This was a challenging project. Creating two new window openings in a Grade 2 listed building. With two foot thick walls. It was completed, however, and you can see the before, during and after photographs on Instagram.

The build took place in the summer of 2020 squeezed between Covid Lockdown 1 and Lockdown 2 after more than a year of consulting with architects and planners to ensure a sympathetic result.

The previous owners of the property had planning permission for one window so there was some precedent. The addition of a second window would not only bring more light into the back of the house but would also balance the appearance of the windows at first floor level. The new window openings now allow the evening light to flood into the house. Previously there were no windows at first floor level facing west.

There were several conditions associated with the planning permission, many of these are common to all listed buildings. The windows, which were made to order by a local joiner, had to be single glazed, as are all windows in the house. The back of the house had been rendered in concrete and this had to be removed before the project could go ahead. The render was removed by Chris, the most amazing and patient conservation builder, and the flint and chalk ‘clunch’ blocks were then exposed. Once the window openings had been formed and the oak lintels put in place, he was able to repair the wall using lime mortar mixed to match the original colour. The result, as you can see, is absolutely stunning.

It was a tricky build, and all for two windows measuring 950mm wide by 600mm deep. But without the collaboration of the scaffolders, the architect, the planners and conservation officers in West Dorset it wouldn’t have reached fruition and brought a smile to the back of Flint House.

Needless to say the inside of the house was rubble filled for some time but the plasterers and decorator are transforming the interior into a place of beauty. A couple of treats everyone enjoyed during the project – firstly the view from the top of the scaffolding across the fields and secondly getting up close and personal with the thatched roof. Bliss.