STATION ROAD
REFURBISHMENT
BEFORE
DURING
AFTER
What the client says: "Despite all of the issues, we came out with
a beautiful property!"
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We purchased the property as an investment to renovate and sell. John and the team have remarkable vision and came up with the idea of putting the living room upstairs and creating spaces which meant that almost all of the living space took advantage of the beautiful views. Work started and the team worked throughout the difficult covid lockdowns. Materials were scarce which meant that we all travelled, gathering them, to get the job done. Working during that time was tough but credit to the team, they created a beautiful three-bedroom space from an otherwise derelict one-bedroom flat.
The job ended up being a bit bigger than we thought as the elements had done more damage than could originally be seen. Choose Right helped us to formulate a plan and work our way out of it. The finishes were brilliant and every time we suggested something a little unusual John and the team would always work it out, after some head scratching, and were able to accommodate us. We were so happy with the guys at Choose Right Construction and gladly recommend them to anyone that will listen to us!
Our Thoughts
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The client bought the flat as a total refurb, it was a split level flat on the 3rd/4th floors of a house built circa 1890 and converted into flats in approximately 1980. The previous owner unknowingly rented the property out to someone that had used it to grow drugs in. The front door had been kicked in by the Police, the windows were boarded up from the inside, the walls had been modified to take a warm air ventilation system and the inside had been changed to accommodate growing vines. It hadn’t been updated for roughly 40 years and it leaked from several parts of the roof and stairwell every time it rained. During the clear out, we unearthed many trapped dead vermin and before these tenants, the previous tenants had 12 pet dogs in the flat! I think it is the worst property that we have ever had the pleasure of working on and to say the smell was pungent was an understatement! In truth, it was just a complete mess! But it had potential to be a beautiful property.
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We had worked with the client previously and they asked for our opinion on what could potentially be done with the flat. We had the idea of going up into the loft space and creating an upside down flat, putting the living room in the best position, at the top, and creating an open space with the kitchen/ living room, making the best of the amazing views available there.
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After planning permission was granted, we set about getting to work. One of the most difficult issues was the scaffolding and creating a safe working environment whilst the roof was removed as at the highest points, the scaffolding was over 5 stories tall with little to attach to. Facing directly onto the estuary meant strong winds, and the weekend after the scaffolding went up, a storm hit and dragged roofs off of surrounding buildings. Amazingly, despite some creaking noises and a sheet blowing off, we survived! The next issue was clearing the whole flat which meant taking everything down four stories and having very little space to get rid of rubbish. The roof tiles had to be stored and reused as the property was in a conservation area which also required a special type of window which we sourced after the clients got them agreed with the planning officer. Then Covid hit! We had to ensure that we created safe working environments to get the job done as well as trying to source materials which was no easy task!
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On this project, there were many surprises including the stability of the roof, a collapsing chimney and the questionable conversion done in the 80’s when planning and building control was much more relaxed. The end result was amazing, and the clients were thrilled. They sold the property after 3 viewings!