Nigel George The Common Space The Works Browns Golf Course Culver Parade Sandown Isle of Wight PO36 8QA 7th April 2020 By email only Dear Nigel, S1007 Structural Inspection; Browns Café, ARC Consultancy and Artecology Buildings at Brown’s Golf Course. Instruction Further to your recent instruction I write to confirm findings from our inspection on 28th February 2020. You requested a general structural inspection and comment on the condition of the structure as existing. Limitations As this was not a full building survey other defects may exist and not observed or commented upon including minor localised structural defects. We have not inspected woodwork or other parts of the structure which are covered, unexposed or inaccessible and we are therefore unable to report that any such part of the property is free from defect. Although during our inspection I may have referred to other defects that should not be taken as an exhaustive list of other such defects or that the inspection is a full building survey. Inspection For the purpose of the survey we refer to the Buildings at Browns Golf Course, Culver Parade, Sandown, Isle of Wight, P036 8QA as: 1. ARC Consulting’s Office at the Bunker, 2. Artecology’s Studio at the adjoining Works and, 3. The Clubhouse Café
The Bunker
The Works
Brown’s Cafe
Google Earth Location Plan Brown’s Café Brown’s Café consisted of 3 principle structures 1) the club house, including the ice cream takeaway, kitchen and servery under a glazed tile hipped roof and clad in wavey edge elm boarding 2) main café seating area under a hipped glass roof and 3) flat roof rendered structures housing the toilets and interlinking the café and kitchens via part of the servery. The café seating area consisted of glazing bars across steel angle purlins to bolted steel angle duo-pitched trusses with vertical cross bracing under the ridge line and horizontal cross bracing to the bottom chord, ceiling, line. The roof trusses were cleated to perimeter eaves beam across steel stanchions built into perimeter walls. It is understood that the original structure was partially open on the sides with some glass block panels having been subsequently over clad and the structure fully enclosed.
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Internally the steel framing appeared in reasonable condition however green paint finish had flaked in places exposing surface rusting and purlins directly under the glazing had moderate corrosion with some flaking of steel apparent. It was noted various localised areas of water ingress had occurred. Externally lead flashing covered the glazing bars at the ridge and the bars stepped with glass overhanging lead flashing over the intermediate purlin to the lower glass panels. The steel framing to the external walls had been concrete encased and in areas this had spalled exposing steel stanchion and eaves beam junctures with corrosion visible including significant delamination of the bottom flange of the eaves beam at the corners. Generally, the rendered cavity masonry construction and the single ply flat roof to the toilets were in good condition with some cosmetic hairline external render cracks visible as well as internal hairline horizontal cracking across piers between ribbon windows. The clubhouse had a steeply pitched blue glazed imbrex and tegula roman tiled roof with a gable to the clubhouse entrance facing seaward forming valleys to the main hipped roof. A small concealed flat roof at the top of the hip housed an access hatch and ventilation flue cowls. The tiles were rare with seconds likely to be hard to come by or replicate and several localised repairs were noted where tiles had slipped or otherwise suffered breakages. The painted timber soffits to the roof needed redecoration and it was apparent the stained wavey edged elm cladding had seen some localised damage and decay. Some felt patches had been inserted behind the boarding to clad missing sections, the boarding had been fixed overlapped directly to 4�x2� studs without any insulation present and the internal plasterboard visible. Internally no significant structural defects were noted within the servery, kitchen, or clubhouse; the roof void was accessed through a loft hatch in the kitchen.
