Current Board members

  • Daniel Ratchford

    Chair

  • Martine Edmunds

  • Mohammed Poursadigh

    Secretary

  • Rhys Owen

    Maintenance

  • Robert Downey

    Finance

Maintenance

 

Maintenance charges

Each freeholder pays a monthly maintenance charge. which is set by The Plantation's Board of Directors to ensure expenses, commitments and maintenance can be funded. 

The maintenance charge is currently set at £215 per month. It covers three broad areas: overheads, maintenance and services.

Overheads — our underlying basic costs:

  • Audit and Accoutancy

  • Insurance

  • Administrative costs and social expenses

  • Annual charge to the Blackheath Cator Estate.

  • Other charges including legal fees and corporation tax

 

Maintenance — repairing and maintaining the estate:

  • Lighting and electrics

  • Roads, paths and drains

  • Managing our trees (over a 3 year cycle)

  • Boundary walls

  • Exterior painting (not repair) of houses/garages every 4 years

  • Upkeep of the play enclosure

Services — that make our estate function:

  • Electricity to light the estate

  • Upkeep of gardens, water rates and provision of skips

  • Monthly exterior window cleaning

Accounts

Download copies of the audited financial accounts for the past four years.

Management

Download copies of the The Plantation's management documents.

Repainting

The Plantation's next repainting is scheduled to start in late summer 2023. The painting process is the same as for previous repaintings, but over time, the process and responsibilities of The Plantation and of individual house owners may have become a little unclear.

Hopefully the following will answer most questions, especially to new owners. If you have any questions, please talk to a member of the Board.

  • What is the repainting project?

    Our constitution & Scheme of Management (SoM) exist to keep the estate well cared for and a unity.

    Whilst the Company (The Plantation (Blackheath) Ltd) manages the maintenance of the estate, each owner individually and collectively is responsible for preserving those standards.

    Part of the Company’s responsibility is for ensuring periodic external decoration of all houses.

    How will the project be tackled?

    • Carpenters

    They will initially do a survey of the exterior of the houses of three blocks

    During the surveys they will give you a quote.

    They will then start the repairs for agreed work on the first three blocks.

    • Painters

    When the carpenters have finished those blocks, the painters will start work on them. Meanwhile the carpenters will start the process on another block.

    The work will continue through winter as weather permits, with a two-week break over Christmas.

    How much will it cost me?

    Maintenance payments pay for exterior repainting, so there is no extra to pay for the repainting itself.

    But, the Plantation only pays for the painting, not the cost of maintenance or repair. Those costs are the responsibility of each owner, and will depend on the extent of the repairs.

    The Plantation pays for repairs to the wooden fascias of all the garages.

    What will the carpenters do?

    The carpenters of the painting firm will survey the exterior of block 30 to 34, then 1 to 4, followed by 5 to 9.

    Owners and residents will be notified as soon as the dates and order of the other blocks can be established.

    Each house will be given a quotation for repairing/replacing bad wood.

    If you wish to replace all the wood on a complete section on a house (e.g. outside of a bedroom or bathroom), the void behind is too shallow to take proper insulation, but the carpenter can quote to install a breathable membrane called Tyveck ("UV and heat-resistant, this unique single-layer technology is vapour-open, yet watertight; this helps protect against condensation, moisture and air infiltration on external walls").

    If you decide to replace any sections of wood, such as complete window frames, front doors and so on, they must match the original woodwork in all respects – i.e. replicate the existing profiles, configuration and frame-sizes – i.e. so that the new wood perfectly matches the old.

    You will be responsible for agreeing the work with the carpenter. If you use the painting firm’s carpenters, when accepting the work you will be asked to sign and return the quote to him.

    Work commissioned is between you and your carpenter. The Company has no involvement in this.

    Once quotes have been agreed, there will usually be two of the painting firm's carpenters on-site.

    When the carpenters have finished the first three blocks, the painters will start on those blocks.

