22-23 HIGH STREET, WATFORD

Refurbishment and alterations to a former department store to convert and make suitable for occupation by five separate tenants. The client brief was to maximise the lettable area within the confines of the existing accommodation; maximise rental and investment value; provide a flexible and marketable property for letting/sale and minimise capital expenditure. The property comprises a self-contained retail unit at basement, ground, first, second and third floors with roof level car parking to the rear. The unit is serviced via a loading bay to the rear. The works comprised stripping out; alterations to remove tenants interconnecting stairs and escalators; new risers; new staircases; repairs to roofs and facades; new/overhauled windows; new shop fronts and entrance doors; internal walls, partitions and doors to cores; redecoration of common parts; capped M&E Services and new lifts. Design and construction challenges included adapting the building to accommodate separate access and fire escape from five individual tenancies; numerous unrecorded tenant alterations over many years; a buried diesel tank in the adjoining service road; restricted access; short programme; a building history of water leakage; conservative financial budget.