The Renovation Men

01/11/2026

Last call for decorating before Christmas! 🎄

The in-laws are coming. They will notice the scuffs on the hallway walls. They will say nothing. You will know they noticed. 👀

Avoid the silent judgement this year. Our decorator has a few indoor slots left before Christmas, so you can sit back with a mince pie and enjoy the fresh walls and woodwork instead of apologising for them.

Once they're gone, they're gone, so drop me a message to book in. 🎨

22/10/2026

Estate agents love the phrase "deceptively spacious." I'm not sure this is what they meant.

We had an extension that needed digging out, and the only way in was down the hallway. Options:

A) Spend a month on our knees with a shovel and a bucket, wishing we tried harder at school,

B] Ring Elliott & Sons Groundworks

We chose B.

They drove a digger through the front door and down the hall like it was a perfectly normal Tuesday. Before anyone panics, the whole house was getting gutted anyway, so the decor was already living on borrowed time.

A month of hand digging done in no time, and nobody had to see me cry into a wheelbarrow.

If you need a digger somewhere a digger has absolutely no business being, these are your people. Just maybe don't tell the conservation officer .

13/10/2026

Beyond Bricks will once again be screening tonight in Saltash. Free entry but donations welcome. I will be there doing a live Q&A if anyone in the area fancies putting me on the spot!

Film: Beyond Bricks 13th October 7.30 Isambard House All welcome, free entry (donation welcome) This is the latest film from Cornwall Climate Care. Many of us see our houses as a huge personal commitment But the construction industry is one of the world’s biggest sources of climate emissions an.....

12/10/2026

Often called the modern day Delabole slate, loved by conservation officers and traditionalist. Riverstone is a premium slate that has excellent durability and appearance. I’ve been offered a large quantity for a very good price so If anyone is in the market then let me know!

Discover Riverstone Phyllite by SSQ, offering natural elegance for modern architecture. Ideal for enhancing exteriors with timeless beauty.

10/10/2026

Some questionable Health and Safety practices 9 years ago but then that was before being prosecuted 🤦‍♂️

That said the slightly outrageous Roman inspired plan worked a treat and took less time than it takes a crane to drive over from Plymouth…not to mention saving some money into the bargain.

Each oak truss weighed approx 750kg

06/10/2026

Our bricklayer is currently up to his elbows in lime work on a property in the village, but he has a window for brick, block or landscaping jobs over the next six weeks or so before winter shuts the season down. If there's a wall, path or patio you've been meaning to sort, now's the time. Drop us a message before the slots go.

01/10/2026

Part moan, part public service announcement 🔨📢

Hello lovely village folk!

A gentle reminder from your friendly local builders: these beautiful old houses of ours have been standing for a very long time, and some of them are getting a little tired of it. Roofs leak, walls crumble, chimneys wobble, and windows that were fitted before anyone's great-grandparents were born decide that today's the day they’ve had enough!

Which means occasionally there will be noise. A drill here, a bang there, the odd mysterious clatter that even we can't fully explain. We know. We're sorry. We hear it too, and we're closer to it than you are.

What we promise:
✅ We stick to sensible working hours, so no 6am angle-grinder wake-up calls
✅ We save the really noisy jobs for the best times we can
✅ We tidy up, keep the lanes clear, and say hello
✅ We'll happily give you a heads-up before the loud bits

What we can't promise:
❌ Silent concrete mixers and breakers (if anyone invents one, call us)
❌ That the scaffold will win any beauty contests

So if you hear a bit of hammering while sipping your morning coffee, just remember it's the sound of a piece of village history being kept upright for another hundred years. Better a bit of banging now than a chimney in your garden later! 😉

Thanks for your patience, and if your own walls are starting to look a bit "characterful"… you know where we are.

(Just follow the noise.)

The Renovation Men🏡

22/09/2026

Progress at pace on Cawsand seafront. The house feels like it’s finally breathing again!
Not sure that insulation is up to much! Best put our passive house building skills to good use!

Next big stage is the roof coming off, it’s a small but complicated roof to redo but luckily we have the men for the job! 👀

16/09/2026

Exciting new project to make a damp and poorly updated seafront home into a characterful high spec house for 21st century living! All mod cons is an understatement and a nice mix of old lime work and joinery meeting new modern tech.

10/09/2026

Note to self…. There is a plastic film over the rain sensor on the VELUX windows! They don’t work when they are on! Doh 🤦‍♂️ ☔️