We are part of the restoration works at Castle Howard and if you click on the below link for the latest article to read, you can a photo of the extremely large doors in the Tapestry Room that were part of our works.
https://www.timeout.com/uk/news/britains-most-famous-country-house-has-revealed-its-official-reopening-date-following-major-restoration-013125 

'Harrison Blackham has just won his third award at the North Yorkshire Apprenticeship Awards 2024 for Construction Apprentice of the Year' and is seen collecting his award in the above photo.  Harrison was nominated by York College for this award. Houghtons of York are very proud of Harrison's achievements and he is an excellent, well respected member of our team.  Well done Harrison!!

A completed new porch which has now won St. Wilfrid's Catholic Church in Ripon the 'Ripon Civic Society 2024 - Craftsmanship Shield'.
Congratulations to all involved.

The new bespoke wall panelling as seen above was manufactured and installed in a property in Whitby all to our customers specification.  The wall panelling was manufactured from veneered oak panelling and solid oak.  We also manufactured the door and frame from a mixture of solid oak and veneered oak. Final protective finish applied in Rosewood to bring out the natural beauty of the oak.

The trust had a bat survey completed as they were known to use the building, our bat specialist obtained a licence for work and carried it out in a manner so as not to disturb the bats. Peaceful new modern homes were provided by way of bat boxes located in the woodland.

​Working the whole of October meant the harsh Scottish weather was against us at times but the local subcontractors took it in their stride.

​The early works involved stripping the external walls of all the old materials, replacing all decayed timbers and the application of woodworm treatment / fungicide. Before replacing the existing insulation (which was posing a fire risk) the plywood was renewed and a vapour barrier introduced. The final layer was prefinished galvanised corrugated metal sheets. Black was chosen for the walls as in the early days the building had been coated in tar rather than paint and the roof which had originally been coated with red lead was reflected in new “terracotta” colour roof panels.

​Externally; the gradual build-up of debris since the 1920’s especially to the rear of Cul Na Shee meant some landscaping and land drainage was necessary. This was covered with a dressing of local beach gravel making the area both more visually appealing and usable.

The internal work comprised a full re-wire, new kitchen, new enlarged bathroom, improved heating along with a full internal and external decoration.

​The internal walls are clad with knotty pine boards which had a waxy finish, this was painstakingly stripped and the boards prepared ready for a specialist primer followed by top coats of brush applied paint for a traditional look.

​The decorating team also had the job of thoroughly sanding all of the wooden floors, not an easy task! Following this they stained and polished the floors, the end result being beautiful warm looking floors throughout the building.

The original bathroom was small, cramped and un-inspiring. A cylinder cupboard was removed and re-located to provide more space and an improved layout. Drainage was altered for the new bath, toilet, basin and shower. New LED lighting and extraction were installed. The resulting new layout gives space, looks fresh and creates an inviting and pleasantly warm atmosphere.

​Old in-efficient storage heaters were replaced with modern low energy controllable heaters, providing warmth when and where required, quite important when the outside weather can change rapidly along this stretch of coast!

​If you have a similar project, or require any of the elements of this project, for example, window repairs, bathroom refit, a new kitchen and so on please don't hesitate to contact us.

​Construction of the concrete staircase.

​The staircase during our first site survey, with a temporary rope handrail in place.

After some careful setting out a softwood former was built in our workshop to manufacture the handrail around and over the next couple of weeks the long length and various shorter complex sections of handrail were machined along with the chamfered spindles.

It took around a week to install the stained handrail, spindles and base rail. Great care was taken during this process and everyone was proud of the end results.

​Photos of the staircase upon completion.

​If you’ve got a project that you are struggling to find quality joiners for please give us a call (01904 489193) and we would be happy to advise what can be achieved by our highly skilled and experienced team.

The statues are of Christ, St Nicholas and The Virgin Mary, each weigh approximately 1/2 tonne and are carved taking full account of English medieval carving traditions- differing from Skeapings usual style. The timber for the statues was shipped from Nigeria to his studio at the Royal College of Art.

When we arrived to collect the statues we found that they were being stored in a dilapidated barn which had been planned for demolition a few years earlier. The statues were looking a little worse for wear having suffered significant exposure and temperature fluctuations. Large cracks had formed, with some parts of the statues beginning to fall off the main body and a substantial quantity of surface dust/debris had built up.

We carefully removed them from the barn where they had been stored for 38 years and transported them back to our workshop where the damage was reviewed and appropriate repairs decided upon.

Initially all loose elements and timbers that had moved significantly were removed the glue joints were cleaned and reformed with hidden bolts being introduced to increase the joint strength and nip the misaligned components together.

Once reassembled we began dealing with the more significant damage which had occurred in the past. Following this we began to fill the remaining smaller cracks which had formed this was completed by gluing slivers of timber into the cracks and then tooling these in to blend with the adjoining timbers.

Having been in storage for 38 years much of the original finish had been lost so clear natural oils were used to nourish and revive the timber to complete the statues and giving them a new lease of life, all of those involved in their restoration are incredibly proud to the final results.

They were moved to their new home in Castleford Parish church and brackets manufactured to secure the statues firmly upright, considering the size they were surprisingly unstable!

We hope the statues can now be enjoyed by the many church visitors for years to come. If you have a project similar in nature we would love to talk to you about it and give you some advice on what can be achieved.

​We completed the recreation of the Ark a few months back and it went on to be displayed in the Soane’s Museum in London before being used during the Masons Tercentenary celebrations in the Royal Albert hall.

​The below photos show the process of the repair where we carefully removed the existing bottom rail front and the rotten bottom front of the stiles, we then manufactured replacements to sit in their place. In order to encourage water to run off the new bottom rail (rather than behind as it has been) the rail has been set back into the back-bottom rail. The bottom rail and stiles have been joined using a traditional mortice and tenon.

​The door was then returned to its home, in time the repairs will begin to weather and blend in with the rest of the door and we look forward to seeing it in a few years’ time once the repair has aged.

​The new handrail was installed by us over two consecutive days and will be stained by the client’s decorator shortly, to allow the handrail to be stained we plugged all the screw holes with plugs which matched in colour and aligned the grain so these blend into the newels and won’t be seen following staining.

Along the North and South sides of the property we installed a riven oak fence, the natural timber and rustic finish help to compliment the folly in its natural surroundings - a site of Special Scientific Interest.

To the West face of the property park railings were installed, these allow a clear view of the face of the folly as you approach and resemble the simple but decorative lines in the windows. Diverting the public footpath has given improved privacy to the occupants.

To the East of the property there is a cliff top viewing platform where the existing balustrade had begun to decay and was becoming unsafe. The existing fencing was removed and replaced with a new green oak replica -  a simple task had it not been for its precarious position! Access below for scaffolding was impossible so to complete the works a harnessed fall prevention system was used along with a diversion of the footpath and restricted access to the area.

​In the kitchen/living room two new kitchen units with quartz worktops were manufactured and installed all designed to house appliances as discretely as possible and to blend with the interior design and decor of the room.

​In the bathroom we completed extensive damp proofing works which entailed removing the plaster from each of the external walls and introducing a water-proof membrane before re-plastering. Insulation was introduced within the ceiling cavity and a new extraction system was installed with vents designed to be in keeping with the building. A new modern style bath was fitted before fully redecorating the room.

If you have a similar refurbishment project in mind please feel free to contact us on 01904 489193 where we would be very happy to offer you advice or provide a quotation on plans you already have. If you are interested in finding out more about The Ruin please see the Landmark Trust website.