December News from Kay Pilsbury Thomas Architects

All the team at Kay Pilsbury Thomas Architects would like to wish a Joyous and Peaceful Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year to our clients past, present and future, and to our Contractors, Consultants and all readers of our News Blog.

Below is just a taster of what the KPTA team has been up to during December.

• This month we helped submit the Heritage Lottery Grants for Places of Worship application for Ovington Church, who are looking to repair their roof. The local school children are also helping by creating “a childrens guide” to the flora and fauna in the churchyard and the history of the church. Fingers crossed as we wait for HLF’s response!
• The drawing and schedule package for a new orangery and accessible bedroom, at The Retreat House Pleshey, will be sent to the client for perusal over the Christmas break and is going out to competitive tender in the New Year.
• Plans for a new swimming pool, gym and leisure outbuilding for a Grade II Listed Arts and Crafts house in Essex are with the client for their perusal, and will be submitted for Planning Permission early in the New Year.
• The pre-application has been submitted for the demolition of a poorly constructed 1960s bungalow, and to rebuild it as a 1 ½ storey lodge, which will be more in keeping for its surroundings at a large farm estate in Essex.
• At a Grade II, C.17th timber frame, thatched house in Cambridgeshire, we have carried out a survey to prepare drawings for the demolition of a 1960s garage and for a replacement timber frame outbuilding; and for repairs to a further large timber frame outbuilding close to the house; and also to some internal alterations to the house.
• We have submitted the application for Planning Permission and Certificate of Lawfulness for internal alterations, rear ground and first floor extension; providing an oak framed sunroom, a new Breakfast Room with new first floor bedroom, and a new balcony for an C.18th unlisted house, bordering National Trust property in Essex.
• Our clients are settled and enjoying their first Christmas for two years back in the C.15th Hall House, with C17th rear range, following extensive renovation works.
• We are currently in discussion with the Listed Building Officer over the proposed works to a C.18th Grade II Listed small thatched cottage in Essex, which it is proposed to extend on the rear.
• The Planning Permission and Listed Building Consent applications will be submitted in the New Year for the internal remodelling of the house and the external re-design of a rear range for a Grade II Listed early C.16th in-line Hall house in Essex.
• We have started the feasibility for a new village hall and sports pavilion in Cambridgeshire
• We have started the feasibility study, measure and drawings for the new ancillary building and internal alteration for St Mary’s Church in Saffron Walden. This is a glorious 
• We have completed the concept design to convert a little threshing barn into ancillary accommodation for a 16th Century grade II listed Farm House in Essex
• We are in currently doing the concept design for a new indoor swimming pool, gym and games room extension to a Georgian villa house in Cambridgeshire. There will also be new courtyard garages and outbuildings which compliment this important country house. Historic research has revealed that the house originally had another Georgian service wing and outbuildings to one side that were demolished in the mid-20th century, which has given us some scope for the new design. There was also a Georgian single storey range with tall sashes, which was demolished and we may reinstate as an enlarged Kitchen/dining room.      
• We are in the rectification period at Finchingfield Guildhall, who had 150 visitors in one day this month to their Christmas craft fair!
• We have been appointed as the new Architect for the lovely Coppersale Church, near Epping Forest. 
• Construction Detailed Design Drawings are nearly complete and the schedule fo works is being written up for St Michael and All Angels’ Church, Galleywood, where we are designing  new carved oak panelling and a modern structural glazed screen to the North Transept to create a Youth Room and accessible WC with robing room on a new first floor.  We are also designing a new tower balcony and tower screen to take the Organ.
• We have been out to measure a Hall House near Huntington which is to have some internal alterations and have started the existing building drawings. 
• We celebrated Christmas in style in the historic setting of Ickworth House, where we ate a very good meal and everyone enjoyed the Secret Santa presents!
• The office is now closed for Christmas whilst we all eat lots of food and drink too much and will re-open on Monday 6th January 2014.   

October/November News from Kay Pilsbury Thomas Architects

Despite a bit of rough weather at the end of of the October and a tree falling onto Sibyl’s car, we are still here to tell you what we have been up to during October and November. We also have Monica back with the team following the birth of her daughter Oona.

