This Grade II listed sandstone cottage required extensive restoration to preserve its original character while adding two new extensions to make it suitable for modern living.

Key historic features – including the bread oven, large inglenook fireplace and exposed timbers – were carefully retained and restored with respect for the building’s heritage.

Although architectural plans were in place at the outset, AIM delivered the project as a Design & Build, working closely with the clients to refine details and realise their vision.

Significant modernisation was required: heating and drainage upgrades, complex damp treatment, and substantial foundation works, including underpinning to install a new underfloor heating system. The site’s wet clay ground conditions added further challenge, demanding thoughtful engineering and steady execution.

A defining aspect of the project was the sandstone for the new extension. Rather than sourcing stone commercially, the AIM team excavated it directly from a hillside on the client’s farmland, then, hand-dressed and laid in the new build elements. This ensured the new work was a perfect bled with the original fabric – matching in tone, texture and character in a way pre-purchased materials cannot replicate.

The result is a sensitively restored home that honours its eighteenth-century origins while delivering long-term durability, comfort and functionality – a project where traditional craft and thoughtful construction come together in a meaningful way.