East Sussex's
Award-Winning
Builders

This cottage on the edge of Robertsbridge dates back to 1650, originally built as a gamekeeper's lodge. Our brief was to give the property room to grow — more space and more light — without compromising the character that makes it special.

We added three separate extensions. Two are built around steel portal frames, their vaulted ceilings rising to full-height glazed gable ends that bring the surrounding countryside into the living spaces. The third provides additional bedroom accommodation, finished to the same standard throughout.

Inside the original cottage, a new family bathroom and a series of wood burning stoves bring warmth to rooms that have stood since the seventeenth century.

The work took seven months, and the cottage now has the space its setting always deserved.

Sustainability was at the heart of this new build from the outset, and it shaped nearly every decision made on site. The result is a home designed to tread lightly on its surroundings, without compromising on quality or comfort.

Access to the site in Winchelsea was demanding, and every stage of construction required careful planning around it. The finished home is built almost entirely from cedar, framed and hand-crafted on site by our own team rather than delivered pre-fabricated, giving us full control over the quality of every detail.

In 2021, the Federation of Master Builders recognised the project with both a Southern Counties Sustainability Winner award and a National Sustainability Highly Commended accolade.

This ambitious project transformed a Ticehurst farmhouse from a single dwelling into a fully extended family home, while carefully preserving its rural character throughout.

The old garage was converted into a self-contained annexe with its own luxury ensuite. A new two-storey extension was built around an oak-framed, fully glazed entrance porch — crafted entirely on site — adding an extra kitchen, another ensuite, and a family bathroom above.

The grounds received the same attention to detail, with a characterful folly wall, engineered retaining walls, and landscaped patios completing the setting.

In 2012, the project was recognised by the Federation of Master Builders with the Heavenly Builder Award, a category judged entirely on client testimony and presented by architect and television presenter George Clarke. The clients later asked us back for a further extension in oak framing and a new first-floor bathroom.

This project involved the demolition and complete rebuild of a former hop pickers' hut on the banks of Bewl Water, for a client whose family has farmed the surrounding land for four generations.

The site sits within the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and the planning constraints that come with that designation meant the new cottage needed to closely echo the one it replaced — natural slate, traditional brickwork, and materials in keeping with the setting. As the property would generate no income until complete, the build was also delivered to a tight programme without compromising on finish.

The result is a beautifully appointed two-bedroom holiday cottage that sits comfortably within its protected landscape, and a valued addition to the client's rural letting portfolio.

Access to the rear of this Cooden property was extremely restricted, meaning most materials had to be carried through by hand. The steel structural elements were craned over the roof instead — a careful piece of planning that set the tone for the rest of the project.

The new room replaced a tired conservatory entirely. A dramatic aluminium-framed roof lantern floods the space with daylight, complemented by concealed LED lighting for evenings. Herringbone porcelain flooring with underfloor heating runs throughout, and full-width bi-fold doors open onto a raised composite deck, finished with a frameless glass balustrade and steps to the garden.

It's now the room this family uses every day, and a good example of what's possible even with the most difficult access.

This Battle cottage required a complete overhaul behind the scenes before any of the visible work could begin — full rewiring, replumbing, and internal wall insulation to bring the building's thermal performance up to modern standards.

With that groundwork complete, we turned to the parts you can see. Downstairs was reconfigured for better flow, making room for a new kitchen in keeping with the cottage's traditional character. Upstairs, structural changes created space for a luxury ensuite. New flooring and carpets throughout, along with a traditional woodburning stove in the main living space, completed the transformation.

The result is a cottage that feels comfortable to live in day to day — a modest two-bedroom home brought quietly up to date while its rural character remains untouched.

During the refurbishment of this Battle farmhouse, original internal studwork was uncovered, carefully restored, and left exposed — giving the home a visible connection to its own history.

The historic inglenook fireplace was treated with the same care: preserved rather than replaced, and fitted with a high-efficiency woodburning stove that brings it back into daily use as the heart of the home.

Elsewhere, the farmhouse was brought fully up to date, with new insulation and replastering throughout, entirely new plumbing and electrics, a reworked layout with a new kitchen, a luxury bathroom refurbishment, and a new ensuite off the main bedroom — all handled so that the home's historic character remains the focus.

This new pavilion for Horsham Trinity Cricket Club was funded through a combination of charitable grants and community contributions, replacing a clubhouse that had long outgrown the needs of its members.

The site sits alongside a primary school, so health and safety planning was a priority throughout every phase of the build. Access was tight enough that a crane was needed to bring the structural elements into position.

The finished pavilion includes modern changing and shower facilities, a fully fitted bar and kitchen, and a multi-purpose hall overlooking the pitch — a building that reflects the support of everyone who helped make it possible.

Large parts of Clifford Hall, the Beulah Centre and Beulah Baptist Church needed to remain in active community use throughout this project, so every phase of work was carefully scheduled around church services and community activities that couldn't be paused.

The building itself — an awkward 1970s link structure joining an old church hall to the main Victorian chapel — was the focus of major structural alterations to open up the layout properly. New additions included fully accessible toilets throughout, a passenger lift giving first-floor access for the first time, and a substantially enlarged commercial kitchen.

The project went on to win the Southern Counties Public Sector Award at the 2021 National Master Builder of the Year Awards, recognition for a building that now properly serves the community it was built for.