Kitchen and Bathroom Improvement Scheme
Contents 1
Introduction
2
Countdown to work commencement
3
Kitchen and Bathroom Scheme
3
Kitchen
6
Bathroom
7
What to expect
7
What we expect from you
8
Site safety
8
Frequently asked questions
9
Comments, compliments, complaints
Introduction Work towards bringing all of the council owned homes up to the Welsh Housing Quality Standard is underway in Swansea and your home is scheduled to be included in the programme. This information booklet should provide you with everything you need to know about the work planned for your home. Please keep it for the duration of the work so you can refer to it when you need to. The booklet contains all the contact details and telephone numbers that you will need. The council has appointed 4 contractors to carry out the kitchen and bathroom improvement work:-
01792 466213 Out of hours emergency 01656 748020 (select option 2
01792 818378 Out of hours emergency (use above number for emergency contacts)
01792 459105
07584 148 048
Out of hours emergency Cardiff 02920 350800
Out of hours emergency 01536 601 740
The council has a Housing Improvement Team and their role is to give you information and keep you informed as the work progresses in your home. Swansea Council Housing Improvement Team 01792 635117
The contractors also have their own Tenant Liaison Officers (TLO) and they will help guide you through the process and assist with any queries you may have. All officers or contractors that visit your home will be carrying identification so you can check they are who they say they are.
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Countdown to work commencement This should be used as a guide only, contractors may work slightly differently.
Step 1 Receive introduction letter to tell you that your home will be having improvements.
Step 2 Receive appointment letter from the contractors for the major works visit.
Step 3 Major works visit. Your Housing Improvement Officer and the contractor’s Tenant Liaison Officer (TLO) will visit you and outline the proposed work. You will receive a copy of this Kitchen and Bathroom Brochure and the Major Works Agreement. The Housing Improvement Officer will also take details of any health issues or adaptation requirements.
Step 4 Home design visit. This is a technical visit and the contractor’s TLO, Kitchen Designer and Electrician along with the Council’s Surveyor or Clerk of Works may be present. We will let you know what work needs to be carried out in your home, how you need to prepare for the work and give you an idea of how long it will take to be completed. There is also some information that the contractor will need from you such as contact details, any health issues, if you do shift work, or details of any periods when you are away from home. During this visit you will also choose your kitchen units, worktops, flooring, wall tiles and paint etc. You will also be given a copy of the kitchen design.
Step 5 Receive scheme start letter (2-3 weeks in advance of work starting). This will give you a start date for the work so you can begin to prepare for the work.
Step 6 Pre-start visit. This is a pre-arranged visit a few days before work begins to check everything is ok for tradespersons to start work.
Step 7 2
Work commences
Kitchen and Bathroom Scheme The work will vary from property to property and the home design visit (Step 4) will identify what work will be carried out in your home.
Kitchen What will be included in your new kitchen: • Kitchen units • Worktops • Sink with lever taps • Additional power sockets • Tiling (3 courses only), wall repairs and decoration • Extractor fan (this is not a cooker hood) • Vinyl flooring
There are 3 choices available for the kitchen and these are pictured on the next page.
Kitchen and Bathroom Improvement Scheme
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White kitchen
(Please note this kitchen includes cooker hood supplied by the tenant)
Maple kitchen
Rosewood kitchen
(Please note this kitchen includes cooker hood supplied by the tenant)
4
The kitchens on page 4 show suggested kitchen units and worktops together. At your home design visit (Step 4) you will choose your kitchen units, worktops, flooring and wall tiles. You can choose any combination of kitchen units and worktops. There are 2 choices of handles that you may have on your new kitchen units: Matt bow handle
Tapered D handle
If you would prefer, subject to agreement with the contractor, you can also pay for and provide your own choice of wall tiles etc for the contractors to fit. The contractor may need to provide you with a temporary work surface, cooking and sanitary facilities as the work proceeds at your home. As requirements may change from property to property, the contractor’s Tenant Liaison Officer and Site Manager will discuss exact requirements during their home design visit (Step 4) to your home. During the home design visit (Step 4) an experienced kitchen designer will plan your new kitchen layout with you.
Important Once you have chosen your kitchen, after a short cooling off period (7 days) the kitchen will have been ordered and you will be unable to change your mind. There may be a need to undertake structural alteration works or other internal improvements in some properties to provide all facilities needed to meet the Welsh Housing Quality Standard.
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Other internal improvements • Rewiring - If your property needs to be re-wired to bring it up to current standard, this work will be carried out at the same time as improving your kitchen and bathroom. • Replacement Boiler - If you do not have a modern energy efficient combination boiler, your existing appliance will be replaced either immediately before or while the kitchen and bathroom improvements are being carried out.
Bathroom
adapted bathroom
What will be included in your new bathroom: • Bath, toilet and wash hand basin • Shower • Curtain and rail • Tiling (bath and shower area), wall repairs and decoration • Extractor fan and light • Vinyl flooring You will have a choice of flooring and paint colours. During the major works visit (Step 3), we will identify any adaptations you may need to make it easier for you to use your bathroom. We will liaise with the Occupational Therapist to make an assessment of your needs. In properties that have already been improved and adapted, the scope of the work stated above may be reduced. Please note: installation of new adaptations may affect your opportunity to transfer to another property. The pictures shown were taken in tenants’ homes after the work had been completed.
