Demolition of the old Homebase building

[Blackrock]

I live quite close to Meols Cop Retail Park and the old Homebase building. For several weeks now the site has been fenced off and a lot of thumping and banging has been heard coming from the site, but with no obvious demolition work to be seen.
The noise (jackhammers etc) must therefore be coming from inside the buildings which seems to suggest that the contractors are digging up the floors before anything else.
Can anyone from the building trade suggest why they would be digging up the floors first? Surely the existing concrete flooring would be a good base to work from rather than soft ground or rubble, so it seems a bit topsy-turvy to a layman like me?

[local]

I live quite close to Meols Cop Retail Park and the old Homebase building. For several weeks now the site has been fenced off and a lot of thumping and banging has been heard coming from the site, but with no obvious demolition work to be seen.
The noise (jackhammers etc) must therefore be coming from inside the buildings which seems to suggest that the contractors are digging up the floors before anything else.
Can anyone from the building trade suggest why they would be digging up the floors first? Surely the existing concrete flooring would be a good base to work from rather than soft ground or rubble, so it seems a bit topsy-turvy to a layman like me?

Stripping out first.

Accessing steel supports.

The more that can be done inside the better for everyone, especially neighbours.

then the big machines peel the steel off.

[Stuartli]

The Homebase building was built on an area known for high water levels (hence the area known as Meols Cop).

A friend, who use to be a construction worker, told me at that time that those building the new Homebase building had to go down at least 60 feet to find any sign of reasonably firm ground.

Much of that area, including the A570 out towards Ormskirk and a stretch of SNR, is peat, which is why some houses tend to lean at different angles and KGV Grammar School had to be rebuilt, using a "raft" to help stabilise the new building.

[The PNP]

It's a huge waste of a perfectly good structure....I can see no good reason why Sainsbury's couldn't have re-purposed the Homebase unit, e.g. with a facelift of the facade and reworking of interior space.

[gsgsgs]

It's a huge waste of a perfectly good structure....I can see no good reason why Sainsbury's couldn't have re-purposed the Homebase unit, e.g. with a facelift of the facade and reworking of interior space.

The original Homebase (Texas) building was well constructed, the extension wasn't. More leaks in the roof in that half than Watergate, the concrete floor was breaking up in numerous areas, the 2 buildings were separating away from each other.

Sainsburys from day one said they wanted the new store to face Meols Cop Road, the only way that was possible is to knock HB down along with MFI, Allied Carpets and presumably now Dreams.

[local]

These sheds are aptly named and were cheaply built on as said very poor land that was empty for a very long time before it was developed and has had substantial remediation during its relatively short life.

It can now be built differently but still with risk.

[The PNP]

The original Homebase (Texas) building was well constructed, the extension wasn't. More leaks in the roof in that half than Watergate, the concrete floor was breaking up in numerous areas, the 2 buildings were separating away from each other.

Sainsburys from day one said they wanted the new store to face Meols Cop Road, the only way that was possible is to knock HB down along with MFI, Allied Carpets and presumably now Dreams.

Guess it all depends on the business model.....I'd have kept costs to an absolute minimum, re-roofed the leaking areas as required, patched the cracks in the floor. And turned the place into a cheap and cheerful discount warehouse open to the public, selling off other stores surplus stock etc, bought in as job-lots.

[gsgsgs]

Guess it all depends on the business model.....I'd have kept costs to an absolute minimum, re-roofed the leaking areas as required, patched the cracks in the floor. And turned the place into a cheap and cheerful discount warehouse open to the public, selling off other stores surplus stock etc, bought in as job-lots.

You asked why couldn't Sainsburys repurpose the existing building and you come back with a cheap and cheerful discount warehouse, you'd need to sell a vast quantity of tat to pay rent of a building of that size.

[The PNP]

You asked why couldn't Sainsburys repurpose the existing building and you come back with a cheap and cheerful discount warehouse, you'd need to sell a vast quantity of tat to pay rent of a building of that size.

True, but purchase via a bank loan might have worked, provided the value of the site kept up with (or bettered) inflation.

[Stuartli]

The original Homebase (Texas) building was well constructed, the extension wasn't. More leaks in the roof in that half than Watergate, the concrete floor was breaking up in numerous areas, the 2 buildings were separating away from each other.

Even the big car parking area has shown signs of breaking up due to the unstable ground conditions....

[*concerned*]

The Homebase building was built on an area known for high water levels (hence the area known as Meols Cop).

.

Hmmmmmmmm, would have thought that area was in Blowick, but I guess Meols Cop Retail Park, sounds better than Blowick Retail Park, even though the Retail Park is in Blowick and not Meols Cop

[Alikado]

Sod the building just build the petrol station.

[bensherman]

I'd be surprised if Sainsburys are spending money they don't need to.

I would imagine a modern store would have much greater requirements in, for example, electrics and data cabling which they can't have resting ON the floor.

[gsgsgs]

Hmmmmmmmm, would have thought that area was in Blowick, but I guess Meols Cop Retail Park, sounds better than Blowick Retail Park, even though the Retail Park is in Blowick and not Meols Cop

Its on Meols Cop Road so makes sense.

[gsgsgs]

I'd be surprised if Sainsburys are spending money they don't need to.

I would imagine a modern store would have much greater requirements in, for example, electrics and data cabling which they can't have resting ON the floor.

The building was in such a poor state of repair when HB had it I guess cheaper to demolish and start again.