Less than week after landing a contract to oversee the £250,000 refurbishment of a north Tyneside industrial unit, Silverstone Building Consultancy has been hired to carry out the six-figure upgrade of a County Durham warehouse.
From left to right: Neil Tweddle, Managing Director of Godfrey Syrett with Mark Coulter of Silverstone surveying the new site at Belmont Industrial Estate.
The Newcastle-based firm of specialist chartered building surveyors has designed and specified the works and will adapt the building at Belmont Industrial Estate near Durham City to suit specific needs of contract furniture maker Godfrey Syrett.
The bespoke furniture specialist — which now has four sites across the North-East — purchased the 105,000 sq ft warehouse as an additional storage and distribution facility. Included in the modifications are the demolition of internal walls to create recessed loading docks, improvements to the building’s energy efficiency and upgrading external elements of the unit and its grounds.
“We were initially instructed to carry out a pre-acquisition building survey on behalf of Godfrey Syrett and are delighted to have been further appointed to manage the refurbishment of the premises,” explained Mark Coulter, associate director at Silverstone.
“We tendered the works and have appointed Hellens as main contractor, which is now on site. Our role will be to ensure the project meets the client’s expectations and is completed on time and within budget.”
The refurbishment is scheduled for completion in November and the 1947-founded Godfrey Syrett — which designs, manufacture and distributes contract furniture to the education and commercial sectors — hopes to be installed and operating by January next year.
“Our acquisition of this additional site, close to the A1, is part of our long-term business strategy to create a first class distribution centre for furniture,” commented the firm’s managing director, Neil Tweddle. “Silverstone has developed innovative ideas that will help us to create a bespoke facility which will be ready to launch next year.”
The Godfrey Syrett project is Silverstone’s second “knock on” contract this month. After successfully handling a dilapidations claim and managing the refurbishment of a North Tyneside industrial unit it landed the contract to refurbish the 54,000 sq ft unit at New York Industrial Estate.
Commenting on that fit-out, which involves the installation of a mezzanine floor to provide space for a photography studio, Silverstone associate, Louise Stewart, said: “Acting for both landlord and tenant has ensured a quick and smooth operation for both parties.”
