It’s been too long since our last Newsletter, time flies!
Spring is on the horizon, 2025 is well underway, and we are all systems go getting stuck into a record year here at MSBC. If you follow us on our social media channels, you will have seen updates on some of the wonderful projects we’ve been working on across West Sussex this winter.
Our largest live site and latest farmstead development, Kingfishers, has been a great success. Phase one is due to complete late April, which has seen us transform around 1300m2 of agricultural and equestrian sheds into a magnificent indoor sports area with a full size padel court, garage space, a workshop, wine store, utility, cold and freezer rooms, and several plant areas.
The second phase of works has begun concurrently, expanding our attention to the transformation of 2 listed barns that make up the central area of the estate. Works centre around the reconfiguration of the main entrance hall and living space between the two buildings and include a full refurbishment of the historic barn house, which will be converted into a stunning main living area. All work is being carried out strictly in line with the listed building consent, taking careful measures to protect the site’s natural and historical features, including local wildlife habitats and protected tree zones.
In 2024, we marked an incredible milestone – 40 years of MSBC! Over these past four decades, we’ve kept the highest standards of service, all while staying true to our core values of honesty, support, teamwork, and commitment. From day one, we’ve built our success by treating people the way we’d want to be treated, and continuously striving to improve.
To celebrate, the team took a trip to Barcelona at the end of the year, drawing inspiration from Antoni Gaudi’s remarkable work, including a tour of the breath-taking Sagrada Família. Gaudi’s ability to make the impossible possible resonates deeply with how we approach our work.
Having offered support on many occasions in the past, in August, we committed to monthly donations to Children on the Edge. They are a child rights organisation that works together with communities to support some of the world’s most marginalised children, in some of the toughest situations. They’re currently working with more than 17,000 children in Bangladesh, India, Uganda, Myanmar, and Lebanon, and it’s a privilege to be able to support such a cause. We’ve started a monthly donation to Stonepillow, and increased our monthly support for Options – 2 brilliant charities that support the local community.
An exciting part of the past year has been the Highly Commended Award we received from the Sussex Heritage Trust. This will be the 4th year in a row we have received one of these prestigious awards. The project involved re-building a derelict Georgian stable yard within the curtilage of a Grade II listed townhouse. New studio spaces were built at the foot of a 260-year-old flint and lime mortar retaining wall. Finished with brick, flint and slate, the new building is true to the look and lines of the original stables and generates solar energy for the studio, the main house, and the owner’s vehicles.
This Spring we are submitting another two projects into judging for the 2025 awards. The first is another listed property just a stone’s throw from our previous winner in the heart Arundel. Works consisted of intricate structural repairs, over 500m2 of new lime plaster, completely new M&E systems, the installation of several new log burners with limestone surrounds, a full interior fit-out, and some very special bespoke carpentry. On the exterior, we carried out a re-roof and delicate refurbishment of all elevations including the stonework, masonry, and leaded timber windows. This home now seamlessly blends heritage with modern comfort, and we can’t wait to show the judges around.
The second is the repair and restoration works at St Peter & St Paul’s Church, West Wittering. We were instructed to completely strip and recover the towering oak shake spire, including all flashings and abutments. During this time, we took the opportunity to restore, repair and re-gild the weathervane and cockerel, and rebuild the oak timber shutters to the upper floor, which houses the bells. This presented some unique challenges. We had to consider the positioning of the scaffold carefully, given that the spire sits within the burial grounds, we temporarily protected headstones, and stuck to designated routes around the site.
We’ve had around 10 sites running at any given time this year and are delivering a huge variety of works in practical terms. Our ‘bread and butter’ always has, and always will be large scale works to listed properties. On this, we’re currently halfway through a commercial, 4-storey renovation in Northgate, central Chichester (keep an eye out for us on the roundabout!). We’ve delivered on some very tight programmes this Winter, a few contracted by The National Trust for works on two of their properties in Slindon. We’ve caried out a complete renovation and reconfiguration for a private Client in a beautiful, once Goodwood Estate property. A second phase of works, now internal to a similar property in Poling. We’re extending, expanding, refining, replacing, in every corner of the County!
We’re in negotiations and under PCSA’s on several, large-scale, high-end extension and refurbishment projects this Spring and, on the Horizon, we have an elaborate external works package overlooking Arundel Cathedral, we return to Spinney Lane, Itchenor once again to build a big, new additional building for a longstanding Client, and are scheduling a variety of other extensions, refurbishments, and reconfigurations.
Decades of excellent delivery creates an inevitable growing demand, and we’re answering this call with a calculated expansion. To meet the increasing number of projects we’re being approached to take on directly each year, we’re currently hiring an additional Site Manager and expanding our estimating team with another full time Estimator.
We’ve spent several years discussing and evidencing the benefits of partnership and collaboration during the early design and tender stages of a project. We are now proud to say that the majority, and still a growing percentage of our works are being presented to us, tendered, and secured on a direct negotiated basis, away from the common distortions and risks of traditional competitive tenders. We still do tender competitively at times, often successfully, faring well in value vs. similar contractors. Though we’re so pleased to be continuing to build long term relationships with returning, trusting, and valued Architects, Consultants and Clients.