This bespoke roof terrace in Camden made great use of the previously neglected space above the rear extension of the property. The decking includes space for potted plants and flowers around the edging, with a generous amount of space for outdoor furniture. Incredibly well constructed of course, the terrace is sturdy and hard wearing, and will serve the owners well for many decades to come.
We were delighted to tender and win this barn conversion project in Tower Hill, Chipperfield, Hertfordshire. However, it didn’t come without its challenges, being a grade II listed building we were under strict rules to work within the constraints of the heritage building officer at Dacorum council. Luckily we love a challenge and moreover we love working on the preservation of buildings with historic value.
Tendering to English oak that dates back hundreds of years is almost surreal in the way it takes you back to the time when the building was first constructed and how difficult it must have been with only the use of hand tools for the oak carpentry. “Wow”, you think, “how long must it have taken to mortice and tenon that oak beam”? Not just one either, but dozens of big and heavy oak timbers that are used to frame these beautiful old barns….
Thankfully we have power tools to help us these days and where we were allowed to add new oak timbers we enjoyed employing our finest carpentry skills to add further structural oak timbers to reinforce the frame (if you look carefully in the images, you can spot the difference of old and new).
We were commissioned to look after the entire project from bottom-up, which also meant rejuvenating any old brick work such as the fireplace and some of the outer walls (as you can see the bricks have been restored to their former glory).
Once the structural work was out the way we set upon the task of first and second fixing which again meant being sympathetic to the barn’s historic nature. This meant custom made, hard wood windows and doors that were made in our workshop by our joiner, Steve (up the road in Chipperfield!). We managed to complete this project on time and more importantly handed it over it one very happy client.
Jubilee Gardens began life in Tring on a brownfield site, which was an old bus depot. This was a joint venture with another developer whereby Charlesgate was involved from the beginning including the purchase. Having worked on the designs and initial planning applications with our planning consultants, planning permission was eventually granted from Dacorum council for eight 3-bed, semi-detached townhouses.
It took some time convincing the planning officer and in the end the scheme went to the planning committee for the ultimate decision
Our trustworthy planners and architects proved once again that their service was worth every penny and it was thanks to a comprehensive set of plans, drawings, illustrations and consultation reports that convinced the members of the true benefits this scheme would bring to the local community.
Once the green light was given by the planning authority, we just needed building regulation approval in order to start. Our team, headed up by Charles himself got to work on the build immediately.
From beginning of construction to the end, this project took 13 months to complete, which only took us 6 weeks longer than originally allowed.
For a private client we would always provide a schedule of works with a timeline depicting every element of the project.
As part of the second fix services all bathrooms and the kitchens were installed. This is never an easy task, as it requires nearly all the trades to get them looking perfect – but this we did it! Wherever you order your kitchen from, our reliable team of carpenters are able to fully install kitchens including all worktops.
Lastly, we had our team of reliable decorating contractors bring each house to life with a beautiful lick of Farrow and Ball paint.
The bathrooms and kitchens at Jubilee Gardens look exceptional, and we hear the residents’ couldn’t be happier with the modern design and expert installation.
We installed a beautiful bespoke seating area, with additional storage, at this family home in Beaconsfield. The family needed something practical as well as comfortable and for the carpentry to be seamlessly integrated with the existing aesthetics of the room.
The end result was the gorgeous bay window bench that you see here. Meticulously detailed and well constructed of course. The family were over the moon.
