Category Archives: Renovation & Extension

Home Renovation Bury St Edmunds – Seamans Building achieves consistent quality standards with beautiful house extensions & renovation projects in Suffolk

Refurbishment of historic Grade II listed building in Yoxford

Seamans Building is proud to have completed the refurbishment of a Grade II listed country house in Yoxford – believed to date back to the 16th Century.

Work on Grove Park began in October 2018 and was completed in September 2020.

The impressive Georgian mansion sits in 35 acres of beautiful, secluded parkland, boasting incredible countryside views.

It was rebuilt in the 1770s and features a red brick build under a pitched slate roof.

It features ten principal bedrooms, six bathrooms and a variety of reception rooms arranged over three floors.

Externally, the extensive refurbishment included scaffolding the building as well as enclosing it under a temporary roof.

The roof was stripped and replaced with new Welsh slates while repair work was undertaken on stonework detailing, brickwork, windows and external doors.

The team also went to work rebuilding and repairing chimneys and completing underpinning works.

Internally, the project included installing new insulated concrete floors, bracing and replastering walls, fitting new sanitaryware and redecorating the interior throughout.

In addition, the building required a complete rewire of its electrics, as well as the installation of a new oil-fired heating and hot water system.

The project also included constructing a brand-new orangery. This was built from Haddonstone materials and fitted with Crittall doors and windows, with a large patent glazed rooflight.

Donna Barford, Senior Quantity Surveyor at Seamans Building, said: “This was a fantastic project to work on and we are delighted with how the refurbishment has turned out.”

“Grove Park was in need of significant building work, and it is wonderful to see it back to its best.”

“We are pleased to have delivered the refurbishment of such a historically important building.”

You can find out more about our previous projects, benefiting a range of sectors, on our case studies page.

Photography Credit: Simply C Photography

House renovation at Baxter Street, Bury St Edmunds

Repairs & Renovation – A period property

Renovation specialists Seamans Building, based in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, began the repair and renovation works to this period town house property in the heart of Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk for our client The Bury Town Trust in late 2020.

As with many of our home renovation projects, site set up has been established and the investigation carried out for the safe isolation of supplies. The below photo shows the historic building standing in Baxter Street in much need of some TLC!

Refurbishment Bury St Edmunds Suffolk

Following the demolition of the extension and the careful removal of the low-level render to the chimney, we discovered the old bressummer beam, which would have supported the brickwork above the fireplace opening in the adjacent terrace.

Further demolitions exposed a section of rotten soleplate and historic repairs to each corner at the rear of the property show where it would have joined the neighbouring properties.

Scaffold is erected, further investigation of the structure is carried out and drainage is tested. The remaining scaffold was erected to all elevations allowing the removal of render at high level. Exposed original window openings reveal signs of timber decay and insert attack.

Week 5 saw the removal of all the external render. The entire structure is wrapped for protection. The chimney shored up with supporting scaffolding to alleviate any threat of collapse.

About Seamans Building

Seamans Building, based in Bury St Edmunds, provide a wide range of home extension & renovation services, from small house extensions to large house renovations or home refurbishments.

Contact us for more information about our house renovation service.

Medieval Gate House in Norfolk undergoes restoration

In the grounds of a Medieval Manor House in Norfolk stands this 2-storey derelict brick Gatehouse.

The Gatehouse dates from 1570 and includes a Coat of Arms, terracotta columns, windows to the first floor and a stone plaque in the gable head. Works included new roofing and timber replacement, brick repairs and repointing on all elevations.  Joists and floorboards replaced and the clearance of vegetation from the external walls and steps.

The 16C oak door which led to the first floor has been carefully removed and Seamans have restored it beautifully in their Joinery Shop.