Home transformations by Stylo Renovations

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Jamie Wadman

Jamie Wadman

Jamie Wadman is no stranger to Mid Sussex, having lived here his whole life, being schooled at Hurst College and has worked on houses in and around Cuckfield with his company Stylo Renovations.

Although Jamie has run the business for the past six years, he’s been working for himself since 2007. 

After beginning his career twenty years ago labouring on building sites, he soon realised that he wanted to learn a specific trade and went to City College to complete an NVQ in carpentry. It was at this time that he began doing small projects for people when he wasn’t doing contracting work.

It’s not the outside air or being your own boss that gets him out of bed in the morning, it’s the creativity.

“I love standing back from a completed project and saying: ‘We did that’,” Jamie explained. “For many of our customers we are creating their dream home, and it’s a pleasure and a privilege to use my knowledge and skills to help them achieve this.”

We all know the stereotypes about builders but Jamie works hard to make sure they don’t apply to Stylo Renovations. “First and foremost,” he goes on, “we are in people’s homes and my team are always considerate of this fact.” Trust is an important element to the client:builder relationship and Jamie knows it. 

Jamie’s team is made up of a number of trusted colleagues who all understand his customer-focused ethos. One of them is his decorator (and brother) Sam, who has frequently been specifically requested by previous customers who knew not only the quality of his work but what it was like having him in their home.

Cuckfield customer Gareth Nelson explained: “We used Stylo Renovations for an extension of our home in Warden Court. We are extremely happy with the end result they have delivered for us. We knew exactly what was happening and when, which was a huge consideration for us as we were living in the property with a very young family.”

Stylo Renovations can take on a number of types of building project in your home. This includes new build properties, extensions, conversions of lofts and garages (see before/after photos, above) and house renovations. 

If trust is an important factor for choosing your builder, flexibility can be too. Jamie recalls a kitchen renovation recently in which the customer wanted a door blocked up. On doing so, they realised it had created a dark corner and Jamie suggested unblocking it and turning it into a large window! The work required a custom-made window to be manufactured, and the team worked round the waiting hole while fitting and finishing the rest of the kitchen. The new window arrived just in time, allowing them to leave the project completely finished.

Gareth continues: “The quality is amazing and the finish immaculate. The final renovations actually exceeded our hopes and expectations – please ask Jamie and I am sure he would be happy to show you around what they did for us.”

But there’s one more feather in Jamie’s building cap and that is communication. “Above all,” he says, “customers want to know you aren’t going to leave them high and dry and totally in the dark about what’s going on. I always make sure that the client knows what’s happening, before it’s happened!” And that is just one way in which Stylo Renovations challenges the sometimes bad reputations of the building trade.

The company is fully insured and Jamie is especially proud to be accredited by the WSCC Trading Standards ‘Buy With Confidence’ scheme. This offers an ‘insurance-backed’ guarantee for all of its work. 

If you have a project which you’d like to ask Jamie to look at, call 01273 634846 today and he’ll be more than happy to talk to you about it.

To see more project profiles, see the website: www.stylorenovations.co.uk

A summer lunch out at Ockenden Manor, Cuckfield

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By David Tingley

It was a gloriously sunny afternoon in Cuckfield when we arrived at Ockenden Manor. I can’t help feeling that this is the best time to arrive at this 500 year old traditional Sussex manor house – when its bathed in sunshine and the gardens sparkle in green delight.

Looking out from the restaurant

Looking out from the restaurant

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We are shown through to the dining room, which is a bright and airy space with design elements that satisfy both the traditional and contemporary palette. The crisp white linen on the tables, candle wall lights and a dado rail on the burgundy walls juxtapose with the modern large pendant lights hanging from the ceiling and bold, floral wallpaper.

