Specialist
works.

What "specialist works" actually covers

Specialist works is the catch-all for the jobs that don't fit a standard core or floor-saw method statement — stitch drilling for a structural opening in a heavily reinforced slab, controlled concrete removal on a live floor above a trading retail unit, scaffold-mounted drilling on the side of a high-rise, restricted-access coring in a basement plant room or behind a riser cupboard. Same crews, different planning, different kit.

The work is usually defined by a constraint: there's reinforcement everywhere, access is awkward, there are services live behind the wall, the site is occupied, the slab is post-tensioned, the opening has to come out clean for structural reasons, or the rig has to mount on scaffold rather than a floor. Whatever the constraint, the job starts with a site visit or a detailed brief, and the method follows from that.

Typical use cases

• Stitch drilling — overlapping 50 – 250mm cores in a tight line, taking out a rectangular or curved section of concrete. Used for door openings, plant openings and structural alterations where wall saws can't get close enough. Dedicated stitch drilling page here.
• Controlled concrete removal — vibration-aware breakouts on live or occupied sites where percussive demolition is off the table.
• Restricted-access work — coring and cutting in plant rooms, basements, plenums, risers, tanks. Permit-controlled access coordinated where required.
• Working at height — scaffold-mounted rigs and MEWP work, by arrangement, subject to access and scope.
• Heritage and listed buildings — low-vibration work where the substrate is brittle, the finishes are sensitive and the spec is tight.
• Post-tensioned slab work — scan-led, marked-up cuts where the PT cables can't be touched.

Who it helps

Main contractors planning a structural alteration on a live or recently completed building. Demolition contractors needing controlled cuts on a sequenced project. M&E contractors retrofitting plant on the roof or in a basement plant room. Refurbishment teams cutting openings in heavily reinforced or post-tensioned slabs. Facilities and estates teams needing one-off interventions in occupied buildings — schools, hospitals, offices, retail.

If the job is awkward enough that you're not sure who to call, this is the page. Stitch drilling explained here.

What to send for a fast quote

• Site postcode, building type and access route.
• Photos of the area and any access constraints.
• Drawings — structural, M&E, demolition sequence — if available.
• Opening size and shape, or stitch-hole count and pattern.
• Reinforcement, post-tension and substrate notes.
• Working hours, permit windows, programme date.
• Any structural engineer's instructions, propping requirements or temporary works needed.

A site visit is often the right call before pricing — say so and we'll book one in. Quote checklist.

Safety, dust and clean-work notes

Specialist works almost always means bespoke RAMS — confined-space permits, working-at-height plans, propping coordination with the structural engineer, watch-teams for tanks and plenums, isolation plans for live services. Wet drilling is the default with slurry contained at source; dry with M-class HEPA where wet is not an option. Scanning is mandatory on any slab where reinforcement, services or post-tension matter — the picture has to be clean before the rig is set.

Related services

• Diamond drilling overview — the underlying method and substrate range.
• Stitch drilling — overlapping cores forming openings where saws can't reach.
• Core drilling — the standard coring service most stitch patterns are built from.
• Concrete cutting — saw cuts as an alternative or complement to stitch drilling.
• Service openings — when the opening is for M&E penetration.
• Rapid & out-of-hours — for the specialist jobs that can only happen on a weekend permit.