Mansfield, twelve miles north
Mansfield sits well inside the 30 miles around Nottingham that we cover, and its housing tells the story of the town. Rows of terraced houses built for mine workers survive in and around it. The Park, about half a mile north of the centre, is a late Victorian and Edwardian suburb of stone and red brick houses, many in the Arts and Crafts style, ranging from terraces to large detached homes. The town is still growing, with the Lindhurst development planned at 1,700 homes, new houses at High Oakham Park, and housing on most of the former Mansfield Brewery site.
Larger houses in The Park
Big rooms with sash windows and leaded lights can take a partition well, as long as the new wall lands between windows rather than across one. Typical ideas are a dressing room and en-suite taken from a large main bedroom, or a big room split into two children's bedrooms. Between two bedrooms, acoustic insulation in the frame is worth including. The Park became a conservation area in 1992; that status is mostly about the outside of buildings, so an internal stud wall is normally unaffected, though a listed house needs listed building consent.
Miners' terraces
In the older terraces the jobs are smaller and the walls less regular. The frame is scribed to old brick and plaster, and the head plate is fixed into joists. A new bedroom should have its own route from the landing and an opening window, which building control can confirm. In a narrow house, a slim frame keeps as much floor as possible.
Plan what the wall will carry
A plain stud wall holds pictures and light shelving with the right fixings, but heavier things need solid backing inside the frame:
- a radiator, which is heavy once full of water
- wall cupboards or a wall-hung basin
- a large mirror or a television bracket
Timber noggins or a fixing board go in at the right heights before the boards are fixed, so mark up where things will hang before the wall is closed. Your plumber connects any radiator or basin afterwards, and a qualified electrician wires new sockets and switches while the frame is open. Metal studs can take timber or steel backing in the same way, so the choice of frame doesn't limit what you hang.
To talk through a stud wall in Mansfield, call 07877 353120 or describe the job on the enquiry form. We work seven days a week, 7am to 5pm.
