With so much attention on new buildings – particularly those with worryingly combustible external walls and shoddily installed fire doors – it’s easy for property managers to forget that the UK is fortunate enough to have a treasure-trove of stunning, historic buildings, each with a story to tell, and all needing a lot of TLC.
Case in point: Waterloo Warehouse in the Liverpool docks, a residential building of over 200 apartments which started off as a grain store in 1867, and interestingly named after the famous battle which was fought only 50 years beforehand. Surviving the WW2 Blitz when others weren’t so fortunate, Waterloo Warehouse gained Grade II listed status in 1975 and was converted to resi in the late 1980s and early 90s.
As you might imagine, a building of heritage, 250m long, 97 bays and two huge towers, is going to need a well-funded, long-term capital expenditure plan. Unfortunately, this was a historic building with extraordinary period features but without the investment to maintain them. Even when the leaseholders secured the right to manage (RTM) some 20 years ago, insufficient reserve fund monies were dedicated to the development meaning a huge catch-up project for my team, the managing agent and the RTM directors, over the course of a few years.
Blood, sweat and tears
Acting for the RTM, super-diligent managing agent, Berkeley Shaw held a beauty parade of surveyors and we were selected. We led from the front as building surveyor, project manager, contract administrator and principal designer, my team and I have brought this unique building to completion; the stand-out highlight of my career personally.
Regular meetings were the order of the day. RTM directors first, then all leaseholders, whose basic needs had to be met, including rain and cold air ingress through defective windows. As a listed building, having the conservation officer’s support for any changes was vital.
I interviewed local contractors capable of undertaking this project. Through a rigorous vetting process, we tendered to four contractors. The contract sum: £1.5m.
A massive team effort, two members of our team stood out: one a member of the Institute of Historic Building Conservation. Her advice – borne from her undeniable passion for heritage buildings – was invaluable in securing this instruction and the planning consent. The other is an ex-PM of 10 years, who contributed in no small part to ‘winning hearts and minds’!
But this was a wider team effort…the managing agent and the RTM directors played pivotal roles.
Raising £2m (including fees, VAT etc) from 218 leaseholders was major success story. The RTM directors and managing agent deserve a massive pat on the back for their invaluable skills: persuasion, funding, negotiation – a flat-out commitment to the cause.
The tears came with the news that the chairman passed away during the early stages of the project. His drive and dedication will be an integral part of this building’s lasting legacy. Embracing the emotion felt by all was the order of the day, rather than trying to remove it. We did this by meeting every challenge head on.
Reaching new heights…using drones
I knew the project was going to be a technical challenge given a full programme of external works was long overdue. Using in-house drone expertise, we gained an exceptional understanding of the building’s structure and defects. Inspecting at close quarters the two large towers was impossible without drones.
We needed to understand the types of brick, sandstone and pointing used in the 1860s so with our sub-consultant (heritage masonry specialist) we determined the precise materials and sourced them, locally, for sustainability reasons. We used as near like-for-like materials as possible, given the news that the original quarry had closed down! Keeping the conservation officer on-side was challenging; I brought my ‘A’-game negotiation skills.
It was critical to get the specification detail and quantities spot-on for cost control. This was no ordinary s20 process, so the managing agent was glad to have us as brainstorming partners.
Hugely challenging was raising the funds in stages (for affordability), cashflow forecasting, and separating the service charge/reserve fund costs from those to be borne by the individual leaseholders (through careful scrutiny of the lease). Showing the leaseholders breathtaking drone footage helped!
Sharing stories
Case studies are important for any business, as they make a project seem all that more tangible. When it comes to buildings of heritage, the case study story comes to life. Do share the stories of historic buildings YOU manage…. We love reading them.
