Full Refurbishment, Perranwell Station

A seven month project to completely reconfigure, thermally upgrade and refurbish a family home in Cornwall.

Architects Marraum had designed this project to improve the flow and functionality of this detached family home without increasing it’s footprint at all; in fact the footprint was actually reduced with the removal of the old draughty conservatory. However, through clever reconfiguration and by properly considering light, volume and the living habits of its occupants, the property ended up feeling significantly more spacious.

Key to this project were considerable thermal upgrades to the property – block walls were fitted with an external insulation system, and filled with cavity bead insulation, in preparation for the the new air source heat pump and underfloor heating to be able to work as efficiently as possible. The roof was fully stripped and re-slated, and PV panels fitted. The work to this house was all about future proofing; making it a warm, comfortable and economical to run forever home; for example the clients ensured that wiring provisions were installed in preparation for a future EV vehicle to run off the solar panel system.

The first stage of the project was deep demo and strip out; the owners moved out and we stripped the property back to bare walls, including floors, ceilings, wiring, kitchen, stairs, and about a third of the first floor floor structure which was an enormous concrete slab supported on internal walls. We then made some new openings and structural adjustments for the new layout, installed steelwork, rebuilt the missing first floor section, and relocated the staircase opening. Alongside the internal demolition, the specialist drainage contractor undertook a huge drain diversion around the side of the property. Access was tight, so the drainage work needed to be fully complete before we could raise the scaffolding to start work on roof.

 
One of the biggest challenges on this project was access for waste removal; the narrow entrance to the driveway combined with the single track access lane meant that we couldn’t receive any skips onto the site, which was a significant issue given the extent of the demolition phase of works.  To overcome this problem, waste management on site had to be highly organised, using a combination of transporting waste away from site via truck, and stockpiling at the top of the driveway for grab lorry collection at times that didn’t interfere with material deliveries.  
 
 
Installation day for the window and door package was a pivotal moment on the project, when the building was made watertight.  New internal walls were built and first fix plumbing and electrics installed; we worked closely with the clients, plumber, electrician, renewables contractor and kitchen/bathroom supplier to produce electrical and plumbing layouts that would strike the balance between functionality, aesthetics and budget. With the building watertight, roof stripped and re-slated, and PV panels installed, it was time to hand the outside over to the external wall insulation and rendering team, whilst on the inside, plasterboard was flying up.  Once the house had been fully plaster boarded, plastered and mist coated, the new staircase was installed and new engineered flooring laid over the underfloor heating system on the ground floor.
 
Second fix carpentry steamed ahead while the kitchen, utility and bathrooms were being installed, and the finishing touches were final coats of paint, and the installation of a huge bespoke media wall.  Externally, we built a dual-level patio with bordering planters to the rear of the house, accessed by the huge sliding doors in the main living space.  At the front of the house, we partially rebuilt the existing garage, giving it a new roof and refreshing the walls with timber cladding and new timber doors.  The entrance pathway was re-landscaped, and the drive received new tarmac. Our clients were handed back the keys in late November, and were unpacked in time for Christmas.  This project was a great experience which yielded a fantastic result thanks to the collaborative efforts of all involved.  
 
 
Full refurbishment Kitchen

Suppliers and Subcontractors

As ever, we couldn’t have achieved the great results on this project without the hard work of our excellent core team, Sam, Mitch and Matt, and our trusted suppliers and subcontractors. 
 
Special mention to:
 
Scaffolding – Hoopers Scaffolding
Renewables – Harvest Cornwall
Window Package – Camel Glass
EWI and Rendering – Edge Edge
Electrical – BC Electrical
Decorating – Spraystation
Kitchen and Bathroom Supply – Zeal
Utility Supply – Howdens
 

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