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Within the kitchen servery and club house/ ice cream parlour diagonal braces from the clad columns were visible appearing to form a haunch to the roof structure over. The club house roof structure consisted of timber close boarding over cut timber rafters and purlins across principle steel angle trusses with vertical timber cross bracing all over timber floorboards and joists. The seaward facing gable was render on an expanded mesh directly across vertical timber studs. Three localised areas of water ingress and timber decay were noted around the roof hatch and a further patch along the small flat roof top to the hipped roof plus under the valley formed against the front gable. The small flat roof area was lead covered with falls to a central channel discharging through the upstand to a concealed outlet; the rear of the upstand was rendered from under a ridge tile to the lead flat roof. The ridge tiles had cracked in places and haunching at corner details had eroded. A copper ventilator and asbestos flue cap punctuated the flat roof. The Bunker and The Works The Bunker and The Works were both felt flat roofed single storey buildings with rendered and brick elevations linked by an enclosed open yard. The elevations were rendered from ground to window cill level with brick panels between window panels and soldier course over the window heads with rendered parapet over; further brick soldier string course and corner piers featured over the works. The Bunker consisted of an open plan leading through to a meeting room facing the golf course then leading through a kitchen to a storeroom at the rear facing the ex. Grand Hotel; the store then had an external door to the open walled yard linking to the Works. Within the store the bottom flanges of steel flat roof framing, with primary and secondary beams, with profiled, upturned C plank, precast concrete panels between was visible with a flat concrete soffit over part flush with the beam soffit which might have been insitu cast concrete between the framing and rear elevation. Against the yard elevation a downstand steel beam and stanchion were noted with a further stanchion in the kitchen on the opposite gable. 4
Within The Works internally the building appeared to be in reasonable condition without significant defects with steel lifting rails under the high ceiling, which was possibly, subject to closer inspection, painted wide precast concrete planks. An intermediate downstand beam between piers to the rear and central internal wall supported these as well as the lifting rails. The space was divided into two main rooms separating front and rear doors with cubicle offices and toilets formed within the spaces. A horizontal crack in the plaster finish was noted over what appeared to be an infilled opening to the stores to the Hotel side of The Works suggesting corroded reinforcement to a reinforced concrete lintel. Internally on the rear elevation of The Works a localised bed joint crack was apparent below the rail fixing. Accessed from the walled open yard was a tapering store behind the Works along the eastern boundary with a timber flat roof over supported on a timber purlin beam parallel to the The Works elevation across an intermediate steel beam. Other than the door into the yard the external and internal doors to the store had been infilled. Within the open yard the render was in poor decorative condition but intact except for spalling reinforced concrete lintels to the rear of the WC off The Bunker entrance lobby and high-level band over The Works store. A walk around external inspection crazed render at plinth and parapet levels on the west elevation of The Bunker with some localised sections of render missing where brick behind had spalled. The brick soldier courses over the windows had horizontal cracks across the openings suggesting concealed corroded fixings. The north elevation had a spalled line of render at the tray position to the parapet with some plant growth occurring and localised bricks to the blanked door reveals had spalled with previous mortar repairs having been undertaken. Vegetation concealed some of the rear, east elevation of The Bunker however various spalled bricks and recessed bed joints were noted with various repointing attempts having taken place in the past. The northmost window lintel was insitu cast reinforced concrete with brick soldiers over the other 5
window and central door. The rendered parapet had cracked around individual bricks above and immediately the visible tray level. Similar observations of cracks to soldier course window headers and render panels were made on The Works. The eastern boundary brick wall to the store and yard was in generally good condition except for horizontal cracking to the brick soldier course over with the blocked-in door with associated stepped diagonal cracking rising from the head of the reveals through the brick panel. Some crazing was noted to the rendered panels of The Works elevation over the store’s flat roof with a significant vertical crack noted opening upwards at the juncture of the high-level eastern wall to the square brick chimney on the north-east corner of The Works We were unable to inspect the roof coverings or rear of the parapet upstand details to the Works and Bunker, other than to view from the roof of Browns Café, from where the roof covering appeared to be felt dressed up and across the parapets. Discussion British Geological Survey indicates the site is underlain by superficial deposits of Wessex Formation, sedimentary bedrock consisting interbedded Mudstone and sandstone, interbedded. To the north and west of the buildings the Wessex formation is overlain by sedimentary superficial deposit of Alluvium consisting Clay, silt, sand, and gravel. The site is protected by the sea wall behind the beach and along Culver Parade; a flood risk assessment has not been undertaken but given the lowlying ground would be susceptible to rising sea levels and any failure of the sea defences. None of the defects observed were associated with settlement or subsidence relating to ground movement or drainage failure. Brown’s Golf Course was opened in 1932 and it is understood all building were constructed around that date and prior to World War 2 with subsequent extension and alterations to Brown’s Café to form toilets and link the Café to, and enclose the covered seating area and limited alterations fenestration changes to The Works and The Bunker. 6
