Q&A: Site Manager, Jamie O'Hara

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Refurbishing The Old Stocks Inn is a big task. We chatted to site manager Jamie to find out what’s involved in transforming a 17th century building.

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  • Jamie O'Hara, Tekne Site Manager at The Old Stocks Inn, Stow

Tuesday 2 December 2014
Refurbishment

Name: Jamie O'Hara
Role: Site Manager at Tekne

Have you or your team worked on a number of older buildings before now?
We’ve not worked on anything as historic as this hotel before, and we’re really looking forward to the challenges that the refurbishment of such an old building will bring. The Old Stocks Inn is very unique, and as you might imagine, back in the 17th century, buildings were constructed with whatever people could lay their hands on at the time.

This hotel is a great example of that. It wasn’t built using the detailed plans that we have today, but it’s testament to its construction that the walls made out of local Cotswold stone and thick, strong oak beams remain in place to this day.

As with any older buildings, we need to make sure we preserve and retain as many of the original features as possible. It’s these elements that make the building so special, but they can only survive if they receive careful maintenance throughout the years. Unfortunately, in some areas of the hotel, this hasn’t been the case so we’ve had a fair few things to repair and replace.

Have you learned anything from the way the building was originally constructed?
In older buildings like these, you find that people have used their own initiative when constructing them, developing their own techniques and solutions. Over the years, these skills have gone on to form the basis of modern-day construction, shaping our knowledge and techniques we use today. Indeed, the hotel is something of a construction masterclass.

One thing we’ve noticed during the demolition stage is that that the original builders used dovetail joints throughout. That was very clever as it allows the building to ‘breathe’ and move. It’s a technique that builders still use today and one that we will be replicating throughout the build.

Has it been obvious how the hotel’s been changed and adapted over the years?
Not many people know this but the hotel was originally three separate cottages before it was combined into one large building. It’s hard to tell from the exterior, so following the gutting phase, it’s been interesting to see where each of those cottages may have existed before.

It’s now also clear where major alterations have been made – for example, over the years, single rooms have been combined and expanded into double rooms to accommodate guests. The fact that the building is so strong and has been so well constructed means that it’s been able to withstand those major changes very well. That is great news for us as that strength is very important for the changes that we plan to make as part of the refurbishment.

Have you faced any challenges so far while working on The Old Stocks?
Every day is a challenge on a site like this when you are updating almost everything, and that means each task requires a lot of careful thought. For a start, we’re looking at the plumbing and the electrical wiring, which even now, are more advanced than the last time the hotel received any work like this.

For example, with plumbing as old as this, it’s difficult to achieve the right water pressure throughout the hotel, so we have had to fit wider pipes to accommodate the pump system that’s currently in operation. Of course, this has meant extra thinking on how best to implement this change and extra work to complete it. However, we are only a few weeks in and I’m sure we’ll meet a large number of challenges before we hand the hotel back to The Old Stocks team in early 2015.

What areas are you looking at next?
The major internal demolition work is now complete and we have reduced the building down to a shell, giving us a blank canvas on which to begin. Our next job is to build the partition walls needed for the bathrooms. The rewiring and refitting of the plumbing is also well underway.

We’re also doing some remedial work on the exterior of the property, including replacing some roof tiles. Currently, we’re moving along on schedule, and we’re looking forward to seeing the difference our hard work has made in a few weeks’ time. 

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