 

Bold, floral wallpaper adorns the Dining Room at Ockenden Manor, Cuckfield

Bold, floral wallpaper adorns the Dining Room at Ockenden Manor, Cuckfield

Its lunchtime on a Tuesday and so we are handed the A La Carte menu along with the Daily Lunch Menu. The full menu (priced at £65) includes Hand Dived Scallops and Carpaccio of Trenchmore Farm Salt Beef – both from local suppliers. Something the chef – Stephen Crane – is passionate about.

Food and drink sourced from close to the hotel

Food and drink sourced from close to the hotel

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Emily and I enjoy a refreshing glass of sparkling water (filtered with love by the chalk beneath the South Downs, of course) while perusing the Lunch Menu in more detail. As we do so, we are brought out a delicious selection of breads. The favourite on the table was the wholemeal walnut loaf – beautifully warm, and crisp on the outside, with butter served on a simple grey slate.    

 

Confit Salmon

Confit Salmon

To start Emily has opted for the Confit Salmon, served with an assiette of beetroot, apple, horseradish and game chips. The salmon was ‘delightfully fresh’ and was lightly smoked – more akin to sushi in texture and taste. I, on the other hand, selected the equally cool Chilled Gazpacho Soup with rouille and croutes – but I must admit I went back for more of that tasty bread to accompany it too!

Newhaven Landed Cod

Newhaven Landed Cod

More local specialities next as my main course was Newhaven Landed Cod (topped with a very flavoursome crispy crumb) served with the most beautifully prepared Jersey Royals and peas, beans and tenderstem broccoli. The homemade fresh pasta had taken Emily’s eye earlier and she enjoyed the Provençale vegetables in a rich tomato sauce with baby spinach and large chips of parmesan. Both perfect meals for a (very) warm summer’s afternoon – when eating is the last thing on your mind.

Lemon Meringue Pie with Raspberry Sauce

Lemon Meringue Pie with Raspberry Sauce

The two course lunch option is priced at £22 but I, for one, am not inclined to deny myself when you’ve got this kind of ‘foody talent’ at your disposal in the kitchen – so I happily selected the sublime Lemon Meringue Pie from the Dessert Menu. It was served with cluster of the most juicy and sweet raspberries I think I’ve ever tasted and a gorgeous raspberry sauce to drizzle over. The extra indulgence comes at a price of £7, whereas Emily decided she couldn’t resist the idea of fresh coffee and Petit Fours (£6) – which she was very happy about. Her biggest problem was the order in which to eat them! From the description of the salted caramel fudge cake – I’d say that was her favourite!

Petit Fours and Coffee

Petit Fours and Coffee

Oh and I should also note the beautiful crockery which came with her coffee; as with everything else at this excellent food venue in the heart of West Sussex – it looked fab and the taste was terrific too.

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You can reserve a table at Ockenden Manor by calling 01444 416111 or see more at: www.hshotels.co.uk/ockenden-manor/restaurant

Or take advantage of this great offer in SEPTEMBER 2018 - click here...

Meet Jill Butler

Jill Butler

Jill Butler

By Joe Wayte

Jill was born in Hurstpierpoint and during the course of her life has lived in various places around East and West Sussex, including Haywards Heath and Crowborough, before settling in Cuckfield with her husband, Mark, in 1991.

As the youngest of five siblings, Jill had a father older than those of her peers, and when he became ill she was required to leave school and go to work. “I told the headmaster,” Jill remembered, “and he told me I would make nothing of myself. Hmmph! The best he was prepared to do was to give me a reference for factory work, but I had other ideas!”

When Jill was at school girls weren’t encouraged, like they are in current times, to aspire to things in the same way as men. She considered nursing but with the pay being so low she wasn’t satisfied. “My dad had bought a touch typewriting course for me when I was 13,” she reminisced. “I still remember the name as it was so funny to me at the time – Willy Scheidegger - but typing proved to be pivotal for my career.” On completion of her first test Jill clocked 40 words per minute. On completion of her second and final test she was up to 70 words per minute and realised this was something to pursue.

This article was taken from the July 2018 issue of the Cuckfield Life magazine