Another Kitchen Complete

We have just completed a full refurbishment of a kitchen in Ilford.

Tasked with modernising this galley kitchen and providing plenty of storage space.

We designed a sharp kitchen with grey glass effect cupboards and panels and tall space towers.

This was accented by the warm grey Corian work tops, marble efect floor tiles and modern '3D' splashback.

The appliances are Bosch and include an Integrated Freezer, Fridge, Microwave, Oven, Hob & Extractor and Dishwasher. By request we fitted a free standing Washer & Dryer.

Project Completion at St James's Club & Hotel

We have completed the full refurbishment of the bar and restraunt at St James's Club & Hotel.

Dating back to 1857, this complex victorian building has a rich history as a hotel and private members club in Mayfair, close to Green Park.

Working with Architects Russell Sage Studios, and Rider Levett Bucknall UK we helped deliver this project to the highest standards.

The project required substantial structural works, including the demolition of three load bearing walls on the ground floor and navigating all this with a basement level below.

Works were carried out while the hotel remained open and fully functional.

The finishes included a full refurbishment of the Bar and Restraunt areas, such as new flooring, wall finishes, lighting, joinery and fit out of new furniture, including various bespoke pieces.

Project Completion in Islington

We ahve recently completed a full refurbishment of a house in Islington.

The Little Drummer Girl was produced by the BBC in 2018. Set in the 1980’s, finding properties that fit with the drama should be hard to come by in this day and age. However they found a house in Islington somehow, with a little set dressing, seemed to tick all the boxes.

The landlord was getting ready to refurbish the whole building, when the BBC approached him, allowing them to film just before works started and allowed the house to get its 15 minutes of fame.

The house however, was no longer fit for purpose and needed a lot more than just TLC. Previously a HMO, there were some indications of subsidence and areas where the building was starting to fall away. This all needed to be sured up, made safe before any refurbishment works could be undertaken. As the Building Contractor, we even went as far as to suggest to take the building down and start again.

The area of Islington, near Essex Road, is somewhat of a bubble. The large Victorian houses which can command high prices. This project would need heavy investment to ensure the house would stand firm for another hundred years and to also provide the owner with a return on their investment.

The house was also listed, which meant there was a lot of input from Heritage Officers and the Council.

Striped back to Brickwork, top to bottom. Corners of the building had to be tied together and underpinning took place to prevent further subsidence. Tanking in the basement to prevent any water ingress, new plastering, full rewire and new plumbing.

Once decorated, the house was unrecognisable.

The house is no longer designed as a HMO for starters. This is a single dwelling, but its more than just a building. This can now be someones home.

Over five floors, the house boats a state of the art modern kitchen and dinning room, 4 bathrooms, 5 bedrooms, a dinning room and two reception rooms. The courtyard garden has also been overhauled, creating a simple and elegant solution

Some of the character can still be felt walking around the house. But it is now bright, open and clean; you can see people would want to live here now.

But the before and after photos, give you an idea of how far this property has come.

D. F. Keane—Accredited Fabricators in Corian

Earlier in August, some of the team at D. F. Keane were at CD(UK) Ltd to be trained in fabricating Corian.

Corian is a solid surface material created by DuPont. It is primarily used as a countertop/bench top surface, though it has many other applications. It's hard-wearing nature and consistent finish make it a highly desirable product for work surfaces.

Based in Leeds, CD(UK) Ltd are the national distributors of Corian for the UK.

Some of the Key areas looked at:

• Templating

• Cutting & Joining

• Creating Downturns

• Substructures

• Overhangs

• Thermoforming

• Sinks

• High Strength Hob Cut-outs

• Dishwashers

• Covered Upstands

• Sanding & Finishing

• Repairing

D. F. Keane have become a certified fabricator, allowing us to offer a high class finish to work surfaces.

Contact us if you are interested in Corian work surfaces.

Project Completion in Enfield Chase

D. F. KEANE have recently completed a project in Enfield Chase. This was a conversion of a one bedroom, one bathrrom flat into a three bedroom two bathroom apartment.

We installed modern finishes, including panoramic tiles imported from Italy in the bathrooms.

The kitchen was designed and built in-house. The mirrored back splash provides the illusion of more space and helps reflect natural light.

Completion of Project in Belgravia

We have recently completed a complete refurbishment of a five storey house in Belgravia.

The house is finished to the highest standard that is reflective of the surrounding area.

Completion of new Teaching Kitchen at Brunswick Park Primary School

In the summer of 2017, we completed a project converting a former caretaker's house into a teaching kitchen at Brunswick Park Primary School.

Cookery classes became part of the curriculum last year, so the school used it as an opportunity to provide a fresh and exciting environment for the children to learn in.

You can see more here.

Completion of development in St. James's

D. F. KEANE have recently finished a developent of a former office block in to 6 luxurious apartments in the heart of St. James's. The project included bathrooms with beautiful marble walls and floors, bespoke timber doors, communal heating and cooling, and specialist joinery.

Boost for House building in the Chancellors Autumn Statement

Philip Hammond delivered his first Autumn statment yesterday, which bought exciting news for the construction industry.

This included an investment of £2.3bn in infustructure which will help deliver up to 100,000 new homes.

The Greater london authority will also be given £3.15bn to help deliver 90,000 new homes by 2021.

This will be welcome news for the construction industry. To read more go to constructionnews.co.uk

Increased cost of Materials hitting construction Industry

Construction News has reported that costs of raw materials has risen 66% in Q3. This has hit some Main Contractors who couldn't predict such a rise.

On the flip side the BBC have reported that the construction inductry has enjoyed growth for October 2016 despite fears of a slowdown due to Brexit. The housing market has been largely responsible for this and the news is having a positive effect on the industry as a whole.

Although prices may have increased due to the value of the pound, that same value has brought in a lot of foreign investment which has helped the construction industry.

Tesla & the future of Solar Panels

Last week Tesla and Solar City announced a break through in affordable, attractive solar panels for the home.

They are offering new glass tiles that look similar to regular roof tiles. Each indiviual tile contains a solar panel. While one tile may only cover a small area, in effect the entire roof can be a solar field.

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, says that the roof tiles are as affordable and good looking as normal house tiles.

Could we be seeing these solar tiles installed on UK in the near future?

Project in Kensington Green

We have just completed a prestigious project in a penthouse apartment near Kensington Green. The Architect, Russell Jones, created a minimalist design which will not distract from the occupiers furniture or the fantastic views. Concealed lighting helps the apartment glow and reduces the need for conventional downlighting.

A clean contemporary kitchen, concealing a lot of the workspace.

Photography: Rory Gardiner

Photography: Rory Gardiner

Photography: Rory Gardiner

Photography: Rory Gardiner

Photography: Rory Gardiner

Photography: Rory Gardiner

Photography: Rory Gardiner

Welcome to our new website

We are pleased to announce the launch of our new website. We hope that this will give potential clients - and potential colleagues - a good overview of the kind of work we do.