St Francis Court

Project Description

CLIENT: The Lord Mayor of Portsmouth’s Coronation Homes

PROJECT: St Francis Court

The Lord Mayor of Portsmouth’s Coronation Homes was first set up as a trust in 1936 after an appeal by the then lord mayor of Portsmouth to mark the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth to build homes for the poor and needy of Portsmouth. In 1963 Coronation Homes became a housing association and the final bungalows were completed in 2004, giving a total of 78 units.

Due to the high demand, Coronation Homes were in need of additional housing for the expanding client base and SMD were appointed as Contract Administrator and Quantity Surveyor for the construction of four new bungalows.

Project Detail

• CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION
• QUANTITY SURVEYING SERVICES

• £550k Project Cost
• New Build
• Key Facilities; new assisted-living housing
• Design Team; Bespoke Architects
• Contractors; Ascia Construction Limited 

Project Brief

The project comprised the construction of two new single-storey buildings, which provided four new assisted living units for Coronation Homes. Consideration was required for accessibility for tenants whom may have limited mobility.

The scheme also included landscaping works to the area, which included storage and charging stations for mobility scooters.

Project Solution / Outcome

The biggest constraint for this project was the procurement and storage of materials on site. The coronavirus pandemic meant that materials were on much longer lead-times than usual and the small footprint of the site meant that the ability to store materials on site was limited. As such, it was critical as the project QS for us to monitor the industry updates to foresee well in advance where the contractor may have experienced procurement issues.