The Riverdale Park development is currently under construction in Doncaster, bringing 139 new houses to the banks of the River Don. Led by Harron Homes, a construction company building luxury homes across the North Midlands and Yorkshire, the project is expected to be completed over the next four years.
Built on an old Polypipe factory site, the development is in what used to be a more industrial part of Doncaster. The area is now transforming, with retail spaces and other housing developments popping up in close proximity to the river.
Beginning construction last year, the project comprises two-storey homes, ranging from three to five bedrooms, completed with classic brick facades and tiled roofs.
Mark Sykes, buyer at Harron Homes, specified H+H Celcon Plus Blocks to build the inner leaf of the cavity walls in the new homes. After first using Celcon Blocks seven years ago to meet increasingly stringent thermal regulations, Harron Homes has continued to build with the material for the many benefits it brings to the company’s developments.
Mark commented: “Using aircrete is among the best, if not the very best, solutions for meeting building regulations. We switched to aircrete from medium dense concrete several years ago to achieve the increased thermal efficiency needed to comply with the updated Part L regulations.
“Since then, H+H aircrete has become a constant for us. Even when the Future Homes Standard comes into effect, we will continue to use Celcon Blocks as they have excellent thermal values which will enable us to meet the new standard.”
The larger size and lightweight nature of Celcon Plus Blocks means that walls can be constructed much faster than when using standard size blocks. Mark explained that this increased speed of build is a major benefit for Harron Homes, estimating that the company saves around 30% of wall building time. This helps Harron Homes to deliver projects on time and on budget.
Harron Homes also specified Celcon High Strength Grade Blocks for the Riverdale Park homes. These blocks have a higher compressive strength and so can bear greater loads. They were chosen to support steel beams in a standout feature of the homes, a large opening from the kitchen to a sunroom overlooking the garden.
Mark commented on the positive experience he’s had working with H+H, saying:
“I’ve always found H+H very easy to work with. Even when the industry was having issues coming out of the Covid pandemic and there were lots of material shortages, we were in constant contact with H+H. Despite the tough times, it was easy to speak to them, and most importantly all our deliveries were made to schedule. Communication with H+H is great, and always has been.”