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standard bathroom
What to expect This is a summary of the main points - for full details, please refer to your Major Works Agreement booklet. • The contractor will respect your home and possessions at all times and will be professional, polite, not use bad language, not smoke or leave rubbish behind. • The contractor will keep you informed as the work progresses in your home. • You will experience some noise, dust, and disruption but the contractor will endeavour to keep this to a minimum. • The contractor will use protective coverings on your furniture and floor coverings. • The contractor will want to take photographs of your home prior to the work starting so they have a record of the condition before the work starts. This helps us to resolve any issues quickly and efficiently. • Your washing machine will need to be disconnected and moved for the duration of the work. • Your cooker will also need to be disconnected and moved so you may want to plan / make meals in advance of the work starting. • You will be without your toilet, bath and sink for a short time while we install new ones. However, you will have a working toilet and wash facility at the end of each working day. • Your electric and water will have to be turned off during some of the works but this will be kept to a minimum. • For safety reasons there will be no access to areas in your home where a tradesperson is working.
Please remember the improvement work is a process and the work is programmed so that tradespersons are at your home when they need to be. There may be days when there is no-one working at your home. This is normal and usually happens when there is drying time for plaster etc.
What we expect from you • You must allow contractors access to your home to carry out the work during normal working hours. • Please clear work surfaces and empty your kitchen cupboards / drawers and bathroom cabinets before the work starts. • Pack away any valuable or sentimental items and any clocks / mirrors / ornaments / accessories etc whilst the work is taking place.
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• Please take down any curtains / blinds including fixings before the work starts. • Let your Tenant Liaison Officer (TLO) know if you have any medical issues in case you need any special provisions whilst the work is carried out. • Let your TLO know immediately if you can’t make appointments or allow access to your property.
Hours of work are Mon - Fri 8.00am - 5.00pm. Please allow access between these hours or if this isn’t possible, please contact your TLO to make alternative arrangements.
Site safety • Ensure all occupiers and visitors are kept safely away from where the improvement work is taking place. • The contractor will not be able to work in your home if there is a child under 16 present that is not accompanied by an adult. • Ensure that all pets are kept under control to allow the work person a safe work environment. • Be aware that if there is anything in the property that is deemed to be a health risk the contractor may need to withdraw from working in the property. • We would be grateful if you could refrain from smoking in your home whilst there are tradespersons working there. • Be aware that contractors can only reconnect kitchen appliances after the work is completed and where they have carried out a safety check on the appliance to ensure it is safe to do so.
Frequently asked questions Will I have to move out? No, the work will be carried out whilst you are at home. How long will the work take? If you have the full kitchen and bathroom scheme we expect the work to take approximately 20-25 working days. Additional days may be necessary if any other extra work is required. Will I have use of my kitchen whilst the work is carried out? No, the kitchen will be out of bounds for the duration of the work. Your cooker will need to be disconnected and if you do not have a microwave, the contractor will be able to loan an alternative to you (where available.) We will ensure that you have a temporary surface for your kettle etc. Can I choose any combination of kitchen units and worktops? Yes, you can choose any kitchen units with any worktops. Can I provide my own wall tiles / paint? Yes, if you prefer different colour paint or wall tiles to those provided by the council, subject to agreement with the contractor, you can pay for and supply your own. Please speak to your Tenant Liaison Officer about this and you will be advised about what you need to provide.
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Will I have use of my toilet / bath whilst the work is carried out? There may be a short time when all your facilities are not available. However, at the end of each day, your toilet and some washing facilities will be available to use. The bath is usually available to use the day after removal. Will I have full use of my electrics, gas and water supplies? There may be short periods when your electric, gas and water are turned off when alterations to services take place. What will I be expected to do? You will be expected to empty your kitchen cupboards / bathroom cabinets before the work starts. Work operatives can help with moving your fridge / freezer / washing machine to a suitable temporary location. Will I be compensated for the disturbance? Yes, a disturbance payment will be made once the work is completed on your home. The amount payable will depend on whether you have any arrears on your rent account and how much work is carried out. It may take up to 3 months after completion of the work to receive your payment. Disturbance Allowances Payments The following sums are paid to tenants: • £50 for the bathroom • £100 for the kitchen • £200 for full electrical rewire Important – Allowances will not be paid where a tenant has not complied with their tenancy agreement, or has otherwise obstructed the contract. It will not be paid if there are rent arrears on the rent account, instead the allowance will be credited to reduce or pay off the
Comments, compliments, complaints If you have a problem whilst the work is being carried out, the first person you should contact is the contractor’s Tenant Liaison Officer. Please contact them as soon as any matter arises and they should be able to help resolve any issues you are experiencing. If after that you are not satisfied with the response or the issue is not resolved please contact the Housing Improvements Team on 01792 635117 and they will speak to the contractor on your behalf. We are also interested in hearing any positive feedback that you may have. The contractor and the council will also ask you to complete a short questionnaire when the work is completed. This will be your opportunity to tell us about anything you were happy with, or where you think we can do better. This will help the contractor and the council improve in the future.
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If you have any queries, please contact the Housing Improvement Team on 01792 635117 If you require this information in Welsh or another format eg large print, please contact the Housing Improvement Team on 01792 635117
Photographs courtesy of Tony Long www.tonylongphotography.co.uk/