Project Update – Edwardian Re-creation

Construction work is well underway for one of our largest projects in recent years, the rebuild of a grand old home in Richmond. Constructed in 1913, the earthquake damaged triple-brick dwelling was originally a builder’s-own home by the contractor responsible for the former Press Building in the Square. Documentation was very challenging, involving some 1537 hours of time by our team. Fortunately, the existing house was still standing which enabled us to record very detailed measurements of all aspects of the building. Several items were salvaged to be reused in the new home, most notably 52 original leadlight stained glass windows that will be fitted within new double-glazed window units.

A construction contract was signed in May 2017 and construction commenced shortly thereafter. Thirteen months later the clay tile roof is on, the timber windows and doors are being installed and cladding work is about to begin. The project is scheduled to be finished by May 2019 and over the next few months we will see some really interesting detailing and finishing work starting to emerge.

The CCA team visited site recently to view progress and to get a better understanding of the skill levels required on such a challenging project. The “A-team” from Steve Brown Builders are doing a fantastic job putting it all together and the project is running very smoothly. We should also make mention of the excellent work that Sydenham Joinery have done with the windows, which will look even better when the salvaged leadlights are installed.

It is little wonder that buildings are not made like this very often as the time taken would be roughly double what a similar sized contemporary design would require. Nevertheless, it has been very rewarding and a good learning opportunity for all. Hats off to our client for his unwavering commitment and for having faith in the team to deliver a superb result.

We’ll post more pictures as work progresses, and if you would like to find out more about the background of this project take a look at this 2017 article from ‘The Press’.