The project story in more detail.
Ade worked as a self-employed dryliner at the historic Phillippines Shaw building in Ide Hill through drylining contractor United Drylining for the PJ Livesey Group.
Project context
The important part of this case study is the setting around the work: the building type, the client requirement, the access conditions and the level of finish expected at handover.
The project involved drylining works within a historic building being converted into residential accommodation.
The building had a complex heritage context, with historic rooms, retained features and areas requiring careful trade coordination.
How the work was approached
The work was treated as a sequence of connected decisions rather than separate trade tasks. Planning, ordering, site access, supervision and finish standards all needed to line up so that each stage supported the next.
Works included metal framing, ceilings, gypliner, stud partitions, insulation and tacking across large areas of the project.
Notable parts of the job included forming arch and circular windows from gypliner track and stud.
Outcome
The work contributed to the conversion of a historic property into apartments and cottages.
It forms part of Ade's early hands-on drylining experience on complex refurbishment and conversion projects.
The main contractor described the original Ide Hill house as a 16th-century hunting lodge with later Arts-and-Crafts additions. The project involved planning permission to convert the manor house into seven grand apartments and nearby stable courtyard into seven cottages.
This background matters because historic conversion work often requires patience, setting-out accuracy and respect for existing fabric.
Main works covered
In practical terms, the project brought together the following work packages:
- Metal framing
- Ceilings
- Gypliner
- Stud partitions
- Insulation
- Tacking
- Arch and circular window formation
- Historic conversion drylining