Professional Builder’s Lee Jones meets the newly crowned FMB Master Builder of the Year.
It was once the property of Henry V’s standard bearer at the Battle of Agincourt, and now this Grade II listed medieval hall in the Cotswolds has been transformed into a luxury modern home. In recognition of their expertise in the renovation work, Stonewood Builders were recently crowned the overall winner at this year’s Federation of Master Builders’ national Master Builder Awards.
The Wiltshire-based contractor are already experts in the art of improving high end properties across the south of England, with a geographical reach that extends from west London to Cornwall. Indeed, Managing Director, Jamie Priest now leads a firm which has been trading for more than 50 years, and is very proud of the traditions that they uphold. “We specialise in luxury and bespoke residential projects, and around 60 per cent of what we do is refurbishment and conservation. Renovating period properties and listed buildings is something we’re particularly proficient at, and it was those skills that were in evidence in the south Gloucestershire project. There’s a beauty evident in what we do and a level of skills to match.”
The heartland for Stonewood Builders is amongst the Cotswolds, where natural stone and traditional buildings abound. At the same time, the contractor has equally embraced the contemporary when called upon, and has produced a number of on-trend open-plan zinc and glass constructions for its clients.
Prestigious history it may well have, but when the client took over what would ultimately become a Master Builder of the Year winning job it was cold, draughty and damp. “There are always surprises when you embark on the renovation of a period building and we found quite a few roof timbers and beams that weren’t holding very much up,” Jamie reveals, “but that’s always to be expected when you’re delving into something of this age, with parts of the structure dating back as far as the 12th century. One of the biggest surprises, however, was in uncovering a reformation-era priest hole, which provided an escape route for practising Catholics during the time of their persecution, which is not something we had encountered before.”
In common with many old buildings, at various points in its long life, the medieval hall had suffered from unsympathetic attempts at repair. The current owners were, however, determined to renew its original period features wherever possible – whilst upgrading it to modern standards – and in Stonewood Builders they had the perfect partner to realise that vision. “The building work has transformed the space into a warm and welcoming family home and that’s a testament to the team we had on site,” continues Jamie.
Stonewood Builders’ craftspeople are well-versed in the intricacies of traditional construction techniques, and that knowledge was brought to bear on this survivor from the middle-ages. Horsehair lime plaster was utilised on oak or chestnut laths, for example, as well as decorating with lime wash, whilst the firm set up a mobile workshop on site in order to undertake the repairs to the oak staircase and panelling in the great hall. Indeed, on past jobs the company has even been known to undertake the manufacture of their own hot lime mortar mix on site and have regularly scoured the purveyors of reclaimed materials in order to find the perfect match.
“For the sake of structural integrity we had to replace some of the oak beams, but one of our carpenters devoted a lot of time to ageing and distressing them in order to complement the original woodwork and in the end you couldn’t actually tell the difference between old and new. Similarly, yoghurt was used to facilitate a suitable patina on any new stonework, and we’ll take great care in making sure that the lime mortar used is in harmony with the type of stone. For us detail is paramount, and we’ve devoted considerable time and resources to ensuring we’ve got a group of craftspeople on the books who can deliver the results that our projects demand.”
“Much of the success of any building project is based on collaboration and communication,” enthuses Jamie. “It’s something that was much in evidence on this build, with the homeowner, architect, interior designer, and builder all coming together to produce the best possible outcome. That’s really what we’re about – working with people to produce very high-quality work. We’re always very open and honest about what can be achieved, and we strive to make the renovation experience an enjoyable one for the client. ”
The Master Builder awards recognise building excellence, quality craftsmanship, and exceptional customer service, and are run by the largest trade association in the UK construction sector, which is this year celebrating its 80th anniversary. Stonewood Builders acknowledge the value of such recognition and have been regional winners of FMB accolades previously. “The prestige that Master Builder of the Year status confers on us as a contractor will undoubtedly result in more exposure for the work that we do – and its quality,” adds Jamie. “We don’t advertise, and our work is generated on the basis of reputation, so anything that can enhance that will be welcome.”
“We do appreciate what a valuable role the FMB performs in promoting best practise and we’re very proud to be members,” he concludes. “The promotion of the highest levels of professionalism in the industry, and the level of respect that it offers to the best builders, is something we’ve always aspired to – it’s a great organisation.”
For further information on the Federation of Master Builder (FMB) visit https://www.fmb.org.uk/
For further information on Stonewood Builders visit https://www.stonewoodbuilders.co.uk/
