General Renovations in Billericay

Property in Billericay holds its value, so the houses that come to market needing work tend to sell to buyers who plan to renovate from the day they collect the keys. Others have simply been lived in happily for a very long time and now need everything doing at once. Either way it is a whole house project rather than a list of odd jobs.

Period property and the conservation area

The High Street carries Georgian and older frontages inside a conservation area, and Chapel Street holds the town's Mayflower connection, so work on buildings of that age asks for a light hand. Lime plaster and breathable finishes matter on solid walls, original joinery is nearly always worth repairing rather than ripping out, and damp is often misdiagnosed when the real cause is a raised path or a blocked gutter. Sash and casement windows can usually be saved, and a draught proofed original serves a building of that age better than a plastic replacement. The same thinking applies to the cottages and converted farm buildings around Great Burstead and Little Burstead, where rural property comes with its own quirks of drainage, access and construction.

Inter war houses that have never been updated

The 1930s and inter war stock makes up a large share of the town, and a full renovation of one of these houses tends to follow a familiar shape. Rewiring and replumbing come first, then insulation, plastering and floors, then the layout changes that let the ground floor work as one space. Poorly built additions from the 1960s and 1970s usually come off rather than get patched up. If a chimney breast is being reopened or a stove installed, we are a HETAS registered installer, so that part of the work is covered too.

Bungalows and later homes

Bungalows in Sunnymede, South Green and Queens Park respond well to remodelling, because the internal walls are rarely carrying much and ceilings can often be opened up into the roof for height and light. Houses on the newer developments at the edge of town are structurally sound but sometimes plain, and the gain there lies in better joinery, better light and a fitted kitchen worth having. Roof space above a bungalow is frequently wasted, and bringing it into use while the house is already open costs less than coming back to it later. Very often the sensible move is to plan the whole property at once, even if the work is then carried out in stages.

How the work runs

A renovation is a sequence rather than a pile of tasks, and getting the order right is what keeps it moving. We survey the property, agree a scope and a realistic order of works, then keep building, plumbing, electrics and finishing within one insured team so nothing waits on a subcontractor's diary. You have a single point of contact for the whole programme, which counts for a lot in the weeks when several trades are on site together. Cost is driven by the condition of what is already there, the extent of structural change, whether you are living in the house while the work goes on, and the level of specification you choose. There is more on our renovation service, more about where we work in and around Billericay, and you can book a free quote or call 07967 232435.