A staggering 38% of British homes were built prior to World War II, with well over 9 million homes built before 1900. With the average house having 10-12 windows that’s a lot of glass. Of all those windows a very large majority have sadly been replaced, often with uPVC double glazing, due to poor maintenance, inadequate insulation properties or even just fashion trends. Traditional single glazed windows have a bad reputation when it comes to heat loss and thermal resistance,

Whatever method of heating you chose for your home, as the winter draws in, it is impossible to ignore the lure of a real fire. The excitement of waiting for St Nicholas to drop in will not have escaped many of us and has become an integral part of yuletide festivities. So, as we prepare to hang up our stockings on the mantel, give a thought to the origins of the humble fireplace, from the most basic of fire pits to grandest statement pieces, there’s nothing quite as cosy at

As the Halloween season is now upon us with pumpkin knives being frantically sharpened, a wander around your local heritage site, church or historic building on a witch mark hunt could be just the thing to get you into the spirit of Samhain! Many people living with historic building timbers in their homes will be aware they often have markings carved into them, usually associated with the construction of the building and identified as 'carpenters’ marks'. Similarly marks etch

From the simplest of shelters to the grandest of palaces it's natural to endeavour to protect one's home, both inside and out, with evidence of wall protection dating back to 8000 BC. In this article we explore the use and benefits of using lime plaster in your home A brief history on lime Lime plaster is a type of interior plaster composed of sand, water and lime, obtained by burning limestone, and often contained animal hair for reinforcement. Lime continued to be used in t

- our design process As experienced designers, we recognise that every project has its own unique requirements and we adapt our service to meet the requirements of every client. This allows us to work directly with you to uncover the full potential of your project; whether creating the space of your dreams or maximising the return on investment. Here we outline our 7 stage design journey used on all our unique architectural building projects across Somerset and the South West

We are BIG advocates for making better use of what we have. A recent article by Historic England is very appropriate for World earth day; 'Buildings Must Be Recycled and Reused to Help Tackle Climate Change', discusses the government’s target of being carbon neutral by 2050. According to this year’s Heritage Counts report we must recycle, reuse and responsibly adapt our existing historic buildings - a cause that is very close to our core practice principles. "It is often assu