2025 MASTER BUILDER AWARDS
Bathroom Project — I J Curry & Son Limited Winning twice on the night was I J Curry & Son Limited, taking the prize for best small renovation and best bathroom, which happen to be on the same project. At the Victorian Lakeland stone building, the team created a second- floor master bedroom suite with a spacious en-suite. A notable challenge regarding the bathroom specifically was the need to install a bath. However, the team needed to tackle the tricky task of adding supporting rolled steel joists without disturbing the kitchen ceiling below the bathroom. Additionally, a month of rain restricted new roof construction, limiting access to assess en-suite layout options and creating pressure to source and deliver a bath (which needed to be brought into the building
Small Renovation — I J Curry & Son Limited
Project overview A charming Victorian Lakeland stone building required extensive redesign to make it a modern home. So the team at I J Curry & Son Limited in Penrith in the North West of England set to work. They amalgamated a bedroom, hallway, and bathroom into a light- filled first-floor living room; creating a second-floor master bedroom suite with a spacious en-suite; and significantly reworking the ground floor rooms and corridors to feature a large boot-room entrance, a new bathroom layout, a bedroom, hallway and stairs.
Challenges that were overcome The team navigated significant challenges during the renovation, starting with the poor quality of the original build. Exterior walls needed remedial work and rotten timbers were replaced. Then there was the unplanned repairs to a neighbours’ property where a leak was affecting the build. Additional hurdles ● Technical difficulties from irregular angles when creating the raised roof and floor to add an en-suite and in the construction of the new staircase required a flexible approach, realigning resources across projects, bringing experienced joiners to solve problems alongside roofers, structural engineers and craftsmen for the staircase and stonework. ● The client’s wish for a bath in the en-suite meant the tricky task of adding supporting rolled steel joists whilst not disturbing the kitchen ceiling below. ● A month of rain restricted construction of the new roof, limiting access to the en- suite where a bath had to be brought in through the open roof. From the judges ● “Beautifully restored property, with a great sustainability backdrop and a unique client/ builder relationship.” ● “A great example of a restoration project tackling issues around the renovation of a very old building in rather desolate surroundings.”
through the open roof) without delaying the roof restructure.
Project highlights ● The facade of Lakeland stone was
carefully matched to material reclaimed from garden walls to build the raised roof. ● Existing oak flooring was protected
and extended with specially cut boards and creative use of slate to fill in a gap in the flooring where a stud wall had been removed.
Small Renovation sponsored by
● Oak and oak veneered doors, architrave and skirting were removed, reused, and where necessary, matched to new. ● Modern standards of insulation and tanking were incorporated into renovated areas. ● Liveability of the layout was enhanced by creating new storage spaces, including a hidden mezzanine in the living room ceiling and full height cupboards from old doorways.
Bathroom Project sponsored by
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Master Builder
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