What the houses are like

Newport Pagnell was a market town long before Milton Keynes existed, and the older core reflects that: solid walls, softer bricks, timber lintels and floors that have moved over a couple of centuries. Around it sit the twentieth century estates towards Tickford and Green End, which behave much like any other modern housing.

Planning authority: Milton Keynes City Council

Finished stone opening with a new oak lintel and solid oak door

Working on the older stock

Solid wall property does not behave like a cavity wall. It generally needs to breathe, and hard modern cement pointing can trap moisture in the brick and cause the face to spall. On the older houses here a lime mortar is often the more appropriate choice, which is slower and costs more, and tends to be the difference between a repair that lasts and one that causes problems later.

Floors and lintels are the other common find. Timber lintels over openings in Georgian and Victorian property are frequently past their best, and joist ends built into a damp wall can rot from the inside. Where we can, we like to open up early so anything unexpected surfaces while there is still room in the programme.

Conservation area considerations

Newport Pagnell is one of the 27 conservation areas in the borough. Within a conservation area some permitted development rights can be restricted, which sometimes means an application is required for work that would need none a few streets away. Materials tend to attract more attention too, so a matched stock brick usually sits better than a modern smooth engineering brick or a bright concrete tile.

The boundary and the specific restrictions vary, so it is worth confirming the position with Milton Keynes City Council before commissioning drawings. We can flag what is likely to come up.

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