Hello again. We’re delighted to finally be able to confirm that our move to Brixham is complete.

 

Our new loft is finished, the team has settled in, and all machines are now fully operational.

You can now find us at:
Dart Sails and Covers
Castor Farm Estate
Metherell Avenue
Brixham
TQ5 9QB

We’d like to share with you what we’ve been up to over the last couple of weeks — how we’ve done it, and why.

Entrance

Possibly one of the best decisions from the rip-out was to carefully take up the existing “dance floor” left by the previous occupants. This oak-effect laminate flooring has been piled up in the way for weeks, but was finally put to good use and re-laid in our entrance and offices.

The fresh plaster has been painted white and trimmed with navy skirtings and architraves, colour-matched to our logo.

Loft Floor

The design for the new floor mirrors the previous one. Dwarf walls were built from 4” x 2” timber to support the 8” x 2” floor joists, with MDF used to cap the structure. MDF absorