Refurbishing an old coach house in Windsor

The brief

To convert an existing coach house to a computer room (top floor) and chill-out zone (ground floor) for students at the Green Room School.

Background

The Green Room School in Windsor is for young people who can no longer access mainstream education. The students’ surroundings strongly influence their behaviour so we called in our Planning Drawings consultant to advise on the best course of action and supply working drawings. We worked out the best way to convert a dark, damp, dilapidated space into a light and airy computer room and a relaxing chill-out zone with low lighting and a laid-back vibe.

What we did

Took off the existing roof
Removed the flooring
Repaired the brickwork
Raised the walls and roof
Added structural steel beams
Constructed a new roof with a steeper pitch, creating more head room
Installed a new timber floor upstairs and a concrete floor downstairs
Installed new windows, doors, alarm system, electrics and cabling
Installed a MF (metal framing) insulation system in the walls (this prevents damp and is breathable)
Plastering

Before and after

The photos below show how the coach house was transformed. Please click on the images to enlarge them. There are more photos at the bottom of the page.

The building was in a state of disrepair.

We transformed the first floor into a light and airy IT suite.

The ground floor before we started work.

The ground floor is now a pleasant chill-out area for students.

What our client said

In just 10 short weeks this summer, Simon and his team completely restored the old coach house at The Swan pub (and community hub) in Clewer to its former glory.

The work needed to be completed before the start of The Green Room School term in September; they run their 6th form on site as part of The Swan’s many ventures for the community.

From start to finish it is hard to express the consistent quality, professionalism, care and attention to detail that this multi-talented team displayed to complete this project ahead of schedule. Very quickly they grasped the importance of this being a community project, restoring a building dating back to the early 1800’s. Each day they cleared up promptly to ensure the pub garden in the courtyard was ready for guests.

Above all was their work ethic and friendly approach to me and all my colleagues. Nothing was too much trouble and it was such a pleasure to watch skilled craftsmen working as such a unified team. They offered clear guidance on the best decisions during the project and worked tirelessly to ensure tasks were carried out quickly and to the highest of standards.

I have no hesitation in recommending Simon and his team In fact I would actively encourage anyone to select them for any project.