Here is a small selection of the PRC repairs undertaken by J.C. Mitchell Builders in 2021.
This was a PRC / Woolaway type repair undertaken in Bodmin. The repair included new windows and doors and left ready for the customer to decorate.
Author: mitch
Please note this page is under development. Please visit again soon to see our latest Cornish Unit PRC repairs. For more information on how we can help you with your PRC Cornish Unit repair, including mortgage application advice, please click here
2018 has been another busy year working across Cornwall and into Devon to help customers with their PRC Cornish unit repairs. Below are a selection of photos from three of our recent PRC repairs in Par, Rumford and Falmouth.
Cornish unit bungalow ready for work to begin
Repair under way with PRC panels starting to be removed
PRC Cornish Unit Repair – internal block walls going up
PRC Cornish Unit Repair – completed rear view ready for site tidy up
PRC Cornish Unit Repair – completed front view
The following PRC repair was undertaken in Rumford with the customer choosing a brink finish.
PRC Cornish Unit Repair – ready for the repair to start
PRC Cornish Unit Repair – repair underway
PRC Cornish Unit Repair – worked completed and ready for the certificate to be issued
The following unit from Falmouth has a render finish as specified by the customer.
PRC Cornish Unit Repair
PRC Cornish Unit Repair – repair well underway
PRC Cornish Unit Repair – completed and ready for site clean up
If you have any questions regarding a PRC Cornish Unit repair please don’t hesitate to contact us. We offer free quotations and can help with mortgage applications and recommend solicitors with experience in this area.
2017 has been another busy with year so far with a number of PRC Cornish Unit Repairs completed in Devon and Cornwall.
Below are a selection of pictures from a recently completed PRC Cornish Unit Repair on a Woolaway style Bungalow near Bude including a lovely comment from the satisfied customer. Unlike many of the Cornish Unit houses we repair which are finished in the customers choice of brick, this one was finished in a render ready for painting .
If you have any questions regarding a repair to your PRC Cornish unit please feel free to get in touch.
Another satisfied Customer
Woolaway Bungalow ready for repair work to start
PRC Cornish Unit repair – internal shot of the walls prior to removal.
Cornish Unit PRC Repair – walls down ready for the block work
PRC Cornish Unit Repair – Block work up on the front
New windows fitted to the front of the property
PRC repair completed at the back of the property,
Plaster boards up ready for skimming
Skimmed internal walls after PRC repair has been completed
PRC Repair completed rear
Completed Cornish Unit repair – render drying out ready for painting
2016 saw another busy year for J.C. Mitchell builders with P.R.C Cornish unit repairs completed across Cornwall and Devon. Below are two of out more recent repairs, one from Cornwall and the other Plymouth. Both customers now have fully repaired and mortgagable homes. We hope to get more detailed posts from last year up soon as well as news on our 2017 PRC Cornish Unit repairs.
If you own a Cornish Unit or are thinking of buying one and have any questions about repairs we would be happy to discuss with you. Our details are on the contact page.
P.R.C House before repair
Concrete panels removed during P.R.C. Repair
Front wall P.R.C. Cornish Unit repair completed
P.R.C Repair nearing completion with brick side wall being built
The following Cornish unit was two story P.R.C. repair in Plymouth
Cornish Unit House before work has started
P.R.C repair to the 1st floor
P.R.C repair completed. Just waiting for the 1st floor to be plastered and painted.
Finished PRC Cornish unit repair, just waiting for the scaffolding to come down.
Completed P.R.C cornish unit repair
For more information on Cornish Unit PRC Repairs please click on the below video.
A “New Traditional System” The PRC Cornish Unit
When looking at modern housing developments its hard to imagine that the humble PRC Cornish Unit was once a sought after dwelling. And yet these houses have been providing happy homes to families since the 1940’s and decades on still have plenty to offer for generations to come.
The post war demand for housing was met by the Prefabricated Reinforced Concrete (PRC) house and bungalow. These were built in towns and city’s across England from the 1940’s onwards and were often named after the companies that built them such as Cornish Unit, Airey and Unity. Using building techniques that were quick and easily replicated they were soon a common sight across the nation.
The most common type of PRC house in Cornwall and Devon is the Cornish Unit. These PRC houses are known for their distinctive Mansard tiled roofs that cover the 1st floor of the dwelling and concrete panelled outer walls that sit inside the PRC frame. While PRC Cornish Units may not have the ascetic appeal of a more modern design they often boast generous room sizes and large front and back gardens, something newer developments often lack
PRC properties were only ever intended to be a stop gap measure and in 1980’s, after a review into the structural conditions of the PRC, the Cornish unit and other types of PRC house were classed as ‘defective’ under the housing act of 1985. It was found the steel in the PRC frame that the concrete panels sit in was, in some cases, subject to corrosion. This could lead to the cracking and weakening of the concrete supporting the house. At this point PRC houses were no longer considered for mortgages and in their original condition are still available only to cash buyers.
J.C. Mitchell Builders specialize in the repair of PRC Cornish Units and other types of PRC houses. We offer a complete service, from helping with the initial mortgage application (if required) to handing over the PRC certificate once the repair has been completed. All repair work is completed under license and is subject to inspection from the Local Authority Building control and PRC engineers.
If you have any questions regarding the repair of a PRC type property or would like a quote please contact us on 01872 279108. We have completed repairs to over 170 PRC properties across the South West and guarantee a friendly and professional service every time.
For more information click here
This is a recent project to remove the existing walls in a house to create a more open plan style kitchen lounge dining room.
Existing supporting walls
As the existing walls were load bearing Acro props were used to hold up the above bedroom floor joists and also kneedled through the above wall to create temporary support.
Acro props in place
The walls were then removed before installation of 3 ibeam RSJ’s were installed. The beams were then boarded ready for skimming.
Beams in place
The original ceilings were also re-boarded and skimmed over with spotlights installed .
The new open plan layout
Finished Kitchen
Completed Kitchen
This was a PRC Cornish Unit Repair undertaken by J.C. Mitchell Builders in June 2015. The PRC property in Fraddon was a large 4 bedroom Cornish Unit with a modern extension attached to the side of the property.
PRC Cornish Unit before repair
The rear of the property is supported with temporary accro props while the old concrete slabs and PRC supports are removed. The internal walls are build in block while the outer skin is brick. The property is securely boarded up during this phase of the PRC repair.
Rebuild of rear wall
With the brickwork nearly finished and the insulation in place the windows and doors can be refitted.
PRC Cornish Unit Repair – Brick work nearly completed
The windows and door are fitted to secure the rear of the property.
PRC Cornish Unit repair – Rear window and door fitted
With the rear completed, the accro props are moved around the front of the building to stabilize the property while the the PRC and concrete slabs are removed and the walls rebuilt in the same manner as the rear. The existing extension on the right of the property added an additional difficulty to the repair but we were able to rebuild the side with out falling behind schedule.
PRC Cornish Unit Repair – Front propped and bricked
After 4 weeks, which included re boarding and skimming the downstairs ceilings , the work is completed and the PRC repair signed off. The PRC certificate is then released to the homeowner.
Repaired Cornish Unit by J.C. Mitchell Builders
This was a roofing and chimney removal undertake in early 2015 by J.C. Mitchell Builders Ltd. The original roof was estimated to be 75 years old and was showing signs of wear. The chimney was no longer in use and it was decided to remove it while the roof was being replaced.
Old roof
Stripping the existing tiles and re-felting and battening the roof was undertaken in windy but fortunately dry conditions. The chimney was removed at this stage and the new slating began.
New felt and baton
With the new slates in place the ridge and hip capping slates are added.
Ridge tiles being added
The completed new roof now completely water tight and and ready for another 75 years of Cornish weather.
