Cause End Road
Wootton
Bedfordshire
MK43 9DE
Building Blog
This blog was used to document our building project over the last year or so.
The most recent photos feature first. If you want to follow our journey scroll to the bottom of the page first.
October 2011
Finally finished - sorry for the short delay - but here are a few photographs from our open weekend. Youll find more photos on our Facbook page
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Wootton-New-Life-Methodist-Church/180893291991543
26 September 2011
Almost finished!!
23rd August 2011
The door between the annexe and the back corridor.
The 'finial' has been re-placed on the front gable wall (pictured here with a friendly pigeon!).
22nd August 2011
Having had a couple of weeks holiday there has been alot going on.... 4 weeks to handover.
Check in again soon as we'll see rapid changes over the last few weeks of the project.
The whole in the floor has gone.
The steel framework that's holding the front of the building in place.
The window between the annexe and the main church.
The ceiling at the existing front of the church - this shows the steel structurces that have been put in place to secure the structure as well as the insulation and newly plastered ceiling.
Looking down to the existing front of the church - the door leading to the church hall.
Looking down towards the existing front door showing part of the steel frame work.
Looking towards the new annexe.
The window between the main church and the annexe.
Outside, showing the additional scaffolding that was constructed so that the top of the front gable wall could be rebuilt.
The new entracnce to the annexe - looks like a nice place for some coffee tables when we get some sunshine!
The rebuilt front gable.
5th August 2011
Making good progress
The entrance to the annexe.
The rafters are all now stripped back ready to be insulated and plastered.
The workers taking a well earned tea break.
.
11th July
The rafters stripped back ready to be insulated and plastered.
20th June
The door way looking from the main church through to the annexe .....
..... and from the annexe through to the church.
The annexe.
The shed (aka The Ark) under construction, thanks Jes!
14th June
This is looking towards where the bi-fold door will be between the church and the annexe. You can just make out the lines that show how big it will be either side of the scaffold poles.
In the annexe showing the other side of the wall.
10th June
6th June
Scaffolding at the front of the building.
The annexe front walls taking shape.
3rd June 2011
Walls coming down,
and walls going up.
27th May 2011
Alot can happen in a week....
The suspended ceiling, front pillars and dais have been removed.
Looking upwards - this shows the full height of the ceiling (looking towards the old balcony).
The old balcony.
23rd May 2011
You turn you back for 2 minutes......
and the floor has been laid.
The builders made quick work of the beam and block floor and you can see now how big the annexe will be.
21st May 2011
The Plant Sale in full swing - Jack & Gary had been sowing the seeds.....
The banner on the builders fencing.
20th May 2011
The annexe walls taking shape.
The concrete beams for the beam and block floor.
16th May 2011
Work soon gets underway on the side annexe.
10th May 2011
Meadsway Construction Ltd move on site.....
15th April 2011
We have now appointed Meadsway Construction Ltd to carry out the work and they start on site on Monday 9th May.
This weekend we started the big clear out and managed to clear the balcony and loft space completely ..... and fill a skip.
Here are some photos of the day....
The balcony before (sorry it's a bit blurred).
The balcony after.
The cleared loft area.
Somethings still to be sorted.
The skip.
Update February 2011
Almost ready to start work....
Alot of work hs been going on behind the scenes and we're almost there. We now have final drawings, and have received quotes for the work are in the final stages of getting building regs.
We are hoping to start the project in April 2011 with a target completion date of September 2011.
The project will create a multi-use worship space by opening up the current worship area, remove the old balcony and current entrance lobby, remove the current dais and side pillars and build a side annexe which would also create an additional new entrance lobby and 'coffee shop' area.
We will also be modifying the existing church office and refurbishing the corridor & toilets.
We will replace windows (as identified) throughout the building.
We will be creating a dedicated space for children and young people in the existing lounge which should not ordinarily be let to outside bookings.
Update November 2010
Back on track....
At the recent Church Council it was reported that following the EGM in June a full structural survey has been carried out as well as various consultation meetings and inspections relating to the ceiling in the main church building. At the same time additional finances have been sought from the Methodist Church who have recently awarded us an additional grant of £27,200 giving us a total building fund of just over £158,000.
It is felt that the original plan of creating a second floor above the church hall is now not financially viable nor necessary to achieve the original aims. The changes planned for the main worship space can still be achieved and should be revised to incorporate the additional requirements to ensure the building structure is sound.
The following was proposed and agreed at the Church Council:
· Acknowledge that the recent works completed in the church hall and lounge are part of the overall development project.
· As per original plans we will create a multi-use worship space by opening up the current worship area, remove the old balcony and current entrance lobby, remove the current dais and side pillars, build a side annexe which would also create a new entrance lobby and 'coffee shop' area.
· As per original plan we will modify the existing church office.
· Refurbish the corridor & toilets.
· As per original plan we will replace windows (as identified) throughout the building.
· We will create a dedicated space for children and young people in the existing lounge which should not ordinarily be let to outside bookings.
We are now progressing to get final drawings, building regs. and quotes for the work with the aim of commencing early in 2011.
We aim to keep everyone updated on the building plans but please do speak to either Ken Beamish or David Goodson if you have any questions about the project.
