Addison

A complex £5 million refurbishment project: new floors, new roof, rear extension, and a major garden excavation. With delays building up from the original engineering team, Haydon Finch Architects brought in Re-Structured for a second opinion.

The goal: simplify the structure, reduce cost, and keep the programme moving.

Our review uncovered several areas of unnecessary complexity:

• Steelwork: While most of the steel was sensibly placed, the third-floor design was significantly over-specified — we knew it could be leaner.
   
• Timberwork: We identified smaller, more efficient beam sizes throughout. Minor adjustments to trench heater supports also improved performance.
   
• Floors & Structure: The timber-joisted floors and some steel beam placements were revised to deliver better load distribution with fewer materials.
   
• Foundations: Our calculations showed underpinning could be reduced and we flagged key errors in the original drawings that risked breaching the Party Wall Agreement.
   
• Drainage: The proposed drainage layout was overly complex. We proposed a simplified system with combined pumps to cut costs and installation time.
   
• Temporary Works: By reviewing the sequencing, we advised that classifying the rear façade as a new build could unlock 0% VAT — a potentially significant saving.

We re-specified the steel and timberwork, reducing materials by over 40%.

Just the redesign of the steelwork supporting the rear façade saved 2.5 tonnes of steel.

Our recommendation to carry out further exploratory work paid off: the revised drainage design eliminated the need for two large underground pump chambers, and avoided pouring unnecessary concrete beneath existing foundations.

On temporary works, our streamlined scheme is estimated to save two months on site.

The project moved forward with a leaner, clearer structure, lower costs, and fewer risks.

The architect and client are confident in the revised plans, and early signs suggest a successful VAT reclassification could lead to even more savings.

No redesign delays. Just smarter decisions, clearer drawings, and a faster route to site.