Chartered Builder ~ Healthier Construction and Heritage Repair

Specialist builders with a passion for older properties, and a keen interest in driving ecologically sustainable design and traditional methods in building; across construction, repair/maintenance, refurbishment and restoration. Conservation of our built environment, alongside a balanced and innovative approach to building solutions and services.

Construction workers installing a weather vane on the roof of a building. One worker in a yellow safety vest is using a tool on the weather vane, while two other workers in orange safety vests are seen further back on the scaffold. The sky is clear a
Close-up view of a brick chimney on a rooftop, with four chimney pots and a rain cap, surrounded by roofing tiles and scaffolding, with trees and houses in the background.
Front view of a brick house entryway with a wooden lattice-covered porch, surrounded by colorful flowers and plants.
A worker in a safety vest and shorts is working on a wooden frame for a building under construction, with metal scaffolding and brick wall visible.
Wooden slatted structure, possibly a bed frame or a cage, with suspended wires and a dark background.
Underfloor heating pipes installation in a room with windows, unfinished walls, and a fireplace.
Looking up into an attic or roof space showing wooden rafters, beams, and a makeshift wooden railing.
Close-up of a woodworking project with wooden frames and gravel or crushed material inside, likely part of a construction or flooring process.
A steep residential roof under construction with red-brown tiles and a skylight, on a cloudy day.
Wooden framing structure under construction with visible screws, black insulation, and wiring, in an indoor setting.
Chimney pipe on a tiled roof with a blue sky and bare tree in the background.
Interior view of an attic under construction with exposed wooden framing and scaffolding, showing construction workers installing windows and working on the roof.

Our Services

We specialise in the refurbishment, repair and restoration of heritage properties in a sustainable and sympathetic way

Traditional Construction Skills

Our team have a wide range of traditional skills, including traditional carpentry, timber framing, site joinery, cob work, lime plastering, pointing and brickwork. Our experienced team have been working on older properties for many years, and have the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to properly take care of them and to help preserve these special buildings long into the future.

Pointing and brickwork

Sympathetic Heritage Repair & Maintenance

Often maintenance goes beyond simple finishing, and our work can involve bespoke structural repairs, reconstruction and sometimes extensive renovations. Other times we are engaged with Conservation work where an understanding of the significance of the heritage asset comes first, and repair comes later. In either scenario we always seek to understand first, in order to make the best decisions for the property as well as the people involved.

Traditional carpentry Timber framing

Innovative Insulation Solutions

In the drive to increase sustainability, particularly with our older housing stock, a considered approach will often involve weighing up several options, and presenting a balanced view, cost:benefit analysis, condensation risk analysis, and a balance of long and short term considerations. We have an in-depth understanding and experience of all the methods and materials involved in improving energy performance, while also understanding the function of 'breathable' elements, the methods and priorities involved in maintaining vapour permeability, and the technical nuances of insulation and thermal mass.

Energy performance and vapour permeability

Meet the Senior Team

  • David Thorne is proud to be a Member of the Chartered Institute Of Building (CIOB). He is a problem solver, technically minded and environmentally cautious.

    David Thorne

    DIRECTOR

    David is proud to be a Member of the Chartered Institute Of Building (CIOB) and seeks to uphold the principles of Professionalism, Integrity, Excellence and Respect.

    After ten years working for a traditional local builder he founded Thorne Building Associates in 2013.

    David is a problem solver, technically minded and environmentally cautious. “The work we do should always strike the right balance between performance, longevity, aesthetics and sustainability, keeping our client's own preferences at the forefront of decision making.”

  • Doug Vowles is a multi-discipline traditional skills specialist, with 20+ years experience working with cob, flint, stone, lime mortars and lime plasters, including traditional finishes such as lath and plaster, use of haired lime mortars

    Doug Vowles

    SITE SUPERVISOR

    Doug is a multi-discipline traditional skills specialist, with 20+ years experience working with cob, flint, stone, lime mortars and lime plasters, including traditional finishes such as lath and plaster, use of haired lime mortars, as well as in depth experience in heritage structural repair work, brickwork and timber framing. Doug often works with and mentors Gabe, our ‘Journeyman’, handing down some of the traditional skills he has acquired over the years.

  • Andy Tubbs is an experienced carpenter of over 25 years with a complete range of skills

    Andy Tubbs

    HEAD CARPENTER

    Andy is an experienced carpenter of over 25 years with a complete range of skills, including work overseas in Antarctica and on Ascension Island, as well as working extensively around Dorset and the south of England. His role currently includes overseeing and training our apprentice carpenter, Charlie.

Contact Us

office@thornebuilding.co.uk
01202 081177

8 Pennys Lane Cranborne BH21 5QE