Riverside Housing – Property Refurbishment

Our Gateshead Office was awarded the internal property refurbishment and extension of Trinity Close Resident Home in North Shields.

Project Details

Formally a church, the sheltered housing scheme now contains 37 one-bedroom self-contained flats, associated offices and communal space.

Novus was engaged to upgrade the communal areas and create a spacious and inviting environment.

Our team modified the entrance and lobby area and replaced the main electrical sliding door to create a more accessible and user-friendly entrance with a reception desk.

We relocated the Scheme Manager’s office from the front of the building to create a scooter store which was secure and easily accessible near to the entrance.

To create a more airy and open lounge we remodelled the existing communal area, moved the kitchen, and built a flat roof extension to create an orangery.

All flat doors and 3-bathroom doors in occupied flats were replaced. The laundry room, staircases and corridors received a full refurbishment and redecoration including electrical rewiring, fire alarms, digital inclusion system, suspended ceiling, replacement doors and frames and fixed handrails and fittings.

We worked with our suppliers to select dementia friendly colour schemes, with colours discussed and chosen by the residents.

To complete the upgrade of the scheme we landscaped the garden and repaved the walkways.

As part of our social value, we refurbished some benches from the garden that were going to be removed due to them looking worn and tired, so the residents still have an area to sit outside.

Positive Working Relationship with Residents

As the Resident Home remained occupied throughout the works, ensuring the residents and the Scheme Manager were fully informed about the works was imperative to the successful running of the project.

Our Customer Liaison Officer (CLO) was on site every day to liaise with the residents and Scheme Manager regarding the works.

We began the project by launching a welcome meeting, where the project team were introduced to the residents to explain what would be happening during the works and answer any queries the may have.

Following this our CLO posted letters, placed an information board in the communal area and held weekly meetings with residents to discuss complete and upcoming works and health and safety to ensure the residents were fully informed throughout.

Whilst working in people’s homes our team try to minimise disruption and leave a positive impact on their lives. Removing scaffolding can be a disruptive operation, our CLO took all residents out for lunch to the local fish and chip shop whilst the scaffolding was erected.

Residents were given tips on decorating during a resident skills day held by our painting operatives, some of the residents said they would now feel confident to paint their own flats