School Conversions receive Keynsham Civic Society Awards

Whitecroft Developments Ltd is pleased to announce that the two former Victorian school buildings have been awarded the Keynsham Civic Society Award.  The award scheme was launched by Keynsham Civic Society in 2003 in memory of the late Howard Massey.  Each year, Keynsham Civic Society asks local residents to nominate buildings and structures that have recently been constructed in Keynsham which add value and interest to the town.

The two Victorian schools are in prominent positions in Keynsham and valued local heritage.  The developments at both schools bring new build and converted homes to Keynsham by using and infilling land already well served by the existing and expanding facilities available at Keynsham.

Both developments sold very quickly, an indication of the build quality and attention to detail and the popularity of Keynsham and all that it has to offer.

The redevelopments of the existing school buildings sit in stark contrast to the recent development by Bath & North East Somerset Council on the same high street.

Whitecroft Developments Ltd is local family business established in 2010, siblings Martin and Rebecca Hales are Directors of the successful expanding development company, withfurther developments at Bristol Road Keynsham and Allison Road, Brislingtonset for completion this year. 

Future developments also include the Listed Buildings at Horseworld where Whitecroft shall once again, be entrusted with Local Heritage.

‘We are very pleased to accept the Keynsham Civic Society Award for the former school buildings in Keynsham, both were exciting projects which delivered unique living spaces. We do not underestimate the value of local heritage.  We were aware of the local residents’ nervousness surrounding the redevelopment of the schools, we set out to bring the school buildings back into use in such a way that we would add value to the town and reinforce valued local heritage.  This award has acknowledged that we achieved what we set out to do, it is very rewarding to hear that we have fulfilled our brief in the opinion of local residents.’  Rebecca Hales

Purchase of Staunton Manor Farm Agreed

Whitecroft Developments Ltd is delighted to confirm their agreement to purchase Staunton Manor Farm and the associated agricultural buildings at Whitchurch Village, Bristol.

The acquisition will further affirm Whitecroft’s success in the niche market of character housing developments in this area.

Staunton Manor Farm and associated buildings at Whitchurch Village date back to the 17th Century.  By the 1890’s, Staunton Manor Farm was an established Plough Farm and later owned by a Dairy Farmer.  Associated buildings include a wash house, brew house and stables. 

By the 1960’s, the buildings were sold to Horseworld, which was at that time a relatively new charity looking after a small number of retired ex-working horses. 60 years later, HorseWorld's charitable equine rescue work has significantly expanded and is now centralised at their adjacent and much larger (170 acres) Keynes Farm site. All of the horses and donkeys previoulsy based at Staunton Manor Farm have now been relocated to Keynes Farm.

The properties at Staunton Manor Farm in Whitcurch Village will provide 8 unique homes. A site plan for the development will be submitted to Bath and North East Somerset Council as part of the masterplan for the wider site, this will include Bellway and Barrett’s plans for the new homes on adjacent land.

Whitecroft has recently amended their plans in direct response to concerns raised at the Public Consultation meeting held on 9th July, and has now removed their proposed additional access from Sleep Lane to serve two of the existing properties.

As a local company, experienced in dealing with local heritage, Whitecroft is fully aware of the importance and sensitivities associated with the buildings at Staunton Manor Farm. 

Whitecroft is committed to producing a high finished standard as demonstrated at Bath Hill School in Keynsham.  Conversions and restorations force a slower, more considered approach, this in turn allows the opportunity to work bespoke features and design, to consider each home on an individual basis.

The restoration at Staunton Manor Farm will ensure the buildings provide a long lasting reference to Whitchurch Village’s agricultural past.

 ‘Amongst the original buildings, we find the history of Whitchurch Village. It will be rewarding to bring these buildings into residential use.  As the pressure on Local Authorities to deliver additional housing increases, and Listed properties become more difficult to bring up to current energy performance requirements, we must ensure that buildings such as Staunton Manor Farm are retained for generations to come. Rebecca Hales, Director.

