Carpenter and Joiner in East Grinstead (RH19)
The High Street carries one of the longest runs of timber-framed buildings in the country, which means East Grinstead has a great deal of old structural carpentry in it. Work on or near those frames is a repair discipline before it is a joinery one.
Repairing old frames rather than replacing them
Historic timber does not fail evenly. Decay concentrates where water has been able to sit, at end grain, at joints, at the foot of a post or anywhere a later repair trapped moisture against it, while the timber alongside can be perfectly sound. That is why the right repair is usually a splice: cutting out only the failed section and letting in new timber of the same species and section, jointed so it carries load properly. Replacing a whole member because part of it has gone removes fabric that cannot be put back and is often more disruptive than the repair itself.
New joinery next to something that keeps moving
An old frame has been moving for centuries and it has not finished. New work fitted hard against it, fixed through it in a dozen places and scribed tight everywhere, will crack or bind as the building carries on doing what it does. The better approach is to let the new piece stand largely independent: fixed back at a limited number of points, scribed only at the visible edges, and detailed so small movement is absorbed rather than resisted. Nothing in a building like this is square or level, so units are built square and then set into the space with the packing hidden. Floors that slope also decide door swings, which is worth checking before any door is ordered rather than after it is delivered.
Away from the old centre
Beyond the old centre, East Grinstead is Victorian terraces and solid family houses, and the joinery there is more familiar work: fitted wardrobes built into bedroom alcoves, built-in storage under a stair, internal doors, and a matched run of skirting and architrave through a floor. It is straightforward, which means the quality sits in the setting out and the fit rather than in solving a structural puzzle. The same principle about matching still applies. Profiles from the 1800s are heavier than most stock lengths, and a room where new and old sit side by side will show the difference if nobody bothered. Doing a whole floor at once keeps it consistent and is usually cheaper than coming back room by room.
More in East Grinstead
Everything we do in East Grinstead is on the East Grinstead area sheet, and the full detail of how we approach this trade is on the carpentry & joinery page.
Common questions
Q.01Can a rotten section of an old timber frame be repaired?
Usually, by cutting out only the failed part and splicing in new timber of the same species and section. Replacing a whole member is rarely necessary and takes out fabric that cannot be replaced.
Q.02Which trades on our job are yours and which are not?
The carpentry is ours, frame repairs included, so the joiner who prices the work is the one who carries it out. Electrics and decorating are not our trades. Where a job needs them, they are hired by us and work to our programme, so responsibility for the finished job stays in one place.
Q.03Will new joinery crack as the building moves?
Not if it is detailed for it. New work is fixed back at limited points and scribed only at the visible edges, so movement is absorbed rather than fought.
Q.04Do we need consent for work inside a listed building here?
Often, because listing normally covers the interior, including original doors, stairs and frames. It is worth establishing before design work is paid for rather than after.
Q.05Do you do ordinary joinery as well as repair work?
Yes. Fitted wardrobes, built-in storage, staircases, internal doors, skirting and architrave across the Victorian and later houses in the town are all normal work for us.
Thinking about carpentry & joinery in East Grinstead?
Tell us what you are planning. We come out, look at the job properly and give you a price for it.