We are very proud to share the latest photos from our Stanningfield project with you. The external lime render is now complete (you can read more about this technique in our previous lime render blog).

We have also completed the lime crete floor using reclaimed bricks.

A few weeks ago we shared with you some pictures of our renovation in Stanningfield. Now that we have returned to work, we have made more progress and are pleased to show you some more photos of how it is coming on.

As promised, here is our next in the ‘Meet the Team’ series of blogs. This week we’d like to introduce Ben Jones!

Ben is the ‘son’ in K.E. Jones & Son. From a young age, Ben loved going to work with his dad Kevin, and it was this that started his interest in the building trade, and period properties in particular.

Ben left school in 1994 and went on to University of Suffolk, Ipswich and Otley College where he obtained his NVQ3 in plastering.  After this, joining the family business was the natural path to take. Ben continued to improve on his skills over the years of working with his dad.

Following Kevin’s semi-retirement, Ben took over the running of the business. He takes a professional, yet friendly approach, and is well respected by both staff and clients alike. Ben prides himself on his eye for detail which he strongly believes is essential to what the company does.

Outside of work, Ben is a real family man. He has been married to his wife Jodie for 15 years, and they have been together for 24 years! They have two lovely daughters, Willow and Heidi. Ben enjoys entertaining with family and friends, and in the little free-time that he has when not busy with work, or family, Ben loves all sports!

We hope that you are enjoying our meet the team series. 

Our latest project is a complete renovation on a grade 2 listed farmhouse. The images show soleplates, lime plastering, lime rendering and limecrete floor. A new kitchen will follow shortly. We will post more pictures as the job progresses!

We are starting our 'Meet the Team' blogs with none other than the founder of K.E. Jones & Son - Mr Kevin Jones! Kevin will be 70 this year and the business will also be celebrating its 50th birthday. 

When Kevin left school he did an engineering apprenticeship but left the company when it finished, as he couldn't bear to be stuck indoors. He joined a local building firm in North London, and worked all over the area learning the building trade.

In 1972 he married his lovely wife, Sandra, and they moved to Wakes Colne which felt like the middle of nowhere after London! Kevin had been travelling back at weekends before the wedding to finish building their first home together. In 1975 the couple moved to Leavenheath. Sandra was pregnant with their first child, Danni, and they were living in a caravan while Kevin built their new home - not easy with a new baby!

Kevin has always been able to see the potential in property, and this is how he has moved forward over the years. Kevin is an extremely hard worker with 'old school' ethics, and has even been known to help out older customers at Christmas time without charging them. Although a very quiet, private man, he is very kind and will help anyone.

Kevin is father to 3, Danni, Ben and Will, and a much-loved grandad to 4 grandsons and 3 granddaughters. Although Kevin is now semi-retired having handed over the company reins to Ben, he is currently building two detached houses!

We are proud that we have worked with English Heritage on some of their projects. English Heritage look after over 400 historic buildings across the country, and obviously it is important to conserve and maintain these fantastic buildings in their original style, and using traditional building techniques. Find out more about the important work of English Heritage here.

One of our recent projects, before lockdown was a large loft-conversion on a 500-year-old farmhouse, whch was a very time consuming project. 

The original timbers all had to be strengthened, lots of extra support had to be put into them as many were rotten.

The floor had to be lifted and the walls had to be insulated and plastered with lime plaster.

We think you will agree that the end result is stunning - another job well done!

As the Corona virus pandemic sweeps the country, we are following government guidelines and have stopped working for the safety of our customers and employees. However, we want to remind you that now is a good time to contact us to discuss future jobs. As we're all on lockdown, many of you are thinking about jobs that need doing at home, and if you're hoping to get building work done once this is all over, then we can help, whether its restoration, maintenance or a new build. We can't come and visit you to do quotes at the moment, but you can contact us via this link or on our Facebook page. We are happy to discuss your ideas and plans, and give you something positive to think about!

We are one of few companies that are skilled in the traditional technique of wattle and daub. This technique has been used for thousands of years. Wattles are a woven lattice of wooden stakes that are then 'daubed' with a mixture of mud, clay, animal dung and straw to create a structure. This can then be lime rendered or white-washed to give protection against the elements.In timber-framed buildings, using wattle and daub allows the construction to be flexible, so it can accomodate even severe structural movement.

Lime has been used in buiding work since Roman times, but use declined in the 20th century. Recently it has had a resurgence in use, as it has been realised that modern materials can be damaging. It is important that lime is used in the restoration of period properties. This is also better for the environment. Simply put, lime render reacts with the CO2 in rainwater in a repeated cycle. It is converted back to calcium carbonate (the original limestone). This means that over the years, it gets stronger and harder. Here at K.E. Jones & Son Builders, we use lime from the Anglia Lime Company