General Renovations in Colchester

A full renovation is a sequencing problem as much as a building one. Get the order right, and the roof, the structure, the services and the plaster each happen once. Get it wrong, and new decoration comes off again to chase a cable. With more than 25 years behind us, we plan Colchester refurbishments backwards from the finish, and we run building, plumbing, electrics and finishing with one accountable team so nothing falls between trades.

The historic core, where consent comes first

In the Dutch Quarter and the streets within the Roman walls, many buildings are listed, and consent can be required for internal alterations as well as anything visible from the street. That surprises owners who assume the inside is their own affair. These buildings are also often timber framed with lime based finishes, and they rely on being able to breathe. Sealing them up with cement render, gypsum and impermeable paint traps moisture in the frame and causes exactly the decay people were trying to prevent, so lime plaster, breathable paints and sympathetic repair are the right response. Old floors, staircases and joinery are usually worth repairing rather than replacing, both for the building and for its value.

Terraces, villas and former rentals

Victorian terraces in New Town and around the Avenue of Remembrance tend to arrive with a familiar list: aged wiring, mixed pipework from several eras, damp at low level that is often a bridged or blocked issue rather than rising, chimney breasts already partly removed without support, and windows that have been replaced unsympathetically. Lexden's larger Edwardian villas were frequently subdivided into flats or bedsits over the years, and turning them back into single houses means unpicking meter positions, duplicated kitchens and bathrooms, added partitions and fire doors, then reinstating the proportions of the original rooms. Similar work comes up in the let stock near the University of Essex, where a house that served students for years needs the layout, heating and insulation brought back to family standards. Where the roof covering has reached the end of its life, we deal with the roofing as part of the same programme rather than leaving it to a separate visit.

How a whole house renovation runs

We start with a survey and a realistic scope, because a renovation quote written without lifting a floorboard is a guess. Then the sequence: strip out, structural alterations and repairs, roof and external envelope, windows, first fix plumbing and electrics, insulation, plastering, second fix, kitchen and bathrooms, flooring and decoration. On post-war and modern homes at Highwoods, Stanway, Prettygate and Mile End the fabric work is often the priority, with insulation, heating and glazing making the biggest difference to how the house feels. On the newer housing built as the garrison was redeveloped, the work is more usually about reconfiguring layouts and lifting the specification.

Cost is driven by what the survey uncovers, how much structure is moving, whether the house is occupied while we work, the extent of the rewire and replumb, and the level of finish you want. Where a property is listed or sits in a conservation area, consent and specification add to that too. We are an established firm, fully insured, and we guarantee our workmanship. Look through the rest of what we do in Colchester, see the detail of our renovation work, and get a free, no obligation quote when you are ready to talk it through.