Go with the flow

For a construction company that specialises in vast steel-framed warehouses and commercial structures, this listed 200-year-old mill in Todmorden, West Yorkshire, was rather a departure from the norm.  “It was completely derelict,” recalls Prinz Construction director John Pendlebury, “but, even so, we could see that it was a stunning building, situated on the Rochdale Canal. Narrow boats used to come right into the building underneath the central arch to offload their cargo, and we could imagine that space converted into our office with a balcony overlooking the water.”
Despite having never tackled a residential project before, Pendlebury, his wife and fellow director
Lisa and project manager Emily Mitchen set to work to restore and convert Canal Wharf into their office on the ground floor, plus develop four luxury apartments above. Renovations were extensive,
and included stabilising the exterior, originally built in 1807, and installing new roof timbers, as well as totally upgrading the roof itself. Conservation roof lights were added, as was a new stainless steel and glazed balustrade to the canal terrace.
“Initially we had planned to finish the office space on the ground floor and then convert the other two floors upstairs at some point in the future,” explains Mitchen. “But as soon as people saw the office, we were inundated with people wanting to know when the apartments would be ready.”
It prompted Prinz to reconsider their plans and get going with the apartments immediately. In the end, all four were let before the project was completed.
When it came to the kitchens, Prinz had been using a local trade supplier. “These were the first apartments we’d done, so the whole project was a learning curve,” admits Pendlebury. “So, with three kitchens completed, and one left to do, we decided to try a little experiment.”
Looking for a new supplier for the final kitchen, Pendlebury met Philip Morley of Aspire Kitchens & Bedrooms, who was able to show off his new Vama kitchens from Italy. “We could see at once that there were lots of design touches that made all the difference. The price wasn’t much dearer than we had been paying previously, but we would be getting something a whole lot better,” says Pendlebury. “Lots of little things, like the aluminium trim, the quality of handles, the design of the drawers, all add up to make a big difference.”
Morley put considerable thought into the design.
 “I really wanted to move away from the standard L-shape run of boxes,” he explains. “I like to go into a lot of detail and try to represent the room as accurately as possible, so that my clients can get the best possible indication of how the finished room will look.”
Using his Compusoft package, Morley was able to show how the design could be made to work around the sloping ceiling and original beams, while his angled breakfast bar added interest.
 “The bar contains the kitchen area without protruding into the living space,” he explains. “And, if you want to sit at the bar and look out over the living area, there’s a lovely feeling of openness.”
Wenge laminate worktops, trimmed with aluminium, contrast with glossy cream doors in a simple, streamlined design. Based on one of Vama’s ‘fixed composition’ packages, Morley was able to introduce several additional units, including a custom-built unit to accommodate the beams and sloping roof.
“Prinz gave me certain parameters, such as the appliances they wanted included, and I was able to have the fridge-freezer and oven pre-fitted at the Vama factory in Italy,” he says. “This means much less on-site work which saves time and money.”
He was also able to have the splashbacks cut to size and joints for the worktops pre-formed in Italy.
Doors come attached to cabinets with drawers pre-fitted, rather than flat-packed or separate doors and carcasses. “It meant that the kitchen was fitted in less than three days, which was very, very quick,” he adds.
So was it a good experiment for Prinz? Given that the company is turning its hand to 10 more residential refurbs of characterful period properties, and Morley is busy quoting on them all, the answer, according to Pendlebury, is a resounding yes. “In the current market, you’ve got to offer something high quality and very different, if you don’t want properties sitting around on your books. We’ll definitely use Vama again.”