    So as not to delay the painters, all carpentry work to any garden gate will only be undertaken once the carpenters have finished their work on all the houses.

    If you wish to commission the painting firm’s carpenters to do any other work, they cannot do this work until they have finished all exterior repairs, including gates.

    Can I choose my own carpenter?

    Yes, you can choose any carpenter you wish.

    If you use your own carpenter, repairs must be ready for when the painters start your block. If repairs are not ready in time, extra costs may be incurred – which may then be payable by you.

    N.B. If you have appointed your own carpenter, it is essential to inform the Plantation's appointed painters/carpenters so that they do not rub down and inspect the woodwork again.

    The painters cannot be responsible for faults caused by the repairs of your own carpenter.

    What will the painters do?

    The painters will only start work on any block if The Plantation's carpenters have finished that block.

    Owners and residents will be notified as soon as the dates and the order can be established.

    When painters start on your house their first task will be to rub down the paintwork. Other woodwork issues may then surface, and any additional repairs will follow the same quotation process as above.

    Previously the painters gave a quote to burn off all paint. They no longer burn paint off - instead if you wish, you will be given a quote for a thorough mechanical rub-down using a Festool.

    The completed work will be followed by a six-month snagging period to identify faults.

    What are the Board's responsibilities?

    The Board commissions the painting on behalf of each owner which does not include repairs to your wood.

    In 2010 the Board adopted the maintenance of the garage facias so that long planks that span across different garages were not cut into and replaced in small sections, breaking the line of the wood.

    What are house owners' responsibilities?

    Each owner is responsible for keeping their house in a good state of repair - in this context, ensuring that all wood is sound before being painted.

    The Board only commission the painting work. It is the responsibility of each owner to monitor the quality of the work, identify any problems and discuss with the painters.

    You will need to ensure that at certain times during the work you are present, for example to enable windows and doors to be left open to allow the paint to dry.

    If you live in houses 13 to 23, the painters will need to gain access to the rear of the property. Again, you will need to be present to allow painters through the house.

    Contractors will try to work efficiently. If there are reasons why that schedule is not convenient for you, they may be able to reschedule. If you fail to meet that date, any extra costs may be charged to you.

    What colours can I choose from?

    The colours were agreed by shareholders at the AGM in 2013 and only those colours can be used.

    Top fascias, opening window frames and garage doors:

    Goosewing Grey

    Front doors:

    Goosewing Grey, Buttercup Fool 2 (Yellow) or Boathouse Blue.

    Where a door has remained in the original varnish, this may be used again.

    All other woodwork:

    White.

    What if faults develop in the painting?

    There will be a 6 months defects period from the date any particular house was completed.

    The Board will notify you of the final date by which snagging work must be notified to the painters.

    Once the snagging/defects period has expired, and faults rectified, the contract will be deemed completed. The painters will not return to do further work other than at the owner’s cost.

    If the carpenters recommend repairs and you do not proceed with some or all of it, the painters will not be responsible for any defects or bubbling of the paint on the refused repairs.

    If you choose not to have bad wood repaired, the painter may decline to paint it. You will then need to have the repairs done and, if the painters have left site, pay for the painters to finish the work.

    The carpenter will usually quote for repairing a section of wood in one of three ways: replacing it completely, or splicing in a section of new wood, or using filler to repair the wood. If the owner opts for filling, no period of guarantee will apply.

    Many paint layers have been applied over time. Paint on new wood may look different to older wood.

    Can the carpenter or painter do other work on my house?

    Yes, but they have been advised that, to avoid delays to the estate painting, they must complete the contracted work to the estate before they do any extra work for an owner.

    Will my house need scaffolding?

    The only houses that will need scaffolding are the two houses with basements – nos 24 and 34.

    On every other house the painters and carpenters will use ladders.

    Other

    Unwanted aerials, burglar alarms etc — If you have any fixture on the outside of your house that is no longer needed, such as an old aerial or a redundant alarm bell, it would really help the look of The Plantation if you could have it removed.