We were called on Thursday afternoon and asked when we were available to survey a bedroom at a bungalow in the East Lothian Villiage of Athelstaneford which seemingly had  rot in the timber floor which apparently needed uplifting and the sub floor joists replaced the customer had had another preservation company in who had supplied a large quote to undertake these extensive treatments and repairs but the customer was not convinced so asked Kingston to come out and give a second opinion.

As in many occasions, we try to fit surveys in the same day so we attended the same day which went down really well with the customer and as he had a bill from this other company for £120.00 he was really pleased when we confirmed we do not charge for surveys.

We arrived at his property just after 5pm and immediately got on with the survey it was established within the first minute of the inspection that there were no sub floor joists the room had a concrete floor with a 12mm plywood fitted on top of the concrete floor which had deteriorated over time this caused the brown dust which to the un trained eye looked like spore dust.

Easy enough to identify we diagnosed that the plywood should be uplifted and removed and we would coat the concrete floor with a polyurethane 2 pack waterproofer so as to waterproof the concrete prior to the new carpet being fitted.

A price was agreed to do the job and we undertook the job on Saturday morning job done on time on budget properly diagnosed no charge for survey and the job done at a fraction of the price quoted by the company who could not identify or diagnose the correct specification required to remedy the issue.

Customer called the company to complain and had his survey fee cancelled and received an apology and the excuse that the surveyor is going on holiday so that’s how he made the mistake.

If you require a same day survey give us a call and if we can we will fit it in for you at No Charge and in most occasions you will receive a report within 24hous of initial survey today (Sunday 13th August )  I did 4 Surveys yesterday I did 3 surveys as we work 7 days a week to accommodate clients who work Monday to Friday.

Most weekdays Monday to Friday I will set off in the Morning with 3 surveys to do and by the end of the day I have done another 3 or 4 surveys it depends on how many requests I get for our services if I am in George Street and I get a call from a customer in Dundas Street or anywhere in and around Edinburgh if I can visit there and then I will do it with no charge.

The happy customer at Athelstaneford has invited me to a game of Golf which I am looking forward to, If you require our services call us direct on 07455777635 or by e mail to info@kingston-preservation.co.uk or use our 24-hour contact form here  we also are on Face Book Kingston face book page here.

Plywood laid on top of concrete floor incorrectly diagnosed as Rot by other company.

Arriving to do Survey

The plywood was removed and the concrete floor treated with waterproofer

The finished job ready for new carpet.

Following on from our water damage repair job to the properties at Ainslie Place where the customer wrote a fantastic testimonial regarding our works the insurance company have appointed us to complete the restoration of a damaged ceiling to another property in central Edinburgh in the New Town.

The ceiling we are working on was originally designed by the Architect Robert Playfair who designed lots of the properties in Edinburgh New Town when the houses were originally constructed this flat was also his own residence.

Extensive protection works are undertaken before we start the restoration of the damaged ceiling we have prepared an extensively detailed report with the loss adjuster very happy with our report and estimate. We started the works today, we are expecting the job to last 3 weeks as we arranged for the flat to be cleared of all furniture etc and got everything put into storage for the duration of the contract.

We have worked with the loss adjuster to organise everything taking all the stress from the insured who are delighted at how easy we made things for them we went through colour charts today with the insured and they have now chosen the colours and the make of paint we will utilise for the project.

As we are an all trades company with vast experience in dealing with insurance claims we are perfectly geared up to take on jobs like this and also water damage and fire damage claims.

If you require any assistance with an insurance claim contact us on our 24 hours 7 days a week on line from here  or call us at our Edinburgh number 0131 240 5430 or my mobile number which is o7455777635 we are also on Facebook   https://www.facebook.com/kingstonpreservation

This ceiling was designed by Robert Playfair Architect.

William Henry Playfair.

William Henry Playfair

Playfair’s townhouse at 17 Great Stuart Street, Edinburgh

Playfair’s grave, Edinburgh

Statue of William Henry Playfair, Chambers Street, Edinburgh

William Henry Playfair FRSE (15 July 1790 – 19 March 1857) was one of the greatest Scottish architects of the 19th century,^[1] designer of many of Edinburgh’s neo-classical landmarks in the New Town.

He was born on 15 July 1790 in Russell Square, London, to James Playfair and Jessie Graham.^[2] Playfair’s father was also an architect, and his uncles were John Playfair, the scientist, and William Playfair, an economist and pioneer of information graphics.

Two of his finest works are the neo-classical buildings of the National Gallery of Scotland and the Royal Scottish Academy which are situated in the centre of Edinburgh. The Playfair Project completed in 2004 joined the two historic buildings with an underground link.

In the 1830s Playfair is listed as living at 17 Great Stuart Street on the prestigious Moray Estate in Edinburgh‘s west end.^[3]

Playfair joined the Free Church following the Disruption of 1843,^[4] losing his right to burial in the parish churchyard.

Playfair took David Cousin under his wing and was responsible for the latter part of his training.

Playfair died in Edinburgh on 19 March 1857, and is buried in the “Lord’s Row” on the western wall of Edinburgh’s Dean Cemetery, where he designed a number of monuments for others, including Lord Jeffrey.

