North Cornwall · EX23
Widemouth Bay 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 Widemouth Bay, that work is shaped by the place itself — Widemouth Bay is a holiday-coast settlement in the EX23 area, with strong second-home demand and exposed coastal building conditions, with a building stock that leans toward detached houses and replacement dwellings.
Widemouth Bay sits in North Cornwall — covering EX23 from Bude, Stratton, Poughill outward.
- Cornwall AONB
- Coastal exposure zone
- ✓ 30+ years of Cornwall Council approvals
- ✓ AONB experience built into the fee
- ✓ Plain-English feasibility before any drawings
- ✓ One studio — design, planning and build under one roof
Who this is for
Widemouth Bay 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
Local snags worth knowing before drawing a Widemouth Bay renovation.
Watch #1
AONB landscape-impact scrutiny on visible elevations
Watch #2
Coastal exposure driving fixing, render and joinery spec
Local proof — We typically have one or two renovation jobs live in the EX23 area at any time, so the local planning officers know our drawings on sight.
Get a free feasibility viewFAQs
Widemouth Bay Renovations — local questions answered.
- 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. In Widemouth Bay specifically, we'd start by checking AONB landscape sensitivity before committing to a direction.
- How much does a full renovation cost in Cornwall?
- 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.
- 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 Widemouth Bay is its own job.
The planning backdrop in North Cornwall is real, not abstract: planning scrutiny often focuses on visual impact, occupancy, parking, overlooking and whether replacement buildings respect the coastal edge. For renovation specifically, 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 Widemouth Bay drives detailing choices — fixings, render systems and timber treatments all need to be specified for exposure. Treat the EX23 parish brief as the design brief and the Widemouth Bay application has somewhere to land. Whether the project is on detached houses 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 Widemouth Bay.
01
Asbestos surveys are standard for anything pre-2000 — we factor a survey into the programme before stripping out begins.
02
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.
03
Listed and curtilage-listed properties need Listed Building Consent for many internal alterations that wouldn't normally need approval.
04
Original fireplaces, slate floors, beams and joinery are often worth rescuing; the design conversation should start with what stays, not what goes.
Our process
How a Widemouth Bay 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
Why a North Cornwall studio is the right fit for Widemouth Bay renovation.
Building stock
Across Widemouth Bay (EX23) we work on coastal bungalows, holiday lets, second homes, detached houses, replacement dwellings. Each stock type drives a different renovation response — detached houses in particular needs careful detailing here.
Parish & policy
Widemouth Bay sits in the parish of Widemouth Bay, which matters for how parish-level consultation lands on a renovation application.
Coverage
We cover EX23 from our studio, with regular renovation jobs also running in Bude, Stratton, Poughill. Most Widemouth Bay site visits get booked within the same week.
What does a first Widemouth Bay consultation cost?
Nothing. We come to the property, walk the site, talk through what works on a EX23 plot and follow up with a written feasibility note inside a week — no obligation either way.
Request a free visitWidemouth Bay is part of Bude
Widemouth Bay sits inside the Bude catchment — we cover both as one renovation territory.
See Renovations in Bude →Other services in Widemouth Bay
Nearby places we cover
The renovation jobs we're proudest of in Widemouth Bay are the ones where the planning route was clear before a single elevation was drawn.