LOW POINT


“The painful and slow process of fi nalising all the requirements for building control sign off, it’s much more involved than people ever think.”


to the mid-18th century with late 19th century alterations and a detached coach house, was built as a private home and adapted into a school. “The challenge here was to undertake a full renovation of the property, matching existing traditional materials and craftsmanship but also linking the detached coach house to the main house,” Richard explains. “We did this with a contrasting contemporary extension which provided an opportunity to maximise a glazed connection to the south-facing gardens.” Back in Uppingham, the next challenge was the planning process – twice. Leaf Architecture fi rst got on board in late 2020. The initial planning application was submitted to Rutland District Council in mid-2021, and approval granted. However when the project went out to tender, “exacerbating construction and materials costs after Covid” meant that the potential outlay would have made the project unviable fi nancially. o the initial iteration was adapted a second courtyard was removed, the structure was simplifi ed and window sies became more standard. The new plans went back to the council as a revised scheme in mid-2023. Planning consent was granted again later that year, with the adapted plans meaning the project could proceed much closer to the client’s desired build budget. Richard estimates that at today’s prices, the build budget for a similar project would be in the region of £2,500-£2,750 per sq m.


All of the existing buildings on the site, most of them industrial storage buildings, were


Although Covid prolonged the process by a few years, Richard regards this


element as crucial to the success of the fi nished home


taken down – a lot of them were fairly rickety, Richard says. However, most of the stone walls to the west and east of the plot were conserved, repaired, rebuilt and repointed as needed, which helps to bring rich character to the outside space. Bat boxes were installed, but no evidence of roosting bats was found and the last bat survey was completed in July 2023. The build process began in late 2024, with completion onsite in October 2025. Leicester-based Sandhurst Construction were appointed as main contractors, with the company’s director, Adam Weafer, running the site as project manager. “There was nothing wrong with the actual planning itself, other than it taking longer than it should have done,” Richard says. “Rutland


61


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68