Platform on new construction, renovation, restoration and transformation
In the village of Wolfheze, part of the municipality of Renkum, 131 homes are currently being renovated. The main intervention concerns the energetic upgrading of the properties. Contractor for the project is Nijhuis Bouw.
The homes are owned by housing corporation Vivare and date back to the 1960s. It involves both ground-level houses and flats, explains contractor Andries Weidema of Nijhuis Bouw. "The project consists of five apartment buildings with a total of 73 homes, as well as elderly homes with a saddle roof and homes with a flat roof. The starting point is to bring the homes from label E to label A. We do this by carrying out various interventions. The roofs will be insulated and cavity walls will be provided with new or improved insulation. In addition, the crawl spaces will be insulated and doors and windows and fixed insulating glass will be replaced." Remediation of asbestos in the panels under the windows in the flats is also part of the work, as well as painting, a MOT for light, electricity and gas connections, and removal and remediation of the chimneys.
Weidema says the work is on schedule. "Thanks to good preparation, where we opted for lean planning. No island thinking, but working together as equal partners. We start every day with a short consultation on the state of affairs with the foremen of the partners and Nijhuis, have executives' meetings once a month and also consultations with the client once a month. The planning is recorded in kyp so that all parties involved are aware of the current state of affairs. Completed work is immediately checked off in that system." Weidema notes that the work is carried out in a 'train'. Currently, that 'train' has arrived at the flats. That, he points out, is different work than at the ground-level apartments. "Because of the scaffolding, among other things. We work from top to bottom and because of the use of scaffolding, the work has to be well coordinated."
The flats have locks that protrude beyond the jetties.
Major challenge in this project, Weidema believes, is the fact that the work is being done in a lived-in condition. Much attention was paid to communication with and information towards the residents. "Both on our part and by Vivare; we both also deployed a housing consultant. They hold consultation hours once a week and are also continuously available." According to Weidema, this information and communication process was already started in the preliminary phase, during the warm admissions. And that continues throughout the implementation. "For example, we inform residents two days before the start of the work via a map of when and who is coming and what the company will do." For safety reasons, the entrances to the flats are equipped with locks that extend 1.5 meters beyond the scaffolding. Streets will be closed during crane work.
Thanks to careful preparation, everything is going according to plan, Weidema concludes. "We hardly hear any complaints and if there are any, we resolve them quickly. People understand that their living comfort is being improved - the homes can last another 25 to 30 years."
