CONSTRUCTION
From apprentice to the builder of one-off wonder homes
For those whose tasted in property are led more by the architect's name than the asking price, news that a certain home is up for sale in Gloucestershire could prove of interest. Those whose bank balances leave no bounds will be able to look past the £2.89 million asking price for a home cheekily called The Outhouse. Their eyes will instead be able to feast unhindered on the simply stunning views of the Wye Valley framed in brutalist concrete glory by a home designed by leading architects Loyn & Co. Less well known is the name of the builder who constructed the 5,000 square foot, turf-roofed home for an artist couple, who have lived there since it was completed in 2015. Gloucestershire-based Milliner Construction is the firm which built the house, a business which has become a go-to name in a niche market of one-off luxury homes. “We are currently building another one in Cheltenham and one in South Cerney,” said Christopher Milliner, the founder of the Cinderford-headquartered building firm, which has been quietly working with some of the country's top architects. Mr Milliner was good enough to give Punchline a potted history of his career path, and for those looking to start in the building trade, those thinking of an apprenticeship, or those already in the trade who wonder whether craftsmanship is ever valued, it makes for interesting reading. The former pupil of Heywood Secondary school in Cinderford (now The Forest High School), grew up in the Forest of Dean and still lives there today. “I served my apprenticeship as a bench joiner, did site carpentry, worked for a number of clients,” said Mr Milliner, who was encouraged by others to start his own business servicing the more demanding customer, after being told time and time again he was, if you pardon the pun, made to measure for such a role. His modestly forbids him from championing himself (almost entirely), but the standard of his work, of those he handpicks to work with him, and his ability to problem solve, and to work to
110 | December 2019 | www. punchline-gloucester .com
Made with FlippingBook Learn more on our blog