When we first saw this project, it was housing cattle and working as a basic shelter. We had to muck out the sheds before we commenced the build. It gave the construction industry a new appreciation for the agricultural industry. The owner knew they wanted a farm house but were not 100% sure how that would come about. We put our master craftsmen to work on it.

As the build progressed, we were able to determine what was salvageable and what wasn’t. The walls were over a hundred years old and had stood the test of time so we repointed the exterior and timber framed/insulated the interior, on a raised subfloor to take the underfloor heating. The roof didn’t survive, but reused the slate and repurposed the timber joists as features in the new ceiling.

We were massively aware of the water flow around the house, after all it used to be a watermill. We restructured the stream and rebuilt the water wheel well, alas the budget didn’t allow for the wheel to be rebuilt, but our master craftsman has vowed to return to finish the task once the funds allow. Subsequent storms removed the road alongside but the stream remained and the house stayed dry. Goes to show, do it right and do it once.

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