Update September 2010
And the ceiling falls in!
At the end of June a large area of plaster fell through the suspended ceiling in the church which means that this area is now out of use. Most services are being held in the church hall and we will be using Wootton Lower School for some services.
Following the Extraordinary Church Council in June we have been reviewing the options available to us and have met with representatives from the District to consider the implications of the results of the structural survey and the collapse of the ceiling in the church.
The District Property Secretary has advised that although there has been some movement over the years and general wear and tear the church building is sound. His recommendation was to incorporate the repairs into a ‘revised’ building project, perhaps phasing the development over a longer period of time. Funding is a critical factor and we are also exploring other potential funding opportunities and as promised we will be reporting back to Church Council in October before a final decision is made.
In the meantime, as agreed we are carrying out work to make the church hall floor safe and to repair and decorate the hall and the exterior of the front of the church. The church hall will be out of use from 27th September - 11th October when this work will be taking place.
We aim to keep everyone updated on this but please do speak to either Ken Beamish or David Goodson if you have any questions about the project.
Update June 2010
More change......
The results of the structural survey identified that there are some serious structural issues that need to be rectified before any further construction work can commenece. This could cost an additional £20,0000.
With this in mind it was agreed at an Extraordinary General Meeting that we should not commit any further funds at this stage and use the next few months to review our plans and how we can achieve our strategic goals.
Update May 2010
We have recently heard that our grant application to Veolia Environmental Trust has been declined. This was not due to anything being wrong with our project, but they were very over subscribed and so didn’t have sufficient funds to award us a grant. We can re-apply to them in 12 months. There are still some other organisations that we can apply to but at present we are around £50,000 short of our overall target. We are continuing to get quotes so that we can review and finalise our plans for the project and still aim to commence this in the summer.
Update April 2010
We have now raised a total of £130,400 towards our building project and we are waiting to hear the outcome of our grant application to Veolia Environmental Trust later this month.
We have now had full approval and are in the process of getting a structural survey carried out and applying for building regs. We aim to commence work during the summer and finish by November/December.
If you would like to make a donation please contact our Treasurer, Lisa Beamish on 01234 768950.
Update February 2010
We have now raised a total of £130,400 towards our building project and have recently submitted a grant application to Veolia Environmental Trust. In order to do this we have had to adjust the proposed budget to take into account additional known costs and the increase in VAT.
The approval process to go ahead with the project is continuing, the District Property Panel have now recommended that the project be approved, subject to a structural survey being carried out, so we are now in discussions with the Methodist Church property department in Manchester to get their final approval which we understand may take a few more weeks.
If you would like to make a donation please contact our Treasurer, Lisa Beamish on 01234 768950.
Update December 2009
Our plans have been approved and we are making great progress in securing funding.
The overall target is £160,000. This will allow us to refurbish the existing property, build a side annexe and a loft conversion to create additional much needed space. Our aim is to open a drop in ‘coffee shop’ area throughout the week that can be used by young and old alike as well as expanding our worship area and creating other multi purpose community facilities.
To date we have secured £128,900.
If you would like to make a donation please contact our Treasurer, Lisa Beamish on 01234 768950.
The plans include:
- Re-modelling the internal space to create flexible multi use worship area
- Flexible entrance lobby/ coffee area
- Turn worship area around 90o
- New youth room upstairs
- New staircase
- Re-model access in/out of hall, kitchen & lounge
Summary of plans
The hall roof will be lifted to create more space for the upstairs room.
The top of the hall walls will be rebuilt and raised. There will be high level Velux windows in the upstairs room and on the upstairs landing.
There will be no changes to the overall look of the exterior of the main building although the front wall will be sandblasted and there will be new front doors and windows.
The side annexe will create an additional space, including coffee area approx 9m x 4m. It will be set back around 4m from the front of the original building. This will have glazed stainless steel doors and a glass canopy over. The brick work on the extension will match the existing building. There will be ramped access to this new entrance. The west side of the building backs on to our boundary so we cannot have side windows, however, there will be a glass atrium style roof to this area.
The main worship area will be re-modelled to provide a large flexible space. The floor will be replaced and will include under floor heating. There will be a large glazed folding door between the new annexe and the main worship space. The windows on the west side of the church will be lowered to ground level to provide additional light and vision between the two areas.
The existing vestry/office will have a new ‘stable’ door across the corner to create a bigger access space into the rear of the building. The existing window in this room will be removed and replaced with a new roof light.
There will be new doors along the corridor to allow for more flexible use of the various areas of the building and increased fire safety.There will be a new staircase giving access to the new room above the church hall.
In the church hall the high level windows will be removed and the door to the back of the hall will be repositioned to give more direct access to the kitchen. The door to the lounge will be relocated and replaced with double doors to give better access to this room. All windows will be replaced with double glazed units (except kitchen and hall where there are already double glazed windows).
The existing pram store will be changed to an internal storage area and a new rear door will be fitted to allow better access to the existing store.
There will be a new youth room upstairs. This room will be approx 10m x 9m and will have a partition to allow the room to be divided approx 70:30. On the landing there will be a high level door giving access to the loft space in the original building.
