Estate works carried out with storage in mind. STAGE

Cottage Restoration Works. Our core service. A period cottage usually arrives with a history of well-meant repairs that have trapped moisture, hidden movement or disconnected the drainage from the wall. We begin by stripping back the failed modern coatings, opening small inspection areas and letting the structure breathe before any new work is decided. Rebuilding then proceeds in short lifts with lime mortar matched to the original bedding, reclaimed or salvaged stone where the supply allows, and breathable finishes that allow the wall to dry inward. Roof coverings, rainwater goods and ventilated floors are reviewed at the same time, because a perfect wall below a leaking gutter is only a delayed problem.

Garden Reinstatements. A neglected garden is rarely just overgrown; the levels, drainage and path lines have usually drifted too. We clear carefully, keeping anything worth keeping, then re-cut the levels so water moves away from the building and toward a sensible soakaway. Paths are re-laid on proper sub-bases, retaining edges are rebuilt where they have slumped, and beds are set out according to the light and shelter the plot actually has rather than a design drawn on a flat plan. Planting is added only after the ground has had time to settle.

Plot Staging Plans. This is the planning service that holds a project together. For larger sites or phased refurbishments we produce a written staging plan covering access routes, skip positions, material storage, protected ground, temporary services and the sequence in which zones are completed and handed over. It is a working document, updated as the site changes, and it is the single most effective way to avoid damage to finished work and friction with neighbours.

Period Joinery Refits. Sash windows, panelled doors, stair balustrades, shutters and fitted cupboards are repaired or reproduced from measured profiles taken on site. We prefer to repair original joinery wherever the timber is sound, splicing in matching sections and renewing worn sill sections, cord runs and ironwork. Where an element has been lost entirely, the replacement is built to match the surviving evidence rather than to a modern catalogue pattern, and the small irregularities of hand work are kept deliberately.

Boundary Wall Repairs. Garden and boundary walls fail slowly and then suddenly. Leaning piers, blown copings, hollow render and missing through-stones are the usual symptoms. We rebuild in short, pinned sections so the wall keeps its line, add proper drainage behind the face, and use coping details that shed water rather than soak it into the core. Where a wall is listed or sits on a boundary, we advise on consent before any stone is moved.

Spring Planting Schemes. The final workstream is the one visitors notice first. Bulbs are ordered early enough to be stored and chilled properly, bare root stock is booked for the right lifting window, and perennials are chosen for the soil and light of the specific bed. The aim is a garden that looks established in its first spring, holds structure through winter, and can be maintained by ordinary residents without specialist help.