After the purchase of a terraced property in the market town of Devizes the clients contacted us to give very their own “lost garden a makeover clearing overgrowth and neglect and erecting a new fence. The access was poor but we completed the job within a week.
These clients employed our services to design and build a small living room extension on the rear of the property. The end result greatly enhanced the property and gave it a decent sized living room worthy of a property of this quality. The clients also decided that it would be sensible to remodel the rear areas, excavating into the bank and creating patios and a series of retaining walls and steps.
Our clients required a curved, semi-circular patio with Staffordshire Blue engineering bricks incorporated into the treads. The photos do not do it justice but the slab work was extremely precise using a policed milled sandstone.
Construction of Koi Carp Pond Coulston, Wiltshire. We were commissioned to construct a five-foot deep pond with hedges at appropriate intervals and install a heavy gauge butyl rubber liner and lay Cotswold stone around the perimeter. We also ran clean Cerney shingle around the pond area.
Establishment was very quick and, within two months, thanks to a few shrubs and lilies, the pond looked as if it had been there for many years. We were commissioned by a prominent local businessman and his wife to carry out this project.
It was initially planned as part demolition and part rebuild but due to the extremely poor condition it resulted in a completely new building but with a barn theme reusing as much of the salvaged materials. The finish being natural Cotswold stone, handmade windows and cedar boarding, combined with oak. Internally many old timbers and beams are incorporated giving a traditional feel. I one of the photos the client’s wife is assisted by our bricklayer laying one of the first blocks of her new home of which we are all very proud. The clients felt that their house was unbalanced and nothing matched. The project was phased but comprised of extensive internal alterations. Construction of the matching bay window to the right, removal of the dormer and rebuilding of the left bay as well as renewal of the porch. We then landscaped and laid two new patios.
We were presented with the challenge of converting this rather tumble down but listed barn into an annexe. We started pretty much with four bare walls, but we raised the wall plate levels and rebuilt the gables in matching stone. We then created an attic truss cut roof, with imitation stone tiles, to give ancillary accommodation over garaging for three cars and a log store. The net result was a completely charming annexe to the main house in this pretty village.
Following a severe fire, we were asked to reconstruct this old milking parlour and garage adjacent to the original farmhouse and to ensure that the building remained complimentary to and in keeping with its setting. We were highly commended by both the clients and the Loss Adjuster for the quality of the work.
Brackstone Builders have been working in and around the Cotswold village of Biddestone for almost 30 years - almost exclusively as the direct result of personal recommendations.
This particular project involved a careful and sympathetic approach to save the remainder of the building and then to enhance it and create usable accommodation at first floor level with garaging and a games room on the ground floor. We take a huge amount of pride in our work and this project proved to be particularly satisfying for the team on site as by completion, they had saved an old building and created something truly special. A customer for whom we had worked for many years ago, asked us to look at a barn which was on the verge of collapse.
The right-hand gable had collapsed and many of the roof timbers and ‘A’ frames have rotted away. We rebuilt the gable, propped up the whole structure and repairs and replaced timberwork as necessary. Our colleagues from RMH Roofing stripped and re-laid the roof, leaving the client with a building that is usable and can be converted later date if required. Not a barn conversion per se but prepared in readiness for. Brackstone Builders based near Devizes were commended to construct a one-off luxury house and double garage in the small village of Conock. We demolished the old dwelling in the garden which the new house was complete.
The walls are handmade Mickelmersh Bricks laid in Flemish Bond which is quite unusual. We returned to take final photos a year on when everything had toned down and the clients has completed planting. The customer had a block of 3 stables and a hay store which they wanted to convert.
We successfully transformed this building to create a 2-bedroom annexe with shower room, kitchen and living area which could be used as ancillary accommodation or as a holiday let. Here we used our imagination and carpentry skills when the customer wanted to upgrade an old softwood staircase but without the upheaval of a complete replacement.
