North Cornwall · EX22
Whitstone renovations — a North Cornwall studio
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. In Whitstone, that work is shaped by the place itself — Whitstone is a rural parish in the EX22 area, with farmsteads, lanes and scattered homes defining its built character, with a building stock that leans toward smallholdings and scattered modern homes.
Whitstone sits in North Cornwall — covering EX22 from Bude, Stratton, Poughill outward.
- Rural / open-countryside policy area
- ✓ 30+ years of Cornwall Council approvals
- ✓ rural policy area experience built into the fee
- ✓ Plain-English feasibility before any drawings
- ✓ One studio — design, planning and build under one roof
Who this is for
Whitstone runs the full mix — owner-occupier, holiday-let, commercial and the occasional smallholding — so we scope every renovation enquiry from the use-class up.
Local watch-list
What usually catches renovation projects out in Whitstone.
Watch #1
Tighter Local Plan tests on isolated rural dwellings
Local proof — Our North Cornwall workload means a Whitstone renovation project never has to wait for an out-of-county team to drive down.
Get a free feasibility viewFAQs
Whitstone Renovations — local questions answered.
- How much does a full renovation cost in Whitstone?
- A whole-house renovation typically lands between £1,800 and £3,000 per square metre depending on condition, listed status and finish level. We survey before quoting and don't price by guesswork. In Whitstone specifically, we'd start by checking the latest parish-level planning history before committing to a direction.
- 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.
- 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 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.
Local context
Why Whitstone is its own job.
The planning backdrop in North Cornwall is real, not abstract: open-countryside policy, access lanes, drainage and agricultural building history all need to be addressed before drawings go too far. For renovation specifically, Cornwall Council's Local Plan applies tighter tests to isolated rural dwellings here, so design rationale and policy fit need to be set out clearly from the outset. Treat the EX22 parish brief as the design brief and the Whitstone application has somewhere to land. Whether the project is on smallholdings in the centre or further out toward Bude, the renovation response is locally tuned.
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.
What we focus on
Renovations considerations specific to Whitstone.
01
Damp in Cornish cottages is usually a moisture management problem, not a chemical injection problem — fixing the cause is cheaper long term than treating the symptom.
02
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.
03
Asbestos surveys are standard for anything pre-2000 — we factor a survey into the programme before stripping out begins.
04
Listed and curtilage-listed properties need Listed Building Consent for many internal alterations that wouldn't normally need approval.
Our process
How a Whitstone 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 fabric
Choosing a renovation team that actually knows EX22.
Building stock
Across Whitstone (EX22) we work on farmhouses, converted barns, rural cottages, smallholdings, scattered modern homes. Each stock type drives a different renovation response — smallholdings in particular needs careful detailing here.
Parish & policy
Whitstone sits in the parish of Whitstone, which matters for how parish-level consultation lands on a renovation application.
Coverage
We cover EX22 from our studio, with regular renovation jobs also running in Bude, Stratton, Poughill. Most Whitstone site visits get booked within the same week.
What does a first Whitstone consultation cost?
Nothing. We come to the property, walk the site, talk through what works on a EX22 plot and follow up with a written feasibility note inside a week — no obligation either way.
Request a free visitWhitstone is part of Bude
Whitstone sits inside the Bude catchment — we cover both as one renovation territory.
See Renovations in Bude →Other services in Whitstone
Nearby places we cover
The renovation jobs we're proudest of in Whitstone are the ones where the planning route was clear before a single elevation was drawn.