What we do
Ten things we do, and the reason they sit in one firm.
Extensions and new builds; external wall insulation and whole-house retrofit; low-energy builds; structural work; bespoke oak frame; barn, loft and basement conversions; renovations, kitchens and bathrooms; and complete garden design and landscaping. Traditional methods and modern performance, carried by one team. Serving Knaresborough, Harrogate, York & Leeds.
01
Design & consult
Before anything is drawn, someone who has to build it should look at it
Most projects go wrong long before the first brick. We sit down with you early, walk the property, and work out what's achievable within the fabric you've got and the budget you're working to — then say so plainly, including when the honest answer is that something isn't worth doing.
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02
Extensions & new builds
Side-return kitchens, garden rooms, rear extensions and one-off new builds
Extensions are the heart of what we do: side-return kitchen extensions, rear and wraparound extensions, garden rooms and full new builds. Groundworks, structure, envelope, first and second fix — carried by one team that stays on your site until it's finished.
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03
External wall insulation
Wrapping a solid-wall house so it stops losing its heat through the walls
Solid-wall houses lose an enormous amount of heat straight through the walls, and there's no cavity to fill. External wall insulation wraps the outside of the building in insulation and a new render or cladding finish — warmer rooms, no lost internal floor space, and an elevation that looks new when it's done.
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04
Whole-house retrofit
Turning an existing house into a low-energy, comfortable one
Retrofit is transforming a house you already own into a low-energy, high-performance home: walls, floors, roofs, airtightness, glazing and ventilation treated as one system rather than a series of separate purchases.
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05
Low-energy builds
High-performance, low-energy homes built to a standard you can feel
A low-energy build is an ordinary-looking house that costs remarkably little to heat: continuous insulation, a genuinely airtight envelope, high-performance glazing and controlled ventilation, all designed together and, crucially, built as designed.
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06
Structural work
Prop and pin, new openings, underpinning, boundary and retaining walls
Structural work is the part of building that has to be right the first time: propping and pinning, forming new openings, underpinning, and rebuilding boundary and retaining walls. It's also where the family's stonework knowledge earns its keep, including on Grade II listed buildings.
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07
Bespoke oak frame work
Porches, garden rooms, extensions and exposed frames in green oak
Oak frame is the part of the job clients photograph. Porches, garden rooms, oak-framed extensions, exposed trusses and feature beams — jointed, raised and finished so the frame is the architecture rather than a decorative add-on.
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08
Barn, loft & basement conversions
Turning space you already own into rooms you can live in
Conversions are the best value in building when they're done well: no new footprint, no planning battle over massing, and a building that already exists. They're also the least forgiving of shortcuts around structure, damp and insulation.
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09
Renovations, kitchens & bathrooms
Full house renovations and the trades that finish them
A full renovation is a dozen trades in the right order. We take on whole-house renovations and the individual pieces that make them up — kitchens, bathrooms, joinery, roofing, wall and floor tiling, cladding, electrics, plumbing and heating.
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10
Gardens, landscaping & groundworks
The ground the house sits in, designed and built to match
A new extension looking onto a churned-up lawn is only half a project. We take on complete garden design and landscaping, along with the paving, walls, levels and drainage that go underneath it.
More about thisNot sure which service you need?
Describe the project to Terry or Steve — you'll get an honest view of what it actually involves.