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Saving Whalton Mill

Stefan Lepowski poses next to a newly installed joist

Stefan Lepkowski’s plans to create a dream home in the heart of Northumberland were in danger of being derailed recently as he struggled to find a solution to strengthen and reinforce the walls of his mill house, which is to be featured in the next series of Channel 4’s Grand Designs.

The Managing Director of Karol Marketing bought the rundown property in 2005 and set about drawing up plans for a second building with a connecting curtain wall of glazing and exposed steel, fusing historic and contemporary design to create a unique living space for his young family.

Four years later, the dream is becoming a reality. Despite some minor hiccups, utility services are on their way and the mill’s extension is now structurally complete thanks in part to stone reclaimed from a nearby outbuilding. However, the original structure had remained a shell due to concerns over the capacity of the stone walls to carry a second floor after years of abandonment and exposure to the elements.

After several systems were considered then discarded, Stefan’s engineer specified the installation of Cintec Anchors to strengthen the masonry. It was an ideal solution to the problem and we were asked if we could play a part in keeping Stefan’s project alive. In total, St Astier installed 36 Cintec Anchors which were fitted with threaded rods to allow the fixing of wall plates that will support joists for the new floor.

Work now continues at Whalton Mill and we hope to do a full interview with Stefan in the coming months. In the meantime, I’d like to thank Stefan and Paul Foster (stone mason and builder) for taking precious time out of their day for some photo’s.

Posted on 27 February 2009 by Phil Brown and filed under and .

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