Building and restoration services in West Wales
Northern Lights Construction is a traditional building contractor working across Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion. Much of our work is on older and listed buildings: repairing stone walls in lime, replacing joinery and roofs to suit the building, and renovating houses so they work for the people living in them now. We also make windows, doors, kitchens and cabins in our own workshop.
You can find more photographs of finished jobs on our projects page.
Heritage and listed building repair and restoration
Older buildings were put together with stone, lime and timber, and they last longest when they are repaired with the same materials. A solid stone wall bedded in lime lets moisture in and out again; patch it with cement and the water stays in the wall, which is where a lot of damp in old cottages starts.
We re-point and repair in lime mortar, lime plaster internal walls, rebuild failed sections of stonework, replace rotten timbers like for like, and keep original features where they can be saved rather than stripping them out.
We work on listed buildings and can deal with the local authority conservation officer, so the repairs are agreed before work starts.
One recent job was a stone wall and fireplace in Pembroke, cleaned back and re-pointed in lime.
The before and after photos are on the projects page.
Stone masonry
We build and repair stone walls of all kinds: dry stone and mortared walls, garden and boundary walls, retaining walls and steps. On new buildings and extensions we can face the work in stone so it sits with the buildings around it.
Recent jobs include dry stone and retaining walls, new stone steps and stone cladding on an extension.
Most of our stonework is pointed in lime, and we lime plaster inside as well.
Carpentry
Carpentry is the other half of our trade. That covers structural timber such as roof timbers and floor joists, and finish work such as staircases, floors and fitted joinery.
On older houses it often means repairing what's already there, for example restoring original pine floorboards rather than covering them.
The oak A-frame roof trusses are new, hand-crafted to create an aged look and complement the building.
Outside, we build decking, pergolas and fencing.
Roofing
We repair and replace roofs, including traditional slate, along with the lead work and chimneys that go with them.
On an older building we match the slate and detailing to what was there, so the roof doesn't stand out as the one new thing on the house.
Building and renovation
Not every job is a restoration. We also take on general building and renovation work, including extensions, kitchens, bathrooms and garden projects such as walled gardens, paths and slate walls.
On an older house the renovation and the repair usually happen together, so it helps to have one firm that can do both.
We can deal with architects, structural engineers and building control on your behalf.
Barn conversions
We convert traditional stone barns and outbuildings. This work draws on our full spectrum of skills: stone and lime repairs to walls, roofing, structural carpentry for floors and roof timbers, and timber windows and doors made in our workshop.
We work with your architect, structural engineer and building control, and if the barn is listed we deal with the conservation officer as well.
Our most recent barn job was in Ceredigion, where we restored and extended a small barn in the curtilage of a Grade II listed building.
Windows and doors
We make new timber windows and doors in our workshop.
On an older building the windows are a large part of how it looks from the street, so we make them to match the originals.
Cabins and bothies
We design and build timber cabins and bothies in our workshop, for use as garden offices, studios, guest rooms or holiday accommodation.
Each one is built to order. Call us for current sizes, prices and lead times.
Areas we cover
We are based in Pembrokeshire and work across Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion.
Talk to us about a job
Call 07960 161555 to talk through what you need. We'll come out and look at the job before giving you a quote.
Our details are also on the contact page.
