Sep 22 2005
Celcon aircrete blocks and the Thin-Joint system have been used to meet Building Regulations and speed construction of a high quality, £4 million, modern day mansion in South Worcestershire. The impressive, traditional style country house covers 8,500 square feet and comprises eight double bedrooms, all with ensuite facilities, substantial reception rooms, a sweeping oak staircase and a natural stone orangery.
Celcon Hi-7 blocks were used throughout, for both the inner leaf of the external walls and for partition walls. A wide variety of thicknesses was used in both Plus and Jumbo Plus formats.
Commented Nick Sherborne of Sherborne Homes, the builders of the mansion: “I have been an enthusiast of Celcon aircrete blocks and the Thin-Joint system for some time, and on a project of this size they really proved their worth. I chose this system as a highly effective solution to the requirements of both Part L and Part E.
In addition, the speed of construction was phenomenal; competitors don’t believe how much can be built in a day. Employing just two bricklayers we built the entire masonry part of the house in only 20 weeks, half the time it would have taken using traditional methods.”
The country house is designed to harmonise with the architecture of South Worcestershire. It has a red brick outer skin, but with a substantial amount of stonework, including bays to the full height of the house and the orangery. Other features include mullioned windows, parapet walling and a pitched, tiled roof with some dormer windows. Flooring is beam and block on the ground floor and concrete slabs on the first floor. Continued Nick Sherborne: “Celcon Hi-7 blocks are sufficiently strong that we were able to install the 3.5 ton concrete floor slabs directly onto the Celcon blocks.”
Other factors Nick likes about Celcon blocks are that the Plus and Jumbo Plus blocks in particular are dimensionally extremely accurate. The closer tolerances make it easier and quicker to build a wall with a really smooth, quality finish.