Whitecroft also have sites at Bristol Road, Keynsham and in Brislington, Bristol, both of which will complete next year.

Once relegated to the back of the house with a budget only expected to cover a basic functional suite, bathrooms are increasingly important today, second only to the kitchen in budget. Bathrooms are a key aspect of any renovation project.  Budgets are growing in response to a huge array of choice for design, materials, lighting and heating.

Most of our budgets will not stretch to an alabaster bath for around £18,000 from Lapicida http://www.lapicida.com/inspiration/idea/bathrooms/ or a freestanding shower for around £22,000 from Drummonds http://www.drummonds-uk.com/showers/all-showers/the-spittal-shower-with-200mm-rose-handset but distinctive design is reaching the high street, online retailers such as Bath Store http://www.bathstore.com/, Bath Empire http://www.bathempire.com/?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Bath_Empire and Cheap Suites http://www.cheapsuites.co.uk/ are raising the bar and delivering a good choice of contemporary and traditional bathroom styles at low prices.

If you are looking for a middle ground and want to purchase a bathroom suite which is distinctive and well made without breaking the bank, Porcelanosa provide a great range of suites to suit most budgets http://www.porcelanosa.com/gb/ (but be warned, set out your budget before visiting the showroom because Porcelanosa can supply fabulous sanitaryware for budgets in line with Drummons' price tags).

We consistently specify, and have been happy with Porcelanosa sanitaryware and tiles, the above image is from our latest development at Bath Hill BS31 1ET, and shows one of our favourite tiles - Cubica Blanco.

We currently tend to opt for contemporary design rather than traditional.  But we always reconsider our design approach at the start of each project, because most of the sites we work on are individual and bring their own style,  usually in the form of inspirational architecture, and we need to check we are responding the new site's individual qualities.  Our design process is simple and enjoyable and one which you can replicate for your own project, we go through masses of images, exposing our self to as many ideas as possible and collecting a pile of images of designs which appeal to us, a great tool for this Houzz http://www.houzz.com/ .  Once you have your collection of images, they can be displayed and you can extract the design elements which appeal to you, make a list of these and this then becomes your ideal brief for your bathroom design.

You will need to modify your ideal design and take into account practical needs as well as a desire to create a beautiful space, make every attempt to understand the financial and practical restrictions for your project as soon as possible, this way your design can develop with practical needs in mind.  Last minute revelations will most probably compromise your design, so investigate practical issues such as current waste outlets and space restrictions as soon as possible. Find out if the walls you are working with are solid or partition as this will determine where you can hide your waste and this will impact on the flexibility of your design.

Investigate the dimensions of the items you intend to purchase, take into account the projection of basins and toilets and understand how this will be affected by any required 'boxing in'.  Where you need to box in pipes, always consider how the boxing could be worked to aid the design rather than distract from it, use boxing in to create shelves and recessed shelving where possible.

When it comes to lighting, don't forget that your bathroom is zoned according to the types of lighting which can be used, plan your lighting at the outset to make the most of accent lighting (which can be placed in recessed shelving for great effect if considered early enough).

Be aware of how your design can affect your water usage, most suppliers will now offer low capacity baths and flow restrictors to help you control the amount of water you use.  If you would like to calculate the water usage for your bathroom and other water using appliances, most suppliers will provide flow rates and water usage per cycle information, which can be entered onto online water calculators to see how you compare to water saving targets http://www.thewatercalculator.org.uk/calculator.asp

If your project can wait, we recommend spending some time getting to know the space in different lights, as light can impact hugely on design, if you are living in the property, take time to analyse how you and your family use the space and use this to inform your design.  If you can choose the time to embark on your project, research your favourite suppliers and make a note of their sale dates to get the best possible prices.

At Whitecroft, we are aim for simple and elegant bathroom interiors, the bathroom is sometimes the only place for solitary contemplation or relaxation.