Why we’re recognising carpentry and craftmanship: Our Sussex Heritage Trust Awards entry

Putting ourselves forward for awards isn’t something we do lightly, or often, here at Hawes Construction Group. We know the exceptional calibre of projects that make the shortlists, not only thanks to our close collaborations with industry friends but because we sponsor (and sometimes judge!) construction sector awards, too.

Yet we truly believed a recent renovation project – transforming an historic pub in the rural village of Warbleton into a residential property – deserved some recognition, so we submitted it as an entry in the upcoming Sussex Heritage Trust Awards. We’re incredibly proud to share the submission with the project architects, Stickland Wright Practice in Brighton, who used their extensive knowledge of retrofitting and low energy solutions to design the property.

Collaborating with subcontractors for mechanical, electrical, structural steel, and retrofitting tasks, we acted as the main contractor on a project where carpentry and craftmanship were allowed to shine.

Here’s why this residential refurbishment project felt particularly important to our work and our values:

The challenge: to convert an historic building respectfully

Historic properties are, in almost every instance, not suited to modern day living. The challenge for construction contractors, like our team here at Hawes Construction Group, is to make sure the refurbished property meets present-day living and safety standards, without losing the history and beauty of the original architecture. For this Warbleton property, there were some clear obstacles to overcome, not least that the rear of the pub (which, in part, dated back to the 1500s) had no foundations.

The team: working together with the Hawes team and skilled subcontractors

We combined our expertise with that of our trusted subcontractors to balance traditional carpentry skills with modern requirements. For example, we combined craftmanship with traditional ironmongery throughout to install oak flooring, windows, doors, architraves and skirting to integrate seamlessly with the property’s original features.

The detail: taking the optimal route – not the easiest – to preserve the property

With every project, there’s always a quick win: a way to solve a problem while staying true to the brief. Yet here at Hawes Construction Group, we pride ourselves on never taking the easy way out and, instead, always looking for the best approach (within clients’ budgets, of course!).

A great example of this lies in the way we preserve the building’s original features. A 10-metre fascia that runs along the rear had been spliced and replaced. Rather than simply replacing the fascia as it was, we removed the entire run, cutting all the rafter feet back to a uniform level and finishing with a continuous, solid wood fascia that takes its rightful place as one of the property’s statement features.

As sponsors of the Sussex Heritage Trust Awards, we see the incredible calibre of the submissions and the projects completed by the entrants. We couldn’t pass on the opportunity to enter, showcasing not only our broader skills but also reminding everyone across our sector of the importance of preserving craftmanship and architecture of the past for the generations of the future.

The awards ceremony takes place on Wednesday 2nd July. You can find out more about the event here.

To learn more about the Warbleton residential refurbishment project, including the praise we received from our very happy client, read the case study on our website.