Refurbishment works finish at Hortensia House

We've recently completed some much-needed improvement works at Hortensia House, as part of our £400m capital investment programme.

The team have enjoyed working on this project and acknowledged from the beginning that Hortensia House needed some TLC. Due to the overall age of the building a massive amount of work  was needed on both on the outside and inside. 

The team certainly had a challenge on their hands, but with great teamwork and determination they set in motion a massive refurbishment programme. First things first, all the windows were replaced to bring them up to date with modern standards. Not only does replacing older materials such as this bring everything up to a modern standard it also means that we can ensure our residents are living in energy efficient homes which ultimately will contribute to lower household bills and fewer repair call outs needed. 

A whole host of work was carried out to the outside of the building, which included.

• Replacing the roof guttering
• Repairing any small faults on the roof surface
• Replacing the downpipes
• Repairing the chimney brickwork and repointing the chimneys
• Steam cleaning all brickwork to remove any age-related staining
• Unblocking drains 
• Re-paving and re-levelling the surrounding pavements
• Repairing the pram shed doors and roofs 
• Repairing the boundary wall
• To ensure the inside of the building was brought up to the same excellent standard the following works were carried out: 
• Flooring in the common areas was taken up, repaired where necessary, and re-laid 
• The stair nosing (the strips on the edge of the step that provide extra grip) was also replaced
• To combat any condensation issues new extractor fans were installed inside residents' homes

Together with our partners Mulalley, we completed a complex programme of improvements at Hortensia House. This could not have been achieved without the ongoing support and great engagement with the residents at Hortensia House. Residents were able to get involved throughout the project by joining regular drop-in meetings, dedicated working groups and through the resident association. 

Mulalley donated £5,000 as part of their contribution to the local community. Residents were able to get together and brainstorm ideas on how best to spend this money on the estate. It was decided that a new wildflower garden will be created at the back of Hortensia House in the coming months.