and professionalism when overcoming changes in circumstance and planning for what comes next.” Brought in as the civil engineering contractor for the project, Seymour Civil Engineering has completed the groundworks for the restoration, laying the surface trenches in the grounds of the castle for the electricity, water and the ground source heat pumps for the castle’s geothermal energy, as well as the car park and footpaths. Inside the castle Seymour has facilitated the installation of ground beams and will cast the concrete floors for all three levels, as well as the roof and a mezzanine floor. The main contractor for the project, William Birch, is a building and restoration company based in York, specialising in heritage projects. Simon Hills, William Birch’s Site Manager for the project, said: “Transforming the 14th century castle to a living, working building that benefits the local community and visitors has so far been an invigorating experience. “The interest from the local community has been incredible and we have been proud to show many of them the project as it develops. They have waited a long time to see the castle come back to life and we are looking forward to unveiling the completed project in 2019. “Working on buildings that are as nationally significant as Hylton Castle brings an abundance of challenges, challenges that the project team have had to really pull together to overcome. “Seymour has had a tall order with this project, as it has been predominately the groundworks which has been affected by the need for close archaeological monitoring. “The team are real specialists at what they do and they’re great engineers who are brilliant at their job and have acted really professionally throughout the bumps and halts of the project.” Andy added: “Working with William Birch has been a real pleasure and the two teams have gelled incredibly well. “Working hand-in-hand on a difficult job like this is of the upmost importance and having an effective working partnership means we’ve been able to sit down and quickly find solutions to any changes that come about.” As one of the North East’s leading civil engineering contractors, Seymour Civil Engineering is no stranger to projects of this nature. In partnership with Hartlepool Borough Council, Seymour Civil Engineering worked on the strengthening of the historic 14th century Hartlepool Headland Town Wall. The firm worked closely with archaeologists to excavate original wall cladding and developed the craftsmanship to ensure the new wall carefully matched to the original.

Read More »

R-Alvarez is the perfect choice for remodelling your home to your exact requirements

R-Alvarez is a company that can transform your apartment into a real home, that suits you and your family.  With excellent quality, personalized attention and punctuality as their core values, it is the best option when choosing who you will trust to renovate your home. It is perfectly normal to want to improve your home, even though you may already love it, there is always something you will want to change, especially as your needs change. For example, you can redesign your bathroom to add more space, add additional storage or get better use out of the storage you already have. You could add a whirlpool bath, or maybe add a new spacious shower. You can remodel your kitchen to improve the design and functionality. Or perhaps it is just time for modernisation or an overhaul. Whatever work you decide to carry out, you can create the home of your dreams. What is important is that you choose a professional company with many years of experience and highly trained staff. Remodelling your home can be complicated and expensive. It is important to get it right, and important that the team you hire to do this for you works to the highest standards to avoid a poor quality or disappointing finish. If you are thinking of renovating your home, R-Alvarez is the perfect choice. What type of renovation do you want to do? Transforming the ideas you have for home improvement into reality can be tough. You might not know how to articulate it, or the right terminology to use to the contractor you have hired. How can you be sure the work will be carried out how you expected? Having confidence in your chosen company is vital to the success of the renovation project. R-Alvarez has a team of professionals ready to help, with expertise in a wide range of disciplines and skills that will be able to bring your plans to fruition. All parts of the home can be part of your dream project, whether you are converting to an open plan layout, designing an American style kitchen or adding built in furniture such as wardrobes to improve the use of wasted space. R-Alvarez can adapt and modify any room to suit your requirements. Take advantage of the wide range of services available? No matter what room you decide to carry out improvements, or redistribution of space, you will feel more relaxed and confident if you can rely on one company, with specialists all working together to create your vision.   With quality finishes and a transparent costing that with be within an agreed budget, you can get that American kitchen you have always dreamed, complete with the best finishes and use of space. They can also source the best accessories and reliable stylish appliances from all around the world to get the look that you want. But without all the stress that comes with having to coordinate this type of work yourself. Imagine trying to install a modern and elegant bathroom in which to relax without professional help. It could easily turn into a nightmare with so many different tasks and skills required. With R-Alvarez they take full responsibility for delivery of your project, so you can have a headache free renovation. They will even ensure full cleaning at the end and legally dispose of any waste resulting from the work. You will be left with a luxurious and gorgeous new space with none of the worries. Why choose R-Alvarez for your apartment renovation? A single floor dwelling renovation is no small feat. Large-scale projects like this can drag on for a long time, disrupting daily life and preventing you from enjoying your home. Even more frustrating is when delivery dates are agreed and then note met. R-Alvarez pride themselves on being a responsible and professional company, always striving to do it’s best for its clients. They are adaptable and experienced and work hard to ensure that you can return to your home as quickly as possible. And they do not compromise on quality to do this, and so making sure that the renovations will stand the test of time. If you are looking for a company with excellent customer care, who will deliver to your needs and provide the highest level of quality in the redesign of your home, the R-Alvarez is who you are looking for.

Read More »