The crew

The people who built Kensington

Two names sit at the front: Richard Wilson, who built it, and Jem Southgate, who drew it. Everyone else is here too — grouped by what they did, not as a leftover sidebar.

Builder

Richard Wilson

Our builder, our neighbour, and our friend. Richard (Wilsons Construction) built this house with us — from the first knock-through to the last finishing touch.

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Architect

Jem Southgate

Jem of Works Architecture — an old school friend we emailed on the off-chance — designed the house hiding inside the cinema.

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Structure and materials

CBS Engineering

Structural design

Chris Brown worked with Jem and did all the structural design.

JMP Consultants

Highways and parking

Sorted the highways planning and parking at the front.

Luke Arnold

Brickwork

Did the brick-related jobs — “the brick”.

RMD Kwikform

Formwork

Supplied the concrete formwork.

AC Fabrications

Steelwork

Balustrades, cappings, fireplaces, lighting bases.

Spinks

Bricks and materials

Bricks and a great deal of other stuff.

Howarth Timber

Timber and kit

General materials — and branded hard hats.

Travis Perkins

Builders’ merchant

Big bags of sand left in strategic places.

Demolition

DSR Demolition

Demolition

Helped us take down the auditorium.

K. R. Reclamation

Blast cleaning

Blast-cleaned anything and everything that needed it.

Joinery and glass

Chapel Joinery

Carpentry and windows

Ian Cappleman did the carpentry — windows and the rest of the timber work.

Graham Ball Joiners

Hydraulic door cladding

Graham and Shaun clad the hydraulic door with a high-performing wood frame and glass.

Bennetts Timber

Thermowood cladding

Supplied the thermowood cladding.

Humberside Glazing

Glazing

The glass — believe it or not.

Gwindow

The Gwindow

Our rather particular window.

Services

HD Anywhere

TV and network distribution

TV and internet around the house.

Finishes and furniture

Carr Restoration

Polished concrete floors

Dave Carr ground and polished the concrete floor later seen on Grand Designs.

Kieran Taylor Rendering

Render

The white rendering.

Carl Lindley

Decorator

Decorated the house from top to bottom, inside and out.

Aspire Interiors

Soft furnishings

Shelly Horridge — curtains, blinds, upholstery, the nice soft things.

Historic Lighting

Lights

The bits we needed for the dangly lights.

Indigo Furniture

Furniture

Things of beauty.

Magnet

Kitchen

Ant from Magnet Kitchens went beyond the call of duty.

Bio Fires

Fire trays

The bio-gel fire trays.

Garden

Earthworks

Garden

Cheri LaMay designs beautiful gardens.

The picture house, again

Stainforth Carpets

Cinema carpet

The cinema room carpet, from pals at Stainy Carpets.

Sevenoaks Sound & Vision

Home cinema kit

Richard Meadmore made the cinema happen.

Yamaha

Amplifier and Blu-ray

The Blu-ray and the amplifier.

Epson

Projector

The projector that looks like a spaceship.

Bowers & Wilkins

Speakers

The speakers — British, and still the coolest.

AVID4U

AV install

Jim installed the kit.

Surveys, law, money

Natasha Estrada

Bat survey

The bat survey, before we could touch the roof.

Dawson and Burgess

Legal

Roger Williams looked after the legal side.

BuildStore

Mortgage agents

Our mortgage agents.

Ipswich Building Society

Mortgage

The mortgage.