Lodge Lane

Location:

Finchley, London

Type:

Conversion and Renovation

It is always rewarding to work with the same client time and again, but sometimes we have the privilege of working on the same property, many years later. It’s like revisiting an old friend – it’s familiar, comfortable, and you feel a compelling desire to respect your history by doing the best you can for it.

In 2011, our founding director Moss Georgiou was asked to transform an old bakery on Lodge Lane, Finchley into a clothing factory with office space on the first floor. At the same time, MMG was instructed to convert the client’s former factory building into 53 self-contained apartments for student accommodation. Fast forward eleven years to 2022, and we must have left a good impression because we were invited back again, this time to reimagine the space for residential purposes and convert it into six self-contained apartments.

The client had finally retired and closed their factory, but they had an emotional connection to the building so they wanted us to go the extra mile to create the best residential apartments possible for the budget they had, so those renting them could enjoy the building as much as our client had. Therefore, this project was not just a conversion, it was the restoration of a building which had an important place in our client’s heart, and, it turned out, also in that of the local community.

It was a relatively quick project, as it took us just eight months to restore the outside of the building in keeping with its original minimalist design as it had fallen into some disrepair, and to strip out and convert the interior, bringing it up to regulation standards, all the while respecting the aesthetic expectations of the property’s neighbours who took great interest in the work we were carrying out.

PROJECT CHALLENGES

The challenges posed by the Lodge Lane project were relatively small, but the expectations from all sides – our client, the neighbourhood and our own expectations of ourselves given our history with the building – placed an extra weight of responsibility for quality of workmanship on our shoulders.

Levelling Up: Extensive structural work was required for the building’s conversion to a residential block. A roller shutter which opened up one end of the commercial building needed to be removed and the wall sympathetically replaced. Internal solid brick walls were knocked through to fit with the new floor plans and two chimneys had to be removed to provide even more space for the apartments we were going to be creating.
Energy Efficiency Compliance: As MMG are conversion specialists we know that more often than not insulation in older commercial buildings needs to be replaced to meet residential standards. In this case, insulation was added between the floor spaces and the wall insulation needed to be upgraded to meet modern energy standards. With limited architectural guidance, we led the design and consultation process, working alongside energy consultants and building control to develop and implement a plan that would ensure compliance.
Design Direction: The project began with minimal plans, leaving us with practically a blank slate on which to navigate much of the conversion. In particular, there were no specifications for the interior of each apartment, so, as always we turned this challenge into an opportunity to showcase our creativity, designing and allocating the space to ensure that we developed apartments that were both super-functional and aesthetically pleasing.
Being Neighbourly: The property was a small rectangular building, set back from a road full of terraced cottages – properties that looked very different from the one we were working on. However, its neighbours were invested in maintaining its unique look and style and showed a keen interest in what we were doing. So we consulted with them when possible to assure local residents that, at least externally, this would be a renovation that restored the building to something akin to its original aesthetic.

WHAT WAS INVOLVED

Conversion | Project Management | Structural Work | Design | Procurement

Returning to Lodge Lane, we faced a structure that required extensive work to transform it into the quality of residential homes our client had envisioned. The project required a complete overhaul, from the internal structure to the external aesthetics, while preserving the building’s façade.

With around ten operatives on site, including a site manager, plumbers, electricians, carpenters, labourers and decorators, we embarked on a detailed renovation of the building. This included the installation of structural steelwork, upgrading insulation throughout the building, and fitting new windows and doors to both replace the dilapidated old ones and give the properties a contemporary style.

Internally, we took the reins on design, sourcing, and installation, presenting options to the client for every aspect of the interior, from kitchens to bathrooms, worktops to flooring and colour schemes, all to ensure that the final properties were not just built to last but also designed to impress.

The project involved:

The conversion of a factory and offices into six residential apartments	Complete internal strip out	Installation of structural steelwork to support alterations
Floor, roof and wall insulation upgraded to meet energy efficiency standards	New external windows and doors	Two chimneys removed to make way for additional living space
Uneven floors and walls repaired and levelled correctly	Full rewire and new plumbing in all apartments	Repair and re-render the building’s façade
All interior design	New kitchens, bathrooms, flooring and so on sourced for project

THE RESULTS

The transformation of Lodge Lane was a story of two halves, an exterior that revived its clean traditional lines and an interior that was unlike anything that had been there before, six high-quality apartments within this much-loved building.

Completed in just eight months, we’re proud of our designs and workmanship, and that we were able to breathe new life into a property that we knew so well.

Feedback from both the client and the building’s new residents – six families – has been overwhelmingly positive, new homes seamlessly integrated into the fabric of the neighbourhood, all, of course, within the schedule and budget, the client has set us, perfectly designed for the North London rental market.

WE WOULD LOVE TO TALK

To book an appointment to discuss your project needs call us on 020 8361 1238 or use the form on our contact page to email us.

Lodge Lane

PROJECT CHALLENGES

WHAT WAS INVOLVED

THE RESULTS

WE WOULD LOVE TO TALK

ACCREDITATIONS

INFORMATION