Old Maids Cottage We were appointed to provide a repair strategy, gain planning consents and produce detailed information for the extensive repair and improvement of this thatched grade II listed cottage with new sensitive extensions to create a holiday cottage.Located in the Lee Conservation Area and within the North Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the 18th century cottage is a well known building in North Devon, loved by many locals and visitors for its delightful picturesque thatched cottage appearance particularly popular during the 19th and 20th Century.During the previous ownership, severe lack of maintenance and inappropriately designed extensions left the building in a very poor condition with the loss of historic fabric and features.Permissions were obtained to sensitively repair the cottage and replace the poor quality extensions with new to increase and enhance accommodation.Repairs have been carried out using traditional skills and materials including re-thatching, cob walls, lathe and plaster ceilings, lime plaster and render and limewash. Modern solutions were implemented to deal with the challenging site conditions of retaining ground; damp proofing and services have been installed with minimal impact on the fabric and character of the cottage. Download project card (839 KB pdf)
