The original balcony and staircase.<\/em><\/p>\nThe couple needed a new balcony as the original (pictured above) had been condemned. Whilst searching for a replacement, they found that many companies only offered off-the-shelf designs or were simply not interested in taking up a project on the west coast of Wales. By working with Si\u00e2n and Billy, and carrying out a site visit, we were able to create a bespoke design which was adapted to the home\u2019s measurements.<\/p>\n
\u201c<\/em>I was immediately attracted to the service offered by Ben and Richard Harding to work in partnership with them to develop something bespoke.\u201d <\/em>Si\u00e2n explained. \u201cTheir site visit, which also allowed us to see samples of their work, was important in the process. It gave us and our builder confidence in the company and the product and in addition, the sense that we would enjoy working with them both.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nThe design process<\/h2>\n
In the early design stage, Si\u00e2n and Billy had looked at incorporating original Victorian railings in the design, but the weight made this impossible. We manufactured the railing and staircase from cast aluminium which is far lighter than cast iron alternatives. The balconies feature a unique wave like panel design which was based on sketches from Billy, as Si\u00e2n explained:<\/p>\n
\u201cWe wanted something that reflected that the house is surrounded by water- the sea at the front and river at the side- and also to commemorate that a number of sea captains had lived there between the 1870s and 1950s. Billy came up with an initial design to commemorate that. BS&C had not previously made a wavy stair spindle so we commissioned them to make a bespoke pattern for us. This increased the cost by \u00a3650 but was money well spent to achieve an integrated design.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\t\t