Timeline of major projects

The unfinished National Monument, Edinburgh, begun in 1826

Fine detailing by Playfair on the Royal Scottish Academy

• 1817 Appointed architect to complete design work on the Old College, University of Edinburgh, on the basis of his proposals to complete the plans originated by Robert Adam. The building was completed around 1831.
• 1818 Commissioned by the will of the late Captain John McNabb to design the main building of Dollar Academy, a fitting structure with a Doric facade, which is now named after him.^[5]
• 1820 Calton New Town, Edinburgh (includes Regent Terrace and Royal Terrace), completed only in 1860
• circa 1820 City Observatory, Calton Hill
• 1821–24 Royal Terrace, New Town, Edinburgh only completed in 1860
• 1822 Commissioned by the Institution for the Encouragement of Fine Arts in Scotland. The building was opened in 1826 and is now the Royal Scottish Academy Building, Edinburgh
• 1823 Royal Circus, New Town, Edinburgh
• 1824 in collaboration with Charles Robert Cockerell, designed an exact replica of the Parthenon which was to be built on top of Calton Hill as the National Monument, Edinburgh. However, due to lack of investment, it was never finished and became known as Edinburgh’s Disgrace.
• 1825 Regent Terrace, New Town, Edinburgh
• 1826 John Playfair Monument, (he was William Henry’s uncle), Calton Hill, Edinburgh
• 1827 – 1828 St Stephen’s Church, St Stephen’s Place, Silvermills, Edinburgh
• 1829 Drumbanagher House (demolished)
• 1830 – 1832 For the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, Surgeons’ Hall, Nicolson Street, Edinburgh
• 1831 Dugald Stewart Monument, Calton Hill, Edinburgh
• circa 1837 renovations to Floors Castle, outskirts of Kelso, Scottish Borders
• 1846 – 1850 New College, Edinburgh
• 30 August 1850 Prince Albert laid the foundation stone of the National Gallery of Scotland. adjacent to The Royal Scottish Academy.
• 1851 Donaldson’s College, Edinburgh
• 1852 Dunstane House – now a Hotel in west of Edinburgh
• 1859 National Gallery of Scotland opened to the public two years after Playfair’s death.

Gallery of architectural work

• 

  Donaldson’s College, Edinburgh 1851

• 

  Old College, Edinburgh University

• 

  Old College, Edinburgh University

• 

  City Observatory, Edinburgh

• 

  Three Edinburgh buildings by Playfair

• 

  Royal Scottish Academy

• 

  Royal Scottish Academy frontage

• 

  Sphinxes on the Royal Scottish Academy

• 

  Regent Terrace, Edinburgh

• 

  John Playfair Monument, Calton Hill, Edinburgh

• 

  St. Stephen’s Church Edinburgh

• 

  Surgeons’ Hall, Edinburgh

• 

  Dugald Stewart Monument, Calton Hill, Edinburgh

• 

  Floors Castle, near Kelso

• 

  New College, Edinburgh

• 

  National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh

• 

  Dollar Academy, Clackmannanshire

We are currently working on a Basement waterproofing job in Cluny Road in the Morningside area of the City this job involves the waterproofing of the basement walls which are below ground level we are using Delta products for the job 2 different membranes we are utilizing Delta 500 for the wall areas below ground level and Delta slim line with mesh for the areas that are affected by rising damp.

The job was started last week and is well on the way to completion with a target deadline set for the end of this week the job is on time and within budget, to our client’s satisfaction we are also insulating the walls with Kingspan prior to plaster boarding and skim coat plaster to complete the job.

We specialise in turning damp basements and cellars so If you are thinking about converting or waterproofing your basement or cellar give us a call and we would be delighted to assist you in the project our Edinburgh number is 0131 240 5430 or our 7 days a week contact number is 07455 777 635 or you can contact us 24/7 on our on line book a survey enquiry form here.

Cluny Road Edinburgh 16th July 2017.

Delta Membranes being fitted July 2017.

Delta Slimline fitted to window ingoe July 2017.

We recently successfully completed the waterproofing of 2 large Vaults located in the Grassmarket area of the city in Blair Street the vaulted under bridge type vaults are to be turned into a cinema room and an eating area as part of a development that is on 8 floors of the building.

We utilised the same Delta Membranes that we use on a daily basis when we are transforming customers under pavement cellars the material is very durable and easy to work with and the membranes have a 100-year biodegradable lifespan.

The system that we used for this bob allowed the water to enter the vaults behind the membranes which divert the water into a gutter system fitted around the perimeter of the base of the vaults which then is connected to a drain this was done with a gravity feed system so no need for a sump and a pump in this type of waterproofing system.

We designed the system and worked with the project Architect at the design stage and we brought in the membranes suppliers technical Surveyor from Delta to assist in the design.

We are happy to assist any Architects or who require assistance in designing a waterproof system on either a new build or a traditional build project where waterproofing works are required we specialise in Basement Conversions.

We recently completed the Basement waterproofing of the TSB Bank in Rutherglen which was another large waterproofing contract both jobs were completed on time and on a budget to our client’s satisfaction.

Contact our Edinburgh office on 0131 240 5430 or you can use our book a survey 24 hour 7 day a week facility here for outside office hours or weekends call 07455 777 635.

July 2017 Waterproofed vaults Blair Street Edinburgh.

We waterproofed the vaults in Delta Membranes then we framed them out ready for plasterboard July 2017.

The same membranes we use on cellar conversions were used on the project July 2017.