Sandon Brook Manor – External Refurbishment

Key Facts:

Sandon Brook Manor, located just outside of Chelmsford, Essex is a large, characterful building forming a significant part of the local history of the area. The Manor house was originally built at the turn of the twentieth century as a farmhouse, known as Potash Farm. The house then became a school for wayward boys, and then more latterly a private school. In 2000, the Manor House was sympathetically converted in to nine luxury apartments.

Whilst regular maintenance has been undertaken, 2014 saw a major external refurbishment programme being undertaken, devised and delivered by Munday + Cramer. Whilst core maintenance had been undertaken, the extensive brick façades required re-pointing, which given the size of the building was a considerable activity.

As a brick-built building, the main focus of the works was to re-point three of the four elevations and the chimney stacks as well as clean the brick façade, along with the replacement of window trims and all rainwater goods. Other minor repairs were undertaken where needs were identified.

Particular challenges were posed when cleaning the brickwork, as it is understood that the boys (in the property’s earlier iteration as a school for wayward boys) were tasked with re-pointing at some point in the building’s history. Due to the time over which the mortar has set, the cleaning was particularly arduous whilst ensuring that the brickwork remained undamaged.