Lizard Peninsula · TR12
Renovations for Gunwalloe (TR12)
Cornish housing stock is brilliant and infuriating in equal measure. We renovate cottages, farmhouses, mid-century homes and post-war estates — opening up layouts, fixing damp, adding light and bringing the property up to a standard worth living in. Gunwalloe sits in Lizard Peninsula, and that geography ends up in the drawings — Gunwalloe is a coastal village in the TR12 area, where sea exposure, views and seasonal pressure shape most building decisions, with a building stock that leans toward granite cottages and holiday homes.
Gunwalloe sits in Lizard Peninsula — covering TR12 from Mullion, Cury, Predannack outward.
- Conservation Area
- Cornwall AONB
- Coastal exposure zone
- ✓ Local to Lizard Peninsula — not a national franchise
- ✓ Same team on paper as on site
- ✓ One studio — design, planning and build under one roof
- ✓ Measured-survey accuracy from day one
Our process
How a Gunwalloe renovation project runs.
Step 1
Survey
Measured survey, condition assessment, services check and listed status review.
Step 2
Design
Layout options, material strategy and a clear list of what stays and what changes.
Step 3
Approvals
Listed Building Consent and building regulations as needed.
Step 4
Strip-out and works
Carefully sequenced demolition, structural works and rebuild.
Step 5
Finish and handover
Joinery, decoration, snagging and documentation pack.
Whole-house renovations typically run six to fourteen months on site; partial remodels two to four months.
Local proof — Our Lizard Peninsula workload means a Gunwalloe renovation project never has to wait for an out-of-county team to drive down.
Get a free feasibility viewWhat we focus on
Renovations considerations specific to Gunwalloe.
01
Listed and curtilage-listed properties need Listed Building Consent for many internal alterations that wouldn't normally need approval.
02
Original fireplaces, slate floors, beams and joinery are often worth rescuing; the design conversation should start with what stays, not what goes.
03
Older Cornish properties are often built with cob, rubble or solid granite — modern insulation strategies that work in cavity walls cause damp problems in solid construction. Breathable build-ups matter.
04
Asbestos surveys are standard for anything pre-2000 — we factor a survey into the programme before stripping out begins.
Local context
Why Gunwalloe is its own job.
In Gunwalloe the planning picture is specific: coastal setting and landscape sensitivity mean rooflines, glazing, drainage and external materials need careful handling from the first sketch. For renovation specifically, parts of Gunwalloe sit within a designated Conservation Area, which means materials, fenestration and roof pitches all need to read sympathetically with the existing streetscape; the surrounding landscape falls inside the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, so massing, height and landscape impact carry extra weight in any planning decision; coastal salt-laden air around Gunwalloe drives detailing choices — fixings, render systems and timber treatments all need to be specified for exposure. That local reading is what makes a Gunwalloe (TR12) project different from a generic Cornwall scheme — and is the whole reason we work this way. On granite cottages in particular — the kind you'll also find toward Truro — the renovation brief always has to read the existing fabric first.
Planning note
Most Cornish renovations don't need planning — but listed status, curtilage listing, Conservation Area designation and material changes can all change that picture.
Local watch-list
Local snags worth knowing before drawing a Gunwalloe renovation.
Watch #1
Conservation Area material and fenestration controls in central Gunwalloe
Watch #2
AONB landscape-impact scrutiny on visible elevations
Watch #3
Coastal exposure driving fixing, render and joinery spec
Gunwalloe is part of Mullion
Gunwalloe sits inside the Mullion catchment — we cover both as one renovation territory.
See Renovations in Mullion →Local fabric
What sets a Gunwalloe renovation brief apart.
Building stock
Across Gunwalloe (TR12) we work on granite cottages, rendered coastal houses, holiday homes, bungalows, replacement dwellings. Each stock type drives a different renovation response — granite cottages in particular needs careful detailing here.
Parish & policy
Gunwalloe sits in the parish of Gunwalloe, which matters for how parish-level consultation lands on a renovation application.
Coverage
We cover TR12 from our studio, with regular renovation jobs also running in Mullion, Cury, Predannack. Most Gunwalloe site visits get booked within the same week.
Can you handle both planning and build in Gunwalloe?
Yes — design, planning, building regs and full construction run under one roof. For clients with an existing Gunwalloe builder we can stop at a tender-ready Full Plans pack instead.
Request a free visitWho this is for
Gunwalloe runs the full mix — owner-occupier, holiday-let, commercial and the occasional smallholding — so we scope every renovation enquiry from the use-class up.
FAQs
Gunwalloe Renovations — local questions answered.
- Can I live in the house during the work?
- Sometimes yes, often no. Single-room remodels and phased work can be liveable; whole-house renovations involving rewires, replumbing or floor lifting almost never are. We're honest about this at the brief. In Gunwalloe specifically, we'd start by checking the Conservation Area boundary before committing to a direction.
- What about damp and old walls?
- We assess the cause first — usually rising damp myths, blocked vents, hard cement renders trapping moisture, or roofs needing attention. A breathable repair strategy fixes most of it without chemical intervention.
- How long does a renovation take?
- Single rooms in weeks, kitchens in two to three months, whole-house renovations in six to fourteen months depending on size and listed status.
- Can you renovate and extend at the same time?
- Yes, and often it's the right call — the planning, regs and disruption all happen once instead of twice. We design and price it as a single project.
- Do I need planning permission to renovate internally?
- Usually no — except on listed buildings, where Listed Building Consent is needed for many internal alterations. We confirm the position before any wall comes down.
Other services in Gunwalloe
Nearby places we cover
Every Gunwalloe renovation we work on is treated as a TR12 job in its own right — local fabric, local policy, local builders.