There had been neglect in routine and proactive maintenance with some significant localised defects present and should this continue there is the risk of rapid degradation to the structures and overall water tightness. The Café is at risk through some of the principle elements; these were: 1) The glazed tiled roof covering and associated ridges, hips, and valleys to the frontage building. 2) Eaves beam and corner posts to the café seating area. 3) Flashing and glazing bars to the café seating area together with corrosion to purlin and top chord which might require removal and relaying of glass panes. 4) Replacement of decayed sections of wavey edged elm boards and general redecoration of boards and render. All the above would require extensive temporary access and protection scaffold for the works to be undertaken albeit it would be possible to phase works to tackle separate elevations and roof planes. Further opening-up works and inspection would be necessary to inform a full schedule of works and enable details to be prepared for flashings etc. The nature of the remedial works required to the Café should be considered as a maintenance cost over a 30 to 50-year period given that replacement of the roof coverings and repairs to principle structure need to be considered. The Works and The Bunker were in generally reasonable structural condition except for the chimney and the parapets together with other localised spalled bricks and render condition, together with assumed corrosion to concealed window lintels and general external decoration. Cumulatively, if a full schedule of works was prepared for The Works and The Bunker, there would be a significant one off cost of repair necessary together with any upgrade of the adjoining buildings dependent on use; however this should be reviewed as part of a rolling 10 year maintenance plan as opposed to a one off cost considering the nature of the defects do not affect overall principle elements. Recommendations These recommendations are not an exhaustive list and do not include matters that a Building Surveyor might address but are recommendations relating to longevity and water tightness of the structures. 7
The following recommendations are proactive for long term maintenance of the property: Undertake measured surveys including plan, elevation and sections for future reference and inform any proposed alteration, proactive or reactive maintenance works. Undertake a specialist asbestos survey of the buildings unless records already held; remove disused asbestos flues etc. Inspection and report on electrical systems and other services by suitably qualified professional trades. Brown’s Cafe Investigate overall cafÊ seating roof framework especially purlins and undertake remedial repairs as necessary and preparation for corrosion protection to the overall structure in accordance with detailed specification. Investigate flashing and glazing bar joints to glazed roof to ensure watertight joints to glazing. Lead flat roof, purlin flashings and valleys will require replacement within the medium term as more localised areas of water ingress can be anticipated. Undertake localised repairs to waney edge elm boards and redecorate together with timber eaves and soffits etc; consider later thermal upgrading of structure. Given where elm boards are missing that decay to boards previously overlapped was revealed it can be anticipated decay and repair is more extensive than noted on first brief inspection. Undertake localised repairs to roman tiled roof including inspection of lead valleys and sourcing replacement roof tiles; consider more extensive recovering of roof with reclaimed and sourcing matching tiles to enable replacement of flat roof and valley lead and bedding of ridge tiles especially around the flat roof. Remove concrete and render encasement to perimeter eaves steels and corner posts to enable repairs and treatment to corroded steels in accordance with detailed specification. This might also require removal of the head of the wall underneath and other finishes as well as temporary works to enable access to corroded bottom flange. 8
Redecorate rendered walls and remove decayed sections of painted plywood panels over glass blocks and replace or consider revealing the glass. The Works and The Bunker Obtain ladder access to inspect the roof finishes to The Works and The Bunker and associated stores and undertake repairs as necessary. Undertake local masonry repairs such as brick replacement to spalled bricks and rebedding any loose bricks anticipated at parapet level. Undertake local render repairs and redecorate. Investigate lintel to blocked in opening between The Works and adjoining store; allow to undertake remedial repairs to reinforced concrete lintel and investigate flashings and trays over to prevent water ingress. Investigate chimney on north-west corner of The Works and allow to remove and make good wall corner with helibar bed joint reinforcement or similarly tie chimney to main elevations. Investigate nature of lintel behind soldier course over windows and allow to repair or replace as necessary should cracks progress through surrounding masonry panel or cause loose masonry over windows. Repair and redecorate external timber window frames and boarding etc. Conclusion The Buildings were considered structurally sound at the time of the inspection; however, it was apparent there has been neglect in routine and proactive maintenance with some significant localised defects present and should this continue there is the risk of rapid degradation to the structures and overall water tightness. Therefore, the above recommendations should be undertaken to prevent further degradation of the structures and to ensure their longevity for continued use. The investigation and repair to the steel perimeter frame to Brown’s CafÊ should be undertaken as soon as practicable due to extent of corrosion to eaves steels. If you require any further information or wish to discuss further than please do not hesitate to contact me. 9
Yours Sincerely John Sutton B.Eng(Hons) Director Photographic Appendix The Clubhouse
Brown’s Club House
Brown’s Cafe
Brown’s Seating Area
Roof Junctures looking towards toilets
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Ridge over Seating Area
Purlin over Seating Area
Roof Space over Club House
Example of Localised Water Ingress
Loss and Decay of Waney Edge Elm
Seaward Gable
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Flat Top Ridge
Glazed Roman Tile Detail
Corrosion of Corner Post
Delamination of Eaves Bottom Flange
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The Bunker and The Works
The Bunker and The Works
The Works
Lifting Beam and crack in wall under fixing
Loss of render over cavity tray to parapet
Brick spalling to rear of The Bunker
Spalled brick under render to parapet
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Typical horizontal crack to lintels
Stepped cracking to lintel bearing The Works Store
The Bunker Store precast roof slab on embedded steel beams
Spalled reinforced concrete lintel within yard
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