Quality comes first for bungalow makeover
Published on Tuesday, October 23, 2012
A Scottish builder has used Norbord’s Caberdek flooring and Sterling OSB sheathing to transform an ugly 1970s bungalow into a desirable two-storey, four-bedroom detached house.
David Waugh, of Hawick-based Waugh & McKean Ltd, says that using the weather-resistant Caberdek, with its peel-off protective film, helped speed up progress on site as well as resulting in a top-quality floor finish.
“Before I set up my own business three years ago, I was a contracts manager with a big builder. That’s where I first used Caberdek” explains David.
“As far as I’m concerned one of the most sensible things you can do is use a product like this. On this project, we used it for both the ground floor and first floor and it helped us get the building wind- and water-tight in just seven days.”
Working with a consultant engineer, Waugh & McKean strengthened the foundations and the ground floor timber frame using steel and concrete. Then a rear extension was added and the timber frame for the second storey was assembled and lifted into place.
The 22mm Caberdek flooring and 9mm Sterling OSB were both supplied by the Galashiels branch of builders’ merchant and Norbord distributor Jewson.
“We had all the Sterling OSB delivered to site so we could make up the frame in situ” says David. “The house is up a narrow lane and there’s no room to bring assembled panels in and crane them into place. So we built the panels on the ground and used a forklift to install them”.
Work on the project started in December 2011 and the building was weatherproof by the end of March 2012.
“A lot of builders might have risked using ordinary chipboard flooring, but I particularly wanted protection so we could get as much done before the roof went on. We were very lucky with the weather in March, but I’m still glad we used Caberdek.
“As far as I’m concerned, you choose the best material for the job, not the cheapest.”