# Specialist Building, Restoration & Construction

### We preserve the past and build for the future

Our family company has a tradition restoring and converting buildings that goes back many years. We have honest working relationships with industry professionals, local authorities and most importantly our clients.

Our approach in this area is not that of a modern building contractor. Our enthusiasm, expertise and dedication, combined with the quality of our craftsmanship enables us to deliver projects from the humble to the grand.

A sympathetic and sensitive approach to our work enables us to complete many of the awkward and unusual situations these types of projects will present.

We take great care to recycle, re-use and reclaim materials. This compliments the structure and surrounding areas thus minimising our impact on what should remain a natural environment. The same should be considered with areas such as building regulations and structural integrity, we will offer you practical benefits with a minimised visual impact.

We give great care to understand our clients vision, and our network of professionals understand the way we work. This allows us to be both humble and certain of delivering your project from the early stages of consultation and planning right through to the final stages of completion.

Our involvement with buildings ranges from historical and listed to barn conversions & mills. Our diverse portfolio of work can make us your ideal choice, however simple or complex.

The picture on the left is from Dudley Castle, where we have made essential repairs across the site.

In 2010 we were asked to visit Normandy to save an oak timber framed building. It was badly damaged and had fallen against a tree, the king post truss was also missing. But for the tree the building would have been on the ground. Using ropes and without the aid of machinery, we got the structure ready for French builders to commence its refurbishment.

### Case Study: Sitch House Mill, Shropshire

Sitch House Mill was built circa 1790. It a traditional 3 story building with a 20ft cast iron and steel water wheel which has now been removed for refurbishment.

This project is ongoing, structural cracks on the building located front elevation & right side gable were so bad a careful recording and take down operation was undertaken. This required a brick by brick system to enable new foundations to be constructed and the structure put back to its former best.

The mill now has a retaining wall surrounding it with the front facade built of stone with a structural concrete block wall behind it. A land drain has also been installed to intercept water and divert it away.

Re-pointing of the original brickwork is being undertaken using traditional lime mortar produced in Much Wenlock, and a handcarved datestone has been produced and installed.

Internal works are now under way preserving as much of the original workings as possible which promises to deliver a truly spectacular, bespoke building.

### Case Study: Spring Valley Farm, Quatford

We were appointed to be the main contractor to totally refurbish an existing farmhouse and create a ground floor south facing extension which was disabled compliant. It was a great experience working with the clients to create a property as a retirement home in the most beautiful of settings.

The Farmhouse situated in Shropshire and has the benefit of a state of the art 35kw Wood Pellet Biomass heating system which provides the heating for the main farmhouse and guest lodge.

The instruction was to install underfloor heating in the new extension, a bespoke kitchen with AGA, 7 meter Bifold sliding door system and various Oak doors and frame's to create a wonderful living environment.

The EPDM “rubber” roof has 2 electric velux windows fitted within the structure.

Various other works were completed to include redecoration, re-landscaping and resurfacing of the driveway.

### First Steps Nursery, Raddlebarn Road, Birmingham

First Steps Children's Nursery (St Edward's) is located in Raddlebarn Road, Selly Park. Set in a Victorian school we have used the framework of this beautiful old building to create a bright and spacious environment that is full of character which the kids really love.

Every area at St Edward's has its own direct access to the most fantastic garden and outdoor environment that has been designed especially for young children. Humps and bumps, tunnels and slides and a giant sand pit encourage exploration and independent learning. The mud kitchen provides an area for the children to improve their’ cooking skills’ and the ever changing pebble pit water feature will keep most young children engaged for hours!

The Prefab concrete building was given a makeover in cedar cladding which looks and smells wonderful!

### Case Study: Keltruck HGV Ramp

Keltruck Ltd, the largest independent Scania dealer in the world had a waste site adjoining their factory, we had the pleasure of creating a 22m HGV ramp linking the 2 sites to allow access.

There were many areas of importance within this project, notably the trajectory of the ramp and the compaction process under concrete. Low loaders only have inch’s of clearance and carry weights in excess of 45 tonnes. This made the potential problem of ‘grounding out’ & ‘settlement’ more hazardous.

### Agricultural Buildings Project

The Dutch barn was original sited on land where redevelopment was taking place. The barn was de-sheeted and cut at the leg in order to move. Cox Cranes of Oldbury sent in its largest unit to lift this building. The barn was re-sited 100m away where 2 additional agricultural steel framed buildings were engineered and erected.

This created 3 industrial units for storage and machinery. Aside from the Dutch barn which was moved whole, the other 2 buildings were salvaged and refabricated on site. Roger Cull, our metalwork engineer was pivotal within this and ensured the accuracy of its assembly

## Case Study: Shropshire Barn Conversions

This fabulous project commenced in 2003 with whats known as The Front Barn; you can see from the picture at the top of the page the state of disrepair this building was in. Having no water service to use for the new demand Jim decided on digging over a mile to lay enough capacity to serve 7 property's. This was quiete an achievement as pipework was installed through country lane's, farmers fields and a section of the A449.

Two more single storey barn conversions were completed called Keepers Retreat & Poachers Hyde. These are 2 beautiful buildings facing forestry and a lake.