• At St. John the Baptist Church, Leytonstone, C H Lindsey & Son Ltd came to the rescue when the boiler broke down, and they soon undertook repairs, ensuring the congregation was warm once more.  This was a great relief to the Rev. Raymond Draper, who retires at the end of October.    
• All of the KPT team wish The Rev. Raymond Draper and his wife a long and peaceful retirement, and we are sure they will spend a great deal of time enjoying the company of their young grandchildren.  We would also like to welcome Rev. Draper’s successor, and to wish them well for the future.
• Plaster repair works are almost complete on-site at Radwinter Village Hall with Lodge & Son Builders.
• Construction Detailed Design Drawings are progressing well for St Michael and All Angels’ Church, Galleywood, where we are designing a new carved oak and modern structural glazed screen to the North Transept to create a Youth Room and accessible WC with robing room on a new first floor.  We are also designing a new tower balcony and tower screen to take the Organ. We have incorporated some carvings of trees into the new screen design to reflect the church’s location in the woods.
• We’ve met the Structural Engineer at Ovington Church to review the roof and wall structural repairs there which will form part of the grant application.
• We have just helped submit a Heritage Lottery Fund, Grants for Places of Worship, Round 1 Application for the repair works there and the church are also hoping to get the local school children to do a “children’s guide” which will tell young visitors all about the flora and fauna in the churchyard and about the history of the church building itself.
• The Planning and Listed Building Consent applications that are needed for a Threshing barn and a Tudor barn in Essex have been submitted. The Tudor barn will be used as ancillary accommodation with many of its features reinstated, such as the mullioned windows and crown post roof.  The Threshing barn is becoming a workshop and exhibition space for a well-known furniture company with some modern glazed interventions.
• The construction drawings are on-going for the new orangery and accessible bedroom at The Retreat House Pleshey.  The Orangery design will incorporate some oak doors and windows inspired by the Arts and Crafts joinery already found on the building, and the roof will be a living sedum roof. These will go out to tender in the New Year.
• Planning Permission and Listed Building Consent has been Approved by Huntingdon Council for a Garden Room extension and house refurbishment to a 17th Century house and the Quantity Surveyor has done an Estimate of Cost reday to go onto the detailed design stage. 
• We have met and agreed with the Conservation Officer over the design for a Breakfast Room extension to a Lobby Entrance House in South Cambridgeshire. Once we have their response the Planning & Listed Building Application will go in during December. 
• We have done practical completion and are now into the rectification period on a lovely C15th Hall House in Essex with R J Hoggs. The house looks amazing and the conversion works to the rear wing, now mean that the whole of this C17th rear range can be used once again.
• We have done the concept design for an extension to a Jacobean cottage in Essex. The house was rented for many years, so not much was done to it. We’ve met the Conservation officer and have agreed to remove a Victorian single storey and replace it with a 1 ½ storey side and rear wing to provide a new Kitchen/Dining Area and first floor bedrooms. The existing house is also having some remodelling. 
• We are doing the concept design for a swimming pool, gym and leisure outbuilding in Essex, which will be timber-framed and shingled, with modern glazing detailing. The Council have provisionally agreed to the outbuilding and we will continue to negotiate with them over the final design
• We are doing the Planning Application and Certificate of lawfulness for the rear extensions to a 18th Century house in Essex. The extensions provide a new oak framed sunroom, which replaces an existing conservatory, a new Breakfast Room and a new first floor bedroom. Phase 1 of the project, which included some remodelling to the house and some interior design are starting soon with R J Pinnock.
• We are currently doing the concept design to convert a little threshing barn into ancillary accommodation for a 16th Century grade II listed Farm House in Essex
• We have met the Conservation Officer on-site at a Tudor in-line Hall house in Essex and have agreed in principle to the remodelling of the house internally and the redesign of a rear range externally with a pitched roof. The cement render is being removed, the frame repaired and insulated with sheepswool and re-plastered with lime.  The modern windows are being replaced to match an early Victorian window already on the building.
• We are designing a new indoor swimming pool, gym and games room extension to a Georgian villa house in Cambridgeshire. There will also be new courtyard garages and outbuildings which compliment this important country house. Historic research has revealed that the house originally had another Georgian service wing and outbuildings to one side that were demolished in the mid-20th century, which has given us some scope for the new design. There was also a Georgian single storey range with tall sashes, which was demolished and we may reinstate as an enlarged Kitchen/dining room.
• We have submitted a pre-application for a small rear extension to an Old Vicarage and alterations to the outbuilding and are due to meet English Heritage to discuss.  
• We have done the Quinquennial for Woodford Wells church
• We are in the rectification period at Finchingfield Guildhall, which is now open to the public on Saturdays. www.finchingfieldguildhall.org.uk Watch out for their “Make Christmas day” on 14th December where you can go along and make presents at their workshop. 
• We are in the rectification period on a Grade I listed Tudor Country House in Suffolk, where we did extensive remodelling of the service wing and an a new garden room extension and external landscaping. 
• We have met the Diocese Advisory Committee and English Heritage at St Mary’s Church, Saffron Walden, which is grade I listed and the largest parish church is Essex. The meeting was successful and they have all agreed to the new welcome facilities and proposed office space that the church so desperately need. We are now due to start the feasibility drawings, having agreed the position and principle of the design. 
• We have met with conservation builders, J W Youngers and the Structural Engineer at some barns in Essex to agree the repairs to the frames. 
• We are starting a pre-application to demolish a mid-20th Century bungalow, which is a lodge house on a large farm estate in Essex and rebuild it as a 1 ½ storey lodge.
• Michael Cameron, our professional photographer visited one of our recently completed projects; a superb, large Grade II, late C.18th Georgian house in Essex for a day of photography. We designed and Cubitt Theobald Builders constructed: an Orangery extension with arched headed windows and doors, a Cinema and Games Room basement extension, converted the attics to provide 3 additional rooms and a bathroom, and revamped the indoor swimming pool building.