Realstone rescue the industry from Grand Designs embarrassment
A five-bedroom Baufritz kit house that was left without its Bath stone cladding at the end of a Channel Four Grand Designs programme last year has been completed by Realstone using their Generix cladding system.
By the end of the television programme when the Bath stone cladding had still not been fixed to the German kit house in Bath, the stone industry looked as if it had been left with egg on its face.
Tiffany Wood and her husband Jonny, who had built the house, certainly felt aggrieved until Clinton Haigh from Realstone called them after the programme offering to help.
Realstone Managing Director Iain Kennedy told NSS: “It was a bit of an embarrassment to the industry. We picked it up and ran with it. We have done it to rescue the stone industry.”
The work could not be finished until the Germans were back in the country to complete the flashings, but it was finally completed this month (June) ready for a re-visit by Kevin McCloud, the presenter of Grand Designs, and a camera crew in July. The house will feature again on the programme and this time the stone industry should come out of it in a better light.
Elaine Marson of Bath Stone Group, who were supplying the stone, felt the incident reflected badly on her company but says she was only supplying the stone.
Gary O’Connor’s Stonescreen company were involved in the television programme, but Gary told NSS: “We did discuss providing a rainscreen to the house in Bath over a timber facade (not the full Stonescreen system) and we were asked to fit a sample panel, which was filmed by Grand Designs.
“This was only a sample panel in Portuguese Moca Creme limestone to demonstrate the system. However, we did not take the job further and were not provided with an order and were not paid any money.”
He says he was concerned about the ability of 40mm thick Bath stone to satisfy impact resistance requirements.
John Nolan, the Director of Realstone’s new facade division that installed the stone using the Generix rainscreen system, says: “Bath stone isn’t a product you would normally use with a rainscreen facade.”
He says the frame had to be strengthened and praises the design work of Mark Haywood Associates, although installing it as the final part of the project was difficult with only 85mm available to fit the 80mm thick rainscreen into.
Tiffany Wood told NSS: “Clinton Haigh from Realstone contacted us immediately after the transmission of Grand Designs in February 2008 and said that Realstone would like to help us resolve the problem. He said that the issue had shown the British stone industry in a poor light and they would like to rectify that.
“They have been so supportive and committed to helping us, for which we are utterly thankful.
“Bath stone is obviously not the easiest stone to work with at a 40mm thickness. But Realstone have smiled and sweated their way through the job and finally, last Friday, our scaffolding came down to reveal a beautiful butterfly – which had stayed in its cocoon for some 20 months longer than originally scheduled!
“We can’t wipe the beams off our faces to see the house as it was designed to be. The Bath stone enhances the building so dramatically and sets it in its local context perfectly.
“Without Realstone we would probably have gone back to the planners and pleaded for timber. We are so immensely grateful to Realstone and delighted with the finished building.”