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We offer a premier bespoke building repair service in all London areas, you need look no further to find a contractor that will do what you want the way that you want it done. We offer a wide range of building services and when you need a repair done to your specification, we are the company you should rely on. Our word of mouth recommendations speak for themselves. We come highly recommended as a service that meets every aspect of the building industry.
From small, bespoke repairs to large extensions, there is nothing that we cannot do. We listen to what you specify and we aim to carry out any repair or alteration according to your exact specifications. Perhaps you require a repair to masonry, stone, stucco, brick or concrete and are not sure exactly where to go? We offer a complete bespoke repairs service and are on hand to assist you.
Services
Whatever your needs, we specialise in getting it done. We understand the urgency when something goes wrong and we endeavour to do all we can to put things right. From a leaky tap to crumbling drywall, we will be available at short notice to carry out a bespoke repair for you.
All of our tradesmen are fully vetted before they start any work and we only employ the most skilled in the industry. We have a reputation to uphold and any of the bespoke building repair work that we undertake, we do so with this in mind.
Quality
We will conduct a thorough site visit to ascertain your requirements, allowing you time to talk through any plans you may have for your bespoke repairs. We make sure that every repair we carry out is bespoke; it needs to be tailored to your needs and we strive to give you exactly what you need when you need it.
All timeframes will be discussed and agreed beforehand. We aim to get your repair done with as little interruption to your life as possible.
For more information, give us a call today.
The doors and windows
Most of the times, the original window openings are usually kept, at least for the first level, with the possibility of making changes to the second level.
When any new openings are inserted in the building’s design, it should follow the pattern of the existing building or other barns in the area. The local planning authority can also determine the style you can use for these. Generally they are simple, robust, with a functional style. Same goes with doors.
When possible, you should salvage and repair any original windows. Use the window styles of other barns in the area as a template in case you can’t salvage the old windows and you need a replacement.
The openings the barn has can be smartly used to provide both ventilation and natural daylight through glazing, which can be fixed or not. Large door entrances that many barns usually have can be fitted with glazed doors and fixed frame sections.
The roof is the predominant feature of a barn. In most cases it will be necessary to remove the existing roof covering to allow for roof repairs or alterations, and the addition of insulation and membrane to improve weather- and air-tightness.
Insulation can be applied between and beneath the rafters, but where the rafters are made from interesting timbers, and considered worth leaving exposed as an internal feature, it will be necessary to insulate between and over them. This will raise the height of the roof by approximately 100mm.
Part of the charm of a barn conversion can be the irregularity of the roof shape where the original timbers may have bowed, twisted and warped over time. Although evening out the roof will help the roof covering sit flush and weathertight, a completely symmetrical new roof, laid with replacement tiles, can lack character. With care, the roof can be repaired but the undulations carefully maintained.
Dormer windows are not usually appropriate other than where existing, so any new window openings in the roof will be rooflights, and in most instances metal conservation-style rooflights which sit flush with the line of the roof. Too many roof – lights usually looks wrong, and it is best to keep them on the less important elevations.
It may also be possible to introduce a larger area of glazing on minor, less prominent elevations, using a bespoke rooflight system, or by glazing a section of the roof between the existing rafters.
Roof Covering
Vernacular roofing, such as limestone or sandstone tiles, local slate, thatch or local handmade clay tiles, is often an intrinsic part of the character of a barn. It is, therefore, worth salvaging as much as possible of this material and sourcing replacements to make up for any missing material. Conservationists prefer the use of new material for replacement, as they believe that using salvaged roof coverings encourages the market for stripping other farm buildings – not always legally – which could in turn lead to their demise. Where new and original roof coverings are mixed together, the original material can be used on the main ‘public’ elevations and the new material on less prominent, minor roof planes, or alternatively on outbuildings. Like-for-like replacement will often be a requirement on a listed building, but for less sensitive situations planners may be more flexible, especially where the material is very expensive or unavailable. The way the roof is detailed is also an important part of its character, so take photographs and put the roof back as it was, avoiding modern details on verges, valleys and ridge and bargeboards — a breathable roofing membrane will provide adequate ventilation without the need for modern soffit or ridge vents.
Windows, Doors and Openings
On the main elevations, window and door openings will often be restricted to those that already exist. On secondary elevations some additional window openings and doorways may be allowed.
If a new opening is to be inserted, sympathetic proportions and detailing should be used, following existing patterns on the building, or other similar farm buildings in the area. In some instances, subject to careful design, new openings could be contemporary in style, though different local planning authorities will take different views on this. For instance, replacing some sections of horizontal timber boarding with clear or translucent Perspex, or glazing part of a gable elevation, in between the timber studs.
Joinery
Windows and doors need to be simple, robust and functional in style. Setting the windows back into the walls also helps to maintain the shadow lines of the original openings and limits reflections.
Existing openings are often filled only with timber shutters or doors, or sometimes with timber slats, and are often intended to provide ventilation as much as daylight.
If there are any original windows left intact, then it is worth considering salvaging and repairing these, or at least using them as a template for replacements. If there are no surviving windows, look at local farm buildings in the vicinity for clues as to the tradition. Off-the-shelf windows are unlikely to be suitable for size or design.
Narrow ventilation slits are common in agricultural buildings in some areas, and these can be glazed with a fixed doubleglazed unit. Other openings can also be fitted with fixed glazed units, as these may read as unaltered open voids.
Many barns, especially threshing barns, have a large floor-to-eaves cart door entrance at one side, and a smaller exit on the opposite side of the barn. The treatment of this opening – invariably the single biggest opportunity to introduce light to the interior – is one of the major design considerations for such a conversion. A functional design is best, such as glazed doors and fixed sidelights, with a strong vertical emphasis and fixed-frame sections.
Frameless glazing is an option that can be used to fill even the largest opening and – when set well back into the opening – can be unobtrusive.
Barn doors are usually utilitarian, constructed from vertical planks of timber. Proportions are usually sturdy and the outer frame section wide and solid. New doors should follow this pattern with the same finish used for doors and windows. Door furniture and other ironmongery items such as hinges should also be utilitarian.
