Selfbuilder & Homemaker – July – August 2019

(lu) #1

  • High slip resistance (R11C) & load bearing
    V • Support system enabling a ‘floating’ floor installation over
    d • Ideal for balconies, roof terraces, garden decks and piazzas


Clare. “We were living in a caravan on site, and
doing a lot of the work ourselves, so we didn’t
want it to drag on longer than necessary. In
some ways it did us a favour, because the new
design is more traditional and will probably be
easier to sell, if and when we eventually move.
We were quite pragmatic about it.”
While they were waiting for the green light,
Clare and Mark continued with the demolition,


hiring a crusher to grind all the old bricks and
stone into rubble which went into levelling the
ground ready for the foundations.
All the interior walls of the original cottage
were stripped back to the original stone and
the roof – what was left of it – was removed.
“A lot of the roof tiles had come off and we
didn’t know what damage had been caused to
the old timbers, so we played it safe and had
the whole lot taken off and the building
reroofed,” says Mark. “By the time we had
stripped everything out there were just three
stone walls left standing. It was virtually a full
rebuild.”
The new SIPs structure was supplied and
built by the Shire Timber Group, during which
time the older part of the building was rewired
and replumbed. The old portion was then
plastered using a special lime and hemp mix to
allow the old stone walls to breathe and
prevent damp.
“The most challenging aspect of this was
blending the old style plaster to the new
plasterboard walls of the new extension,” says
Mark. He adds: “We didn’t want to hide the
fact that the house is in two parts – the old
section and the new build – but achieving a

The project ground HIGH POINT


to a halt –one of the


restrictive covenants


in the deeds decreed


that the estate had


to rubber stamp the


design, which they


refused to do


“For a few weeks after
we moved in we would
come home, sit
together in the kitchen
area and just marvel at
the fact that we had
finally done it.”
–Mark & Clare Gittins

24www.sbhonline.co.uk july/august 2019

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