The brief

The existing house, a former family-run GP surgery, had fallen into disrepair and needed sensitive repair rather than replacement. Full planning permission covered renovation and subdivision of the main house together with new homes to the rear. The scheme had to satisfy the conservation requirements of Historic England and North Somerset Council while meeting current building regulations.

What we did

• Site clearance, ground investigation and regrading of site levels, with temporary welfare, power and site security established
• Extension and conversion of the existing house into three self-contained dwellings, including rebuilding the three front bays to the structural engineer’s design
• Conversion of the former coach house into a further self-contained dwelling
• Construction of a new-build bungalow to the rear, from foundations through to completion
• New private below-ground foul and surface-water drainage with soakaways serving each property
• New utility connections and street naming and numbering

A sensitive, constrained site

The main building carried elements of structural instability that had to be stabilised as part of the restoration, and its original character was retained using traditional materials agreed with the conservation officers. The site also supported protected bats, so the works followed the ecologist’s method statement under a licensed mitigation strategy, with ecological supervision where required.

The outcome

Church Quarters delivered five completed homes on a restored landmark site, built to current building regulations and backed by a 10-year structural warranty. Working as main contractor, EJ McGrath took the development from a vacant, deteriorating building through to a finished terrace, coach house and new dwelling ready for occupation.

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EJ McGrath’s role

EJM acted as main contractor for a private client, coordinating the full build and self-delivering the demanding groundworks and structural elements that set up the rest of the project. With the house cut into a sloping site, getting the substructure and earth-retention right was central to the build.

Scope of works

• Basement and integral garage formed into the hillside, with the associated excavation, retention and waterproofing this demands
• Gabion retaining walls to the garden, managing levels across the sloping plot
• External works and hard landscaping, including a 300m² Marshalls Argent paved driveway and 120m² of granite patios and balconies
• Building fabric and high-spec finishes: K-Rend and ashlar stone externally, triple glazing and three sets of bi-fold doors, frameless glass balconies
• Building services integration, including underfloor heating with wireless controls, rainwater harvesting, solar panels and multi-room audio

Delivering on site

Building into a hillside means sequencing excavation, retaining structures and the basement box carefully before the home above can take shape. EJM managed that sequence while bringing together a wide range of specialist components and finishes, keeping quality, programme and the many trades aligned throughout.

Outcome

The result is an individual, energy-conscious family home that makes the most of a challenging site, a project that shows EJM’s ability to combine technical groundworks and substructure work with confident management of a complete, finishes-led build.

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The brief

The redundant church hall stood on an established residential street a short walk from Portishead town centre. The brief was to clear the site and replace it with four individually designed family homes, built to Code for Sustainable Homes Level 3 and finished to a premium standard, while sitting comfortably within the existing street scene.

What we did

EJM self-delivered the development from start to finish, coordinating our own teams and specialist subcontractors across every trade:

• Demolition of the former church hall, including asbestos handling, and full site clearance
• Groundworks, foundations and block and beam ground floors
• Drainage, including a pre-works CCTV survey and connection into the existing sewer
• Superstructure masonry in Ibstock Cavendish Fireglow brick, with the original boundary stone wall retained, repointed and extended
• Carpentry and joinery, including roof trusses, engineered floor joists, staircases and first and second fix throughout with prefinished oak internal doors
• Underfloor heating throughout, zoned for individual room control
• Solar PV to every house, MCS certified and registered for the Feed-in Tariff
• Bi-folding doors and frameless glass balustrade balconies
• High-specification fit-out, with Porcelanosa tiling, engineered oak and Amtico flooring, fitted kitchens and Vado bathrooms
• External works, including raised composite decking, paved pathways, turfed gardens and fencing

A constrained infill site

Building four homes on a tight plot in the middle of an occupied street called for careful management of demolition, deliveries and parking. The development was designed and built to Code for Sustainable Homes Level 3, with high levels of insulation, low-water fittings, solar generation and an EPC band B rating across all four houses.

The outcome

All four homes were completed and handed over, each certified to EPC band B and sold with the backing of a 10-year NHBC warranty. Delivering the development in-house, from planning and groundworks through to a fully finished home, gave the client a bespoke, high-quality scheme alongside the most recognised warranty in the market.

