January can be a bit of a let-down after the Christmas festivities, but we’ve had plenty of things to keep us busy. The weather’s helped keep us happy as well: the clear, frosty mornings in the middle of the month have really showed off what a fabulous location the new Collier Street project has, right on the edge of the village with views over the fields for miles. A fabulous pink sunrise over the misty fields and ice-sparkled hedgerows really gets the working day off to a good start. We were even treated to a rare (for Kent) starling murmuration, with tens of thousands of them swirling and coalescing over the fields just before sunset. We have managed to get some work done also, in between admiring the views, and are just starting plastering as I write. Watch this space – it will be on the market soon!

I’m writing this on New Year’s Day, 2016. I’ve been finishing off a bathroom, ready for our newest tenant to arrive in a few days time, and conducting a viewing on one of our other properties – not a traditional New Year’s Day, but I’m happy with it. The construction industry pretty much closes down between Christmas and New Year (although we’ve had a few people in finishing up – thanks guys) and it’s a good time to take stock, to look back on where we’ve been and to gaze forward to where we’re going. On the whole, we had a lot of fun in 2015! We’ve built some new houses, renovated a few properties, said goodbye to some old faces and worked with some new ones. We’ve got a few things on the go to start 2016, and are looking around for the next project – a positive start so far! From all of us here at Raspberry Homes, we wish you all a very happy New Year.

Richard & Lewis, our always-reliable carpentry team, have been working hard this week to get the extension underway at our soon-to-be-beautiful cottage in Collier St. If the weather continues to hold, they’ll pitch the roof next week ready for tiling the week after. Once the roof’s on, the British weather can rain all it likes – we’ll be working in the warm and dry! Fingers crossed …

The Staplehurst stables have really taken shape this month. The plaster is on the walls, doors & windows are starting to arrive, and we’ve ordered the custom-made balcony glass and staircase. It’s a small site, so we can’t have too many people working at once, so progress has been steady rather than swift! But it’s a lovely building and great to have returned it to use.
The main focus this month is going to be the groundworks at our new project near Marden; once we’ve got the messy stuff out the way we can get a scaffold up and really make some progress. Watch this space!

Even though the sun has returned, there’s a definite chill in the air which says that winter is on it’s way. We’ve been moving steadily forwards on the Staplehurst build, and have been awaiting planning permission for our extension in Collier Street. In the meantime, we’ve begun stripping out, and started some preparatory works for it. We’re also looking for a home for several hundred metres of seasoned lime and sycamore wood, which is all sawn into 2” planks and waiting for someone to turn it into something beautiful. Any takers?

We’ve just taken ownership of a somewhat-unloved cottage in a rural village in Kent. Nestling in a cornfield, this was originally part of a large farm complex – the farmhouse and barn are now stunning dwellings, and the large double oast is currently being converted. We’ve got the building that used to be the labourer’s cottage. Currently mostly obscured by a concrete barn, this 18th-century cottage is going to be a stunning 4-bed home when we’re finished, comfortably set in a beautiful cottage garden and with the fields stretching to the horizon. Keep checking back to see how it progresses!

The stable conversion is starting to take shape at Royal Oak. We’ve replaced the roof, and added the new heritage roof lights which will flood the upstairs gallery with light. Less glamorously (but equally important), we’re starting to excavate the floor so we can get tons of insulation in and hit our sustainability targets.
We’ve also got a couple of new projects lined up – more next time!

With the houses finished and ready for their owners, we’re moving on to the final stage of the Royal Oak redevelopment – conversion of the old stables to a stunning bungalow, with vaulted ceiling and balcony office. Working in the small space will be a challenge, but we’re looking forward to tackling it!

We’re very excited to be at the final stages of Royal Oak Mews. The turf went down yesterday, the carpets are going in this week, and the driveway’s going down as I write. We wish our new owners every happiness in their new homes!

We’re very excited about next week – we are finally breaking ground for the cottages we’re building to the rear of Royal Oak House (formerly the Pride of Kent). Using modern, innovative building techniques, we hope to have the structure up and watertight by the end of October – watch this space!