Metal stud partitions
Metal stud partition contractors for new-build housing
JMC Drywall Ltd builds metal stud partitions on new-build housing across Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and East London, from its base in Tiptree. We set out, frame and board non-loadbearing internal walls for housebuilders and developers. Metal stud partitions are on four of our current schemes, including Samphire Meadows in Frinton, 231 homes for Taylor Wimpey.
What the package covers
- Setting out partitions from the drawings
- Floor and head channel, studs and noggins
- Pattresses for kitchens, sanitaryware and radiators
- Door openings framed to the lining sizes
- Insulation in the partition void where specified
- Deflection heads where a partition meets a slab
- Boarding to one or both faces
- Fire rated partitions to the tested system
What goes wrong with metal stud partitions on a housing site
The costly faults are the ones found after the wall is closed. The kitchen fitter finds no pattress behind the wall cupboards. A radiator bracket goes into bare board. A door opening is framed to the wrong size and the lining will not fit. Each one means cutting open a finished wall.
- No pattress behind wall cupboards, basins or radiators
- Partitions set out from an old drawing revision
- Gaps at the head and base that let sound through
- Cables and pipes caught by screws as the second face goes on
- Door openings framed to the wrong lining size
How partitions are sequenced with first fix
A metal stud partition goes up in stages that other trades work around. The channels and studs go in and one face is boarded. The electrician and plumber then first fix into the open side, insulation goes in, and the second face closes the wall. Your site manager needs those trades ready when the frame is.
Pattresses and noggins have to be fixed before the second face is boarded. So the kitchen, bathroom and heating layouts need to be settled before the wall is closed.
What the specification decides on a partition
The specification sets the stud, the centres, the board and the number of layers, from the height of the wall, what hangs on it and the fire and sound performance it has to meet. A partition that is part of the fire strategy, or has a sound rating, is built to the manufacturer's tested system for that performance.
- Stud size and gauge
- Stud centres
- Board type and number of layers
- Insulation in the void
- Head detail, fixed or deflection
- Pattress positions
Our metal stud partition schemes
Metal stud partitions are on four of our current schemes. Westcombe Park in Heybridge, 450 homes, and Beaulieu Park in Chelmsford, 66 homes, are both for Countryside Partnerships. Samphire Meadows in Frinton is 231 homes for Taylor Wimpey, and Station Road in Eccles is 24 homes for Strand Developments.
What we need to price metal stud partitions
Drawings, specification, inclusions list, scope and programme are what we price from. The price is back with you by the date the tender gives.
Mark the pattress positions and any partition with a fire or sound rating on the drawings. Without them, a partition price has to guess at the fittings, and that gap tends to come back as a variation.
The record
Schemes where we carried out metal stud partitions
The client, the place, the number of homes and the contract value.
| Scheme | Client | Homes | Tenure | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westcombe ParkHeybridge, Essex | Countryside Partnerships | 450 | Mixed tenure150 affordable | £3.5m | On site |
| Samphire MeadowsFrinton, Essex | Taylor Wimpey | 231 | Mixed tenure42 affordable | £1.7m | On site |
| Beaulieu ParkChelmsford, Essex | Countryside Partnerships | 66 | Mixed tenure26 affordable | £500k | Handed over |
| Station RoadEccles, Norfolk | Strand Developments | 24 | Mixed tenure6 affordable | £260k | Handed over |
- Westcombe Park
Heybridge, Essex
- Client
- Countryside Partnerships
- Homes
- 450
- Tenure
- Mixed tenure, 150 affordable
- Value
- £3.5m
- Samphire Meadows
Frinton, Essex
- Client
- Taylor Wimpey
- Homes
- 231
- Tenure
- Mixed tenure, 42 affordable
- Value
- £1.7m
- Beaulieu Park
Chelmsford, Essex
- Client
- Countryside Partnerships
- Homes
- 66
- Tenure
- Mixed tenure, 26 affordable
- Value
- £500k
- Station Road
Eccles, Norfolk
- Client
- Strand Developments
- Homes
- 24
- Tenure
- Mixed tenure, 6 affordable
- Value
- £260k
Questions
What buyers ask us
- Who installs metal stud partitions on new-build housing in Essex?
- JMC Drywall Ltd, a dry lining contractor in Tiptree, Essex, installs metal stud partitions on new-build housing across Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and East London. Current schemes with partitions include Westcombe Park in Heybridge, 450 homes, and Beaulieu Park in Chelmsford, 66 homes, both for Countryside Partnerships. Earlier schemes include Handley Gardens in Maldon for Taylor Wimpey.
- Are metal studs or timber studs better for internal walls in new homes?
- For non-loadbearing walls, metal studs stay straight and do not shrink or twist as the building dries out, which helps keep cracks out of the finish. They are also non-combustible. A timber wall can take a noggin added late, so a metal partition needs its pattress for every heavy wall-hung fitting planned before it is boarded. The specification makes the choice.
- Can you hang kitchen cupboards on a metal stud wall?
- Yes, with a pattress fixed between the studs behind them. Heavy wall cupboards, basins, wall-hung toilets and radiators all need one, fitted before the wall is boarded. Lighter items can go on fixings made for hollow walls, within the load the manufacturer gives. That is why fitting positions should be settled before the partition is closed.
- What is a deflection head on a partition?
- A head detail that lets the floor or slab above move without loading the partition. The studs sit in a deep head channel with a gap left at the top, so the slab can deflect without cracking the board. It is common under concrete floors in apartment blocks. On a fire rated partition, the head follows the tested detail, fire stopping included.
- Do you carry out metal stud partitions with the dry lining?
- On all four current schemes with metal stud partitions, JMC Drywall Ltd also carries out the dry lining, and on three of them the tape and jointing too. At Beaulieu Park in Chelmsford, 66 homes for Countryside Partnerships, the £500k contract covered dry lining, metal stud partitions, tape and jointing and floor screed.
Trades
Priced and managed as one sub-contract
- Dry liningDry lining for new-build housing across Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk and East London. Walls and ceilings boarded plot by plot, on 21 live sites.
- Tape and jointingTape and jointing contractors for new-build homes in Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk and East London. On six current schemes, from 66 homes to 450.
- CeilingsMF and suspended ceilings for new-build apartment blocks and communal areas in Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk and East London, from a base in Tiptree.
Tender enquiries
Pricing your next scheme?
Send us the drawings, specification, inclusions list, scope and programme. You will get a fully compliant price by your tender deadline, and a straight answer on whether we have the labour to meet your programme.
- Ring
- 01621 810293
- Email the estimating team
- estimating@jmcdrywallltd.co.uk