Previously an art gallery now scheduled to become a retail unit with residential flats over, conversion of the rear hall into two 2 storey mews cottages. Watch this space for updates as the story of this project unfolds. It really is exciting to watch a project starting from scratch.

Project Update 20 September 2011

Inserting the seelwork  is an important stage after all the demolition work; the serious business of conversion can now begin.

This small new build, with its simple lines and well utilised spaces, has transformed the available area into a sweet, neat and clean home.

A three-story office refurbishment designed to upgrade an ageing 1980’s development, the renewal of the staircase from timber to stainless steel with glass balustrading presented many challenges as the building was occupied, the toilet refurbishment also presented similar challenges involving a rolling program.

As 2011 begins to unpack it’s self into the back end of January and as we have now had an opportunity to view our company stats for 2010, we can honestly say, “What a year 2010 was”.

Benjamin Disraeli was reported as saying, “there are lies, damn lies and then there are statistics”. True, statistics can be fabricated to paint any picture you like but a company would be foolish to twist their own numbers to feed an illusion of success. We try to be very honest with ourselves and read the figures in a manner which helps our company to better manage the business.

If you did not know that last year was one of the toughest year’s which the construction industry has seen since the 90’s then clearly you are not connected to the UK’s construction family in any way. A cursory look at all the major construction publications will reveal an editorial story line littered with the corpses of many construction and construction related businesses; it seems that the flag has been flying half-mast now for ages.

Having said all this, our company figures for 2010 as a twelve month period, give great reason for gratitude; for us at any rate. The picture reveals a steady flow of tender enquiries through our doors and into the estimator’s tray. The only difference is that the nature of the tenders have changed with very little new build and rather more refurbishment. As Oak Services specialises in commercial refurbishment this has been a positive trend, however it is the general value of the tenders which appears to have reduced. 

Profit margins have also been much tighter with clients attempting to squeeze as much out of their pounds as possible. This in turn has placed greater demands on estimating and project management skills and, dare I say it, debtors and creditors and the associated accounts departments. It seems that from the top to the bottom the flow of payments seems to be a rather protracted affair with multiple delays in agreeing and securing final bill payments. Of course this has its own knock-on effect all the way from the clients to the suppliers and everyone in between. 

Back to the stats for a moment and the real picture is a lot rosier for our company than for a few others. With a win rate of 1:4 and a good percentage of project value won against value tendered, we can look back at 2010 and say that while it was a tough old year, it was a good year for business. We at Oak Services now have our eyes fixed on the end of 2011 trusting that we will again be in a great position to provide our clients with an ongoing, outstanding and competitive service; after all, it’s what we do best.

Beam Cottage, one of 90 nominations shortlisted for the 2010 RIBA Downland Awards  , maintained a respectable 20th place at the recent awards. There has been much interest in this design and it is understood that there is a further article pending which is soon to be published in Ideal Homes magazine.

This was an ambitious project and presented many challenges to our construction team. There were a number of bespoke features which required fine attention to detail and specialist knowledge in their construction and installation. The “floating eco roof” which rests on a bespoke glazed section is just one of these features.

We are proud of this achievement and the added confidence we have gained in our ability to deliver high quality, high finish projects of this nature. Although our expertise and strength has always been with the delivery of top end  projects in the commercial sector, Beam Cottage and a number of similar residential alterations and extensions are proof that Oak Services Ltd is a versatile construction company, very much at home delivering projects in both commercial and residential sectors. 

In spite of the recession we are maintaining a steady work load, with new projects being awarded on major property refurbishments is Chelsea, school refurbishments and alterations in London and property refurbishment and redecoration in Folkestone.

What is left of our fickle English summer will be busy for Oak Services but, as MD Richard Lucas always says, “we can never allow ourselves to be complacent, it’s a competitive market and value, delivery and reputation is everything”. See you on site!

Architect – Re-Format

This school kitchen refurbishment was carried out for the Borough of Wandsworth; Southmead Primary School. The project required a complete strip out to provide a basic shell and the installation of a revised service layout to accommodate the new kitchen. This project was completed within a very tight time frame and was achieved on budget.

These modern blocks of apartments were in need of some TLC. The work consisted of a number of  delicate repairs which included maintenance and refurbishment  to the roofs and balconies.

The logistics and site preparation on this project was extensive and  involved the installation of multiple scaffold sections and the close co-ordination of both the repairs and decorating teams.  Our construction team was also able to ensure limited inconvenience to residents through ordered and well supervised project management techniques and regular liaison with the clients representative and residents.

For those of you who have been keeping tabs on our progress you will know that the RAC  Club in Epsom has been receiving close attention from our construction and refurbishment division.

Project and Construction manager Andy Scott and his team of specialists have now completed another phase. This tired old building has received a intense makeover of the highest class; an appropriate project for this prestigious Club. You will see from the photographs that the transformation is well suited to the structure.

“Beware the ides of March” was the warning given to Julius Ceaser. Of course the ides of March have no connection with the demise of anything, in fact every month has an “ides” or the 15th day.

In spite of the general slow-down March yielded more enquiries than any other March in the last ten years. Granted the values of the enquiries seem smaller and the market is extremely competitive but it was a surprise to see the graph and statistics for the month so high. Generally we would be expecting an increase in the flow of tenders to start at the end of April with a peak in May and June.

Whatever the reason for the upturn, bring it on and long may it continue into 2010. Despite an unease  about the economy, the elections and the uncertain future of the construction industry, Oak Services continues to deliver a professional service and is enjoying the benefit of maintaining a good reputation in the industry.

Far from fearing the ides of any month we remain confident and would like to thank all our clients for the steady stream of enquiries…….See you on site.

The RAC Club in Woodcote, Epsom is situated in stunning countryside with fantastic views over a well managed and well manicured golf course  estate. It’s not often that building sites are situated in such lavish surroundings and our team have enjoyed the space and the experience.

This major redevelopment and refurbishment project is on schedule for completion in a few weeks. Despite the disruptions caused by the major snow falls in January, work  has progressed well and the project is still bang on track.

This particular project has required a proactive and pragmatic approach from our team and the various sub-contractors on the site. The Oak Services Team is very much “at home and in their element” on these major refurbishment and redecoration projects.  As project manager Andy Scott says, ” the pace and the scope of the work allows one to really get your teeth into it”.