Dry lining in a city of conversions
Much of the building work in Chichester is about changing what is already there. The clearest example is Graylingwell, the former hospital in the north-east of the city, built at the end of the Victorian era in soft red brick with slate roofs. It has been redeveloped as Graylingwell Park, with its old ward blocks converted into apartments. Turning large, high-ceilinged rooms into homes is classic dry lining work: metal stud partitions to form new rooms, suspended metal frame ceilings to bring tall ceilings down and hide new services, and boarded linings that separate one home from the next.
The same techniques apply to smaller jobs across the city: splitting a large bedroom in a Summersdale villa, forming an en-suite, or reconfiguring offices above shops in the centre.
Lofts and extensions
Edwardian and interwar houses in Summersdale, and the 1960s and 70s detached and semi-detached homes of the East Broyle Estate, are the kind of houses often extended into the roof or out at the back. A loft room typically needs rigid insulation boards between and below the rafters, boarded slopes, stud walls with rock wool, and fire-rated boarding to protect the way out. Each surface is then finished with a two-coat skim.
Fire and sound separation
Fire proofing slows the spread of fire between spaces: between flats, between an integral garage and the house, in loft conversions and in commercial buildings. It relies on fire-rated boards, correct fixings and sealed junctions, because one gap around a pipe can undermine the whole wall. On the Bosham country home that Pro Finish plastered for architects Studio Fuse, the work included fire rated plaster to the chimney; that house is described on our projects page.
Sound proofing is the other half of a good conversion. Denser boards, insulation in the void, resilient fixings where needed and careful sealing all reduce the noise that travels between rooms and between neighbours.
Commercial work in the centre
North, South, East and West Streets, which meet at the market cross, are Chichester's main shopping streets, and fit-outs there often mean metal stud partitions, suspended ceilings and fire-rated linings between a shop and the rooms above it. Many of those buildings are listed, so new partitions are usually designed to stand independently of the historic walls and ceilings, fixed in a way that could be taken out later without damage. Dust is controlled at source, so neighbouring premises can keep working while the job goes on.
Lining older walls carefully
Inside the city walls, many buildings are listed and all of them are in the conservation area. Lightweight partitions and linings can often be added without disturbing historic fabric, but a listed building can still need consent, so ask Chichester District Council first. On solid brick and flint walls, insulated linings have to be detailed so they do not trap condensation behind them; sometimes a breathable float and set finish is the better choice.
Because Pro Finish fixes the boards and plasters them, there is no hand-over between trades: the boarding is set out with the finish in mind, and the two-coat skim in Chichester goes straight on. See our main plasterboarding and dry lining page for the full range, or our Chichester page for everything we cover. Call 07824 165672 for free, no-obligation advice.
