Propping, jacking and replacement beams

Preparing for refurbishment

The historic listed Harpenden House Hotel was being refurbished as part of a development and turned into luxury apartments. The original timber roof members had, over the centuries, sagged significantly thereby compromising head room on the top floor.

The project was briefed in to the Heritage Division of Stress together with our structural specialists and the conservation engineer. The requirement was to develop a safe method of hydraulically jacking the roof back up and installing new composite steel and timber beams together with a steel support frame.

Meeting the challenge

The hotel is historic building and was presenting major structural defects in the roof. The complex layout of old timbers supporting the roof made access extremely challenging. The project would require excellent jacking skills and a thorough understanding of heritage limitations.

Propping through four floors

The top floor needed to be propped from the basement up through the four floors below. The jacking forces lifting the roof could then be taken by the basement ground bearing formation.

By jacking the roof up, the necessary safe storey height could be achieved without the necessity of taking the roof apart. We avoided exposing the historic building to the elements and contained the expense of rebuilding it.

Experience and teamwork

The Stress team managed complex logistics within a listed heritage property. Difficult access was overcome with innovative ideas and a skilled team of engineering repair technicians supported by our structural team.