Ecclesiastical buildings require especially sensitive restoration, and are not for the faint- hearted owner or contractor. Because of their grand scale though, they lend themselves to big, bold design and dramatic flourishes.
FMB member, Trevor Hyatt of Linley Developments won the 'Medium Renovation' category in the Master Builder of the Year Awards 2007, for turning a derelict church into a stunning family home. This award is for professional residential or domestic refurbishment or extension costing between £100,000 and £300,000 and was sponsored by British Gypsum and Travis Perkins.
Tony and Carmen Redondo had a dream to create a warm, welcoming family home. When they bought a derelict Grade ll listed church in Hertfordshire, which already had planning permission to be turned into a four bedroomed house, they appointed Trevor Hyatt of Linley Developments in St Albans, to carry out the work for them. Linley Developments is well known in the Hertfordshire area for its ability to sympathetically restore old properties, and this is the second project the company has carried out for Mr and Mrs Redondo.
Linley Developments
Linley Developments, is a family run business established for over 25 years. The company has built up a good and loyal local client base in Hertfordshire, and has been an FMB member for about ten years, initially applying for membership to give assurance to potential clients. Over the years though, Trevor has made full use of his membership, singling out the helpline, competitive insurance cover, Master Builder magazine, and the website for up-to-date information and research into any unusual or specific enquiries, as being particularly helpful.
Trevor, and Linley Developments hadn't tackled the redevelopment of a church, before this project, so his first course of action was to meet the local conservation officer. All three parties, the owners, the conservation officer and the contractor shared the same determination to retain as much of the original fabric of the building as possible.
The owners put their complete faith into Linley Developments and encouraged Trevor and his team to be the first point of contact with the conservation officer, they were happy also for Trevor to advise them on all design aspects of the projects, materials and even lighting effects.
The job
There was major structural work to complete though before much attention could be given to lighting – the roof was removed, and insulation was installed before it was completely re-slated. It had been the intention of the owners to install rooflights to bring more light into the building, but as the south side of the church looked out onto the village, the conservation officer put his foot down.
Trevor suggested that Mr and Mrs Redondo should seek advicem from a lighting specialist, and although it was expensive, they felt in the end that it was money well spent. They now have light flooding into their bedroom through a glass floor in the gallery, fibre-optic lights set into the ceiling like stars, hidden lighting in the vaulted ceiling and uplighters set into the staircases throughout the building.
Linley Developments commissioned new stone parapets and windows, and underfloor heating was installed throughout. Trevor’s clients wanted a first floor mezzanine, but the ornate roof trusses – which could not be removed – meant that head height would not be adequate, Trevor therefore dug out all the original floor. More...(PDF, 257KB)
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