GRAND on High st!

With such a prestigious old home and tasteful renovation, we thought a tiny Instagram post just wouldn't do this justice. So with that comes the perfect opportunity to provide an insight into what goes on behind the scenes of such a renovation, and how modern style and comfort intertwines with the preservation of history and grandness.

Like all renovations, it all starts with a vision and a set of plans. Most people would agree that to fully modernize things would be like wearing a suave suit and then having sneakers on. Yes, its comfortable and functional, but doesn't retain the charm and character that on old set of brogues would have. So when dressing up these places, having the new blend with the old style is an important thought to keep at the back of your mind. In this particular renovation, this was achieved by subtle changes in layout at the planning stage, and then finishing with a style that complemented the character; such as, brass fittings and handles, matching the wide architraves and skirtings, a mix of modern cabinetry but with old style accents or pops of natural timber.

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So now from the builders perspective - how do we go from a set of plans to the finished product?

Well lets' skip straight to the demolition stage >>> As you can see from the above set of drawings, there were a number of load bearing walls to be altered. Often the engineer can determine which walls are load bearing fairly easily and then detail them on the plans. Our responsibility as the builder is to ensure whilst altering any load bearing walls, ( and non load bearing walls too ), that none of the existing structure is damaged or compromised along with the safety of everyone working in or around the project. So as a rule of thumb, we make sure to securely prop both sides of any wall being removed. What's most intriguing about renovations, is what is reveled when you start pulling off the linings. We found on this particular job, the direction of the floor joists on the above floor changed direction above what was initially assessed as a non- loadbearing wall and required a structural steel support beam along with an amendment to the drawings. So expect changes and the unexpected, as x-ray vision isn't yet a human trait!

So lets take a quick look at the above photo: when cross referenced with the plan, the big opening into the lounge previously required a load supporting beam. This turned out to not be the case, and as you can see at this particular point the propping of the large opening could now be removed safely. A beam was still put back in that place though, to take the intersection of the new load bearing beam and to also support the ceiling structures of both lounge and kitchen. That's just the nature of this kind of work, there's always going to be a surprise or two and that's what keeps it interesting.

From here we address any bracing requirements, and get things ready for a pre-line inspection. The other interesting area of note, is the opening through solid masonry between the two lounges, which required structural steel to not only support the remaining masonry but also take the load of the floor above. All while needing to be completely hidden from sight, as the end result required it to look as though it was always part of the house - keeping with the character.

Once all the structural proceedings are taken care of and approved by the council and engineer, we now get to line the walls and ceilings. Now just to revert backwards for a second <<<< all while this is going on, there is an array of other trades getting there preliminary work done such as; plumbing, electrical, heating and ventilation and also the initial measure of joinery to get under way. The other behind the scenes work going on at the stage of lining, is things like floor prep which in this instance there were a lot of areas being tiled. Most commonly a product called tile&slate underlay is fixed to the floors, which is the perfect substrate for under tile heating and then tiles.

From there, its a council inspection away from being gib stopped and then the fun part - the finishing's. This is the part that can make or break a good renovation. All that hard work before hand deserves the justice of some nice finishing work, that's where we like to take our time to get all the trim, decorative panels, doors and hardware all looking perfect and ready for a lick of paint or varnish. From there we can hand it all over to the tilers, joiners, plumbers and electricians to fit it all off!

Obviously that really is a mild scratch of the surface of what is involved, but maybe that's the inspiration and courage you needed to start thinking about your renovation project?

And if reading isn't your thing, then maybe the below before/ after shots may sway you!

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Lastly I'd like to thank the wonderful trades involved on this project who all did an outstanding job on such a deserving old place!

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