Recent work
A Recent Loft Conversion
Rooflight conversion — turning dead roof space into a proper room. See more on our loft conversions page.
Georgian brick repair, lime repointing, flint walling, roofing and extensions across Blandford Forum, Pimperne, Charlton Marshall and the Winterborne villages.
Blandford is one of the most complete Georgian towns in England, sitting in chalk and flint country. That shapes almost every job here.
Repointing, brick repair, chimneys and boundary walls on eighteenth-century brickwork. Blandford's town centre brick is soft, handmade and all of much the same age — it wants lime mortar and a matching brick, and cement pointing takes the face off it within a few winters. More on our brickwork →
Flint walling and repair, greensand and Portland dressings, rubble stone rebuilding. Chalk country means flint, and a flint wall built properly is slow, skilled work that lasts generations — built badly it comes apart in a decade.
Cob repair, lime render, and sympathetic work on thatched and traditional property in the surrounding villages. Breathable materials throughout, because sealing an old wall up is what kills it.
Rear and side extensions, outbuildings and loft conversions. The post-war housing on the edges of town has the plots and the simpler ground; the Georgian centre is a far more constrained proposition.
A town rebuilt all at once in 1731, standing on chalk beside the Stour. Almost everything here follows from those three facts.
The fire of 1731 destroyed most of Blandford, and the rebuilding was carried out to a coherent design by the Bastard brothers, local architect-builders. The result is one of the most complete Georgian market towns in the country — which means an unusual density of listed buildings, a strong conservation area, and a centre where almost every brick is the same age and failing in the same ways.
North Dorset is chalk downland, so the traditional palette is flint, brick, cob and greensand or Portland dressings. Chalk drains well and is generally decent ground, but it is soft, and flint and cob both need breathable lime and a sound roof far more than they need modern sealants.
Blandford sits on the Stour with water meadows either side, and the low ground floods. Flood zoning affects extensions, floor levels and foundations on riverside plots — and it is much cheaper to establish before design than after.
Rooflight conversion — turning dead roof space into a proper room. See more on our loft conversions page.
Where we work across Blandford Forum, North Dorset and DT11.
| Area | Areas & what we see there |
|---|---|
| Blandford town centre | Market Place, East & West Street, Salisbury Street The 1731 Georgian rebuild — soft handmade brick, stone dressings, conservation area and a very high proportion of listed buildings. Lime repointing, brick matching, chimney work and consent questions on most jobs. |
| Blandford St Mary & Charlton Marshall | Blandford St Mary, Charlton Marshall Village and riverside property mixed with newer housing. Walls, roofs, extensions, and flood zoning worth checking near the Stour. |
| Pimperne & Blandford Camp | Pimperne, Blandford Camp edge Downland village and service housing. Straightforward extensions, garden walls and re-rendering on the newer stock, traditional repair on the older. |
| Spetisbury & Durweston | Spetisbury, Durweston, Stourpaine Stour valley villages in brick, flint, cob and thatch. Traditional construction that wants lime and patience, not cement and speed. |
| Winterborne villages | Winterborne Stickland, Winterborne Whitechurch, Milton Abbas Deep countryside — cob, thatch, flint and rubble stone. Some of the most traditional building we work on anywhere in Dorset. |
| Edge-of-town estates | Badger Way, Damory, Larksmead Post-war and modern housing with workable plots. Extensions, loft conversions, driveways and boundary walls — the simplest work in DT11. |
Eighteenth-century handmade brick in lime mortar is a different material to anything modern. Over a decade on Dorset buildings means we know the difference and price for it honestly.
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Mike is based in Poole. Blandford is a manageable run up the A350, but we'd still rather tell you honestly whether a job works for us than take it on and let you down.
No. We come out, look at the job properly and give you a written estimate, with no charge and no obligation.
In central Blandford there's a good chance. The town was rebuilt in one go after the 1731 fire and has an unusually high concentration of listed Georgian buildings inside a strong conservation area. It governs what you can change externally and sometimes internally. Consent is Dorset Council's decision, and we'll tell you when we think you need it before starting.
Because eighteenth-century handmade brick is soft and the wall has to breathe. Lime lets moisture leave through the joint; hard cement traps it so it leaves through the brick face instead, and the face starts spalling within a few winters. On Blandford's Georgian brickwork it's the most common damage we're called to, and it's nearly always someone else's cement.
Yes. Flint walling, repair and rebuilding, with greensand or Portland dressings where they belong. It's slow, skilled work — a properly built flint wall lasts generations and a badly built one comes apart in ten years.
We repair cob and do lime render and associated work on traditional buildings in the villages. Thatching itself is a specialist trade we don't cover, and we'd tell you to get a proper thatcher rather than pretend otherwise.
Often, but establish the flood zoning first. Blandford sits on the Stour with water meadows either side, and the low ground floods. It affects floor levels, foundations and approval, so it's worth knowing before design rather than after.
Blandford Forum, Blandford St Mary, Charlton Marshall, Pimperne, Spetisbury, Durweston, Stourpaine, Milton Abbas and the Winterborne villages.
Day rates typically run £200–£350 depending on trade and complexity. Heritage work — lime, flint, cob and Georgian brick — sits at the higher end because it's slower and the materials cost more. Project work is priced as a package.
Free estimate, no obligation. We'll come out, look at the job, and give you a straight price.