11/05/2026
Recent project we recently finished after a serious fire affected 2 adjacent properties
The remit was to not only clear the properties of all personal items of the previous tenants, but to strip the properties back to bare bones, removing all plasterboard walls/ceilings, removing any affected flooring, and removal of all electrical and water services back to the source of property entry. Also the removal of both kitchens and bathrooms
The principle contractor contracted us to evaluate the works because of our expertise handling certain potential hazards within the properties, as well as the scope of the works involved
Both properties were heavily affected by fire, but also water damage from being doused by the fire brigade, which had introduced heavy growth of mould throughout
A number of challenges arose with these 2 properties, including:
The properties were almost 2 hours from Inverness, with no local waste disposal facilities to transfer the waste to, meaning the waste had to be hauled back to inverness and disposed of each day
Access to each properties was difficult, both being in the middle of a housing estate, almost 100 feet from the road, meaning all the waste had to be transferred some distance to be loaded onto the trailers. Due to parking issues, there was no space to place any skips without causing major disruption to the neighbours
Heavy rain and snowfall meant working at the properties was difficult. Also, as the roof of each property was partially collapsed, heavy water ingress had meant that everything was heavy with water, meaning moving sodden waste materials/belongings was hard. Even the simple job of moving a carpet becomes a little difficult when it's tripled in weight with water!
The structure of each property was badly compromised due to both the fire damage, and also almost a year of water damage since the blaze, so a full risk assessment and method statement was produced and followed.
Another reason we were brought into the project was due to the potential of drug use, meaning extra focus was needed on safety
All in, this was a long, dirty, and tiring project, but both properties were successfully stripped back to their bare bones ready for renovation by the principle contractor.
Sometimes with these jobs, we do get half way through and ask 'why did we take this on?!', but continuing on produces satisfying results