Building Refurbishment example

This example concerns the adaptation of an old dwelling into office premises for a small
software development company. The property is a large house 100-150 years old, situated in
a rural location in East Central Scotland. It is traditional stone-built house with a slate roof,
internal plastering, but no insulation, and a suspended timber ground floor. There are singleglazed hardwood-framed sash windows. It is heated by a very old and inefficient central
heating system with large cast-iron radiators, the oil-fired boiler being highly corroded and
now considered unsafe to use. The house was occupied by an elderly couple and has not been
modernized; the electrical wiring has not been replaced for over 40 years. The water supply
and drainage pipes are intact, but new lagging is required on the cold water supply. The house
has been empty for two years, during which time there was a very bad winter and some of the
central heating pipes burst, as did the hot water supply pipe to the taps. There is some land in
front of the house that may be used for car parking, a yard to the rear of the premises and
outbuildings.
The usable floor area is 320m2, spread over 3 floors. Initially the house comprised 16
occupied rooms, including hallways, but it is possible to remove some internal partitions to
create larger office spaces.
The accommodation required comprises offices for 10 staff, each with a desktop computer,
and with 1 photocopier and 2 printers in total, along with a small rest room with a kettle and
microwave oven. Staff toilets will be required. The working hours will be 9 - 5.30 Monday to
Friday.
The first task is to establish the performance of the building as it stands. Unfortunately utility
bills were not available, and the performance is to be estimated using the known
characteristics of the building.