Project Spotlight: Restoring a Maida Vale "Grand Dame" to Her Former Glory

Project: Complete External Refurbishment (Front & Rear)

Location: Warwick Avenue, Maida Vale, London

Role: Principal Contractor

Client: Chartered Building Surveyor (Representing the Freehold)

There is a distinct rhythm to working on Warwick Avenue. These aren't just houses; they are architectural statements—grand, imposing and unforgiving of cutting corners.

When SFS Group won the tender for Number 47, acting as Principal Contractor for a leading Building Surveyor, the mandate was clear. This was not a cosmetic "freshen up" for a quick sale. This was a legacy project on behalf of the freeholders, designed to secure the fabric of the building for the next decade.

For Building Surveyors and Block Managers, the "Principal Contractor" role is about more than just managing trades. It is about mitigating risk. It is about taking ownership of the site from the pavement to the chimney pots. Here is the story of how we managed the restoration of Number 47.

The Scope: Top-to-Bottom Responsibility

Victorian properties in Maida Vale often suffer from what we call "facade fatigue"—they look acceptable from the street, but up close, the details are failing.

Our brief covered the entire envelope of the building. We weren't just the decorators; we were the restorers.

• The Roof: We executed localised repairs to the high-level slate roof, a critical first step. You cannot invest in expensive facade work if the hat of the building is leaking. We also refurbished the lead flashing around the existing skylights—a common failure point in properties of this age.

• The Masonry: High-level parapet walls required render renovation. Further down, a ground-floor portico and balcony were allowing water to track through the structure, causing the masonry below to blow and crumble.

• The Joinery: The sash windows were in a state of distress, suffering from wet rot and years of superficial maintenance.

The Approach: Conservation Over Replacement

In high-end residential work, there is often a rush to "rip out and replace." We take a different view. Original Victorian timber, if salvaged, is often of a higher density and quality than new softwood.

We treated the windows with surgical precision. Rather than replacing the joinery entirely—which changes the character of the facade and displeases conservation officers—our joinery team used the Repair Care resin system. We removed the rot, spliced in new timber where necessary and used resin to bond the repair. This creates a monolithic repair that moves with the wood, preventing the cracks that usually appear after one winter cycle.

Reviving the Stucco Details

The restoration challenge extended significantly to the masonry itself. As visible in our site documentation, entire sections of the historic cornicing and mouldings were degraded and required extensive intervention.

To bring these features back to life, we relied on the skill of our artisan plasterers. Using traditional sand and cement methods, they meticulously rebuilt the damaged profiles by hand, restoring the sharp, crisp lines that define the building’s character. This was not a quick patch-up job. Once the structural sand and cement repairs were cured, we finished the surfaces with a comprehensive Toupret Skim fill. This artisan detailing is critical; it bridges the gap between the coarse structural repair and the paint, delivering that glass-smooth, porcelain-like surface that distinguishes a true restoration from a standard exterior paint job.

Managing the "Principal Contractor" Role

Working for a Surveyor means the paperwork must be as sharp as the paint lines. We managed the site logistics, the scaffolding permits in a busy London borough and the safety of the residents who remained in situ.

Communication was our primary tool. When you are working on behalf of a collective of freeholders, transparency is currency. We provided regular updates on the unexpected stucco failures (detailed in our Technical Deep Dive), ensuring the client was never blindsided by variations or delays.

The Result

The handover was a moment of genuine pride. The front door - the handshake of the house - was restored to a glass-like finish, with the number '47' hand-painted in traditional script. The contrast between the brilliant cream masonry and the jet-black ironwork is crisp, sharp and authoritative.

For the Surveyor, the project was delivered to specification, protecting the asset's value. For the residents, their home feels watertight and prestigious once again.

Key Takeaways for Surveyors & Clients

• Holistic Responsibility: As Principal Contractor, we hold the risk and manage the site, freeing the Surveyor to focus on contract administration.

• Sympathetic Restoration: We fight to save original features, using modern chemistry (Repair Care) to preserve historic joinery.

• The "Water First" Rule: We prioritised the roof and portico leaks before touching the aesthetics, ensuring the new finish won't be compromised by water ingress.

Managing a restoration project doesn't have to be a headache. Whether you are a Surveyor protecting a client's asset or a homeowner restoring a legacy property, you need a contractor who understands the details.

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