23 Ennis Road is an end of terrace house, situated 3m above Ennis Road and 2m below Upton Road.

The only access to the house was via a ramped footpath leading to a set of steps joining Ennis and Upton Road, with the gate of the house leading off from a landing half way up the steps.

Structural movement to the retaining wall forming the front of the property together with subsidence at the head of the steps in Upton Road left Greenwich with no option  but to form a new independent entrance to the property.

The first task was to cut in a new pedestrian gate into the close boarded fence in Upton Road and create a temporary scaffold staircase down into the property.

Enabling works followed forming a new footpath across the garden closing down the public footpath and steps and forming a site compound in Upton Road, clear of the works areas to allow sufficient space for craneage movements.

Following a series of trial holes to establish the depths of the mass concrete retaining walls, our structural engineer designed a temporary earthworks support system capable of restraining the upper retaining wall units which form the outline of the new structure.

Following design agreement a 5 Tonne mini excavator was lifted into the garden and lead trench excavated. Heavy duty sheet piles. King posts were then installed to the front face of the middle retaining wall and the existing wall reduced by 900mm.

After installing the second (lower) frame the shaft was blinded and a 350mm reinforced concrete floor cast. The precast units were lifted into the shaft, dowelled into position and waterproofed.

Insitu concrete steps were then cast  to form a new entrance to the house. A land drain was installed to the perimeter of the structure and the working space backfilled using a weak mix concrete to add to stability with the trench sheeting and top frame removed as backfilling progressed.

Hollow concrete blocks were laid to the front face of the wall to allow a permanent guard rail to be fitted at garden level. This was then rendered to match the existing wall and the garden reinstated.