Builders in Four Oaks

Much of Four Oaks is a conservation area, laid out on the grounds of the former Four Oaks Hall. The result is large late-Victorian and Edwardian houses on wide plots, several roads still privately maintained, and a strong expectation from Birmingham City Council that alterations respect the original character.

In practice that means brick and tile matching matters more here than almost anywhere else we work, rooflines are scrutinised, and replacement windows are rarely a like-for-like swap. Rear extensions are usually the path of least resistance because they sit away from the street scene.

Period detail is worth protecting rather than replacing. Original sashes, decorative brickwork and tiled paths are the things that make these houses valuable, and they are almost always cheaper to restore than to reinstate later.