We replaced the newels, spindles, handrails and strings in oak as well as rebuilding the under-stair area with oak-veneered ply to give a very cost effective makeover. Brackstone Builders were commissioned to supply and fit a new kitchen with granite worktops and Aga. We constructed a mock fireplace in hand made bricks with a Bath Stone Ashlar lintel over and incorporating an old bread oven door before installing an electric Aga. The bread oven door provides access to the extraction system for service and cleaning.
During the full renovation of a 1960’s house we were asked to remove a load-bearing wall between a small dining room and a small living room to form a larger living room; the only redeeming feature being the Victorian cast iron fireplace.
Steel RSJ’s were inserted in the ceiling void to carry the wall above. All plasterwork was replaced as well as the ceiling and floor. New fibrous cornice was fitted together with an Ashlar Bath Stone fireplace. The door opening was moved and replaced with an oak door together with oak skirtings. This unique building houses on ancient spring which in former times produced water for the village. It continues to feed various properties and farms.
The roof had collapsed, and we volunteered to arrange repairs in consultation with the construction officer as this is an ancient monument. The old roof was rebuilt in oak and the roof tiled in Cotswold Stone. Minor brickwork repairs were carried out in Lime Mortop. The work entailed the complete internal refurbishment. Alterations to window openings and re-roofing as well as the complete removal of the external blockwork and replacement with hand made bricks and Ashlar Bath Stone. Two extensions were also added.
The garage was converted to a games room and the existing stables to open bay garages. Externally the drive and parking areas were landscaped and a pool was constructed which can be seen in a later project. Brackstones have been working in and around the Cotswold village of Biddestone for almost 30 years – almost exclusively as a result of word of mouth recommendations.
This particular project involved a careful and sympathetic approach to save the remainder of the building and then to enhance it and create useable accommodation at first floor level with garaging and a games room at ground floor level. The building is constructed of concrete block rendered in stone dust with Ashlar quoins. This style of construction was acceptable to the Planners as it was adjacent to a listed building and, at the same time, enabled us to keep this element of the project within a tight budget for the owners. We take a huge amount of pride in our work and this was a particularly satisfying scheme for the team on site as, by completion, they had created something pretty special. During renovations to an old farmhouse in Poulshot we discovered the remnants of a collapsed and damaged inglenook fireplace, which was full of rubble.
We carefully removed the plaster from the wall and found we were able to recycled the old bricks - but in planning the rebuild we had found the ideal location for the owner's new cookery range. We completely rebuilt the fireplace using all of the old bricks and the original timber set in lime mortar work. The clients were absolutely thrilled with the result. Our services were employed to construct a freestanding garden room annexe alongside a pretty bubbling stream in the village of Bratton, near Westbury based in Wiltshire. Working alongside the stream provided particular challenges as we had to put special environmental protection in place – but the end result was extremely pleasing as it replaced a rather dilapidated brick-built store and provided ancillary accommodation for the owners.
Although well known for working on period properties we are equally comfortable working on modern properties. This building project based in Steeple Ashton Wiltshire, entailed the removal of a bay window and large walls internally to create open and spacious rooms. The propping and logistics of manoeuvring large RSJ steels and hoisting into position was extremely challenging. We also constructed a contemporary garden room and laid large Indian sandstone patios to the rear.
A customer for whom we had worked for many years ago, asked us to look at a barn which was on the verge of collapse.
The right-hand gable had collapsed and many of the roof timbers and ‘A’ frames have rotted away. We rebuilt the gable, propped up the whole structure and repairs and replaced timberwork as necessary. Our colleagues from RMH Roofing stripped and re-laid the roof, leaving the client with a building that is usable and can be converted later date if required. Not a barn conversion per se but prepared in readiness for. Our flexible approach was demonstrated very clearly during renovation and refurbishment work on an 1800’s home in Great Cheverell.
Part of the project involved replacing a defective ceiling and during the course of this we discovered interesting and attractive timberwork above the ceiling. Working with the owners, we decided to amend the project and put Celotex between the rafters at high level, clean the timbers and add in one more substantial beam. To complete the impact, we raked out and repointed in lime mortar the old cracked brickwork on the gable and the end result effect was a superb galleried ceiling with huge character – a really superb addition to the refurbishment which the clients were over the moon about. |
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