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The brief

Aspen Partnership had secured the site and full planning permission for five family homes. The brief was to build the terrace out complete, to a traditional specification in keeping with the local streetscape, and to a fixed programme and budget.

What we did

• Delivered the complete build of five three-bedroom houses, from substructures and drainage through to internal fit-out and external works
• Built the elevations in natural Blue Lias stone with dressed Bath stone heads, cills and quoins
• Fitted out each home with a lounge and diner, separate fitted kitchen and downstairs WC, plus three bedrooms served by a master en-suite and a family bathroom
• Laid engineered oak flooring and ceramic kitchen floor tiles
• Formed enclosed front and rear gardens with two allocated parking spaces per house

A traditional stone finish

The character of the terrace comes from its stonework. Building the full run of elevations in natural Blue Lias with dressed Bath stone detailing is a local vernacular finish that calls for skilled masonry and careful setting out, tying the new houses into the established character of the street.

The outcome

The terrace was completed on time and on budget, with four of the five houses sold before the development was finished. All five homes were handed over with a 10-year NHBC warranty, EJ McGrath being a registered NHBC house builder.

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Highlights

• Natural ashlar stonework and cills
• Cedar and zinc cladding
• Oriel bay windows
• Permeable paving

Inspected by Bath & North East Somerset Building Control, with structural warranty provided by CRL.

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Detail

• Block-and-beam structure with concrete floors, timber partitioning and roof, finished in K-Rend and Bradstone
• Gas central heating, intercom entry and hard-wired fire alarm throughout
• Handed over with a 10-year building guarantee following Zurich’s final inspection
• The neighbouring former post office owner was impressed enough to instruct us to convert it into a modern one-bed flat

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Registered with NHBC and inspected throughout, the bungalow passed all requirements and was awarded a 10-year NHBC warranty.

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Works included

• Two new loft bedrooms with large dormer windows
• New bedroom over the double garage with walk-in wardrobe and large bathroom
• Internal walls removed to create a large kitchen with utility room
• Full bathroom refit and new fireplace
• Total rewire, new heating system with underfloor heating, full re-plaster, all floor and wall tiling
• New painted hardwood windows and doors, hardwood fascias and soffits, aluminium rainwater system
• New 250m² patio

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The brief

Aspen Partnership Ltd appointed EJM to deliver a high-specification, five-bedroom house on an infill plot in an established residential street. This was a full main-contractor package: clear the site, build the property and hand over a finished, warranted home, built to current Building Regulations and to a detailed private specification.

What we did

• Site clearance and setting out, trench foundations, and a ground floor combining suspended block-and-beam and a ground-bearing concrete slab
• Cavity masonry superstructure in dense concrete block with full-fill cavity insulation, timber upper floors, and a cut timber roof finished in Marley concrete tiles
• Structural waterproofing (tanking) to BS 8102 with a damp-proof, gas-resisting membrane to the below-ground elements, detailed and warranted for a former quarry site
• PVCu windows and external doors, first and second fix carpentry, plasterboard, plastering and external K-Rend silicone render
• Floor screeds, underfloor heating throughout, and a roof-mounted solar array, MCS certified
• Drainage, external works and finishing, with coordination of the mechanical, electrical and renewables trades

Ground conditions and waterproofing

The plot sits on a former limestone quarry with areas of made ground. Following the ground investigation, the made ground beneath the floor slab was removed so a ground-bearing slab could be formed on competent material. The lowest levels were then built up with structural waterproofing to BS 8102 and a damp-proof, gas-resisting membrane, detailed to satisfy NHBC and Building Control and issued with a tanking warranty.

The outcome

The house was handed over with full certification, including NHBC cover, an air-tightness test, an Energy Performance Certificate and a Building Regulations compliance report. The finished home runs to five double bedrooms, four en-suites and a master bathroom, with a 750 sq ft open-plan kitchen and living space, underfloor heating throughout and its own solar generation. It is a clear example of EJM self-delivering a complete, high-specification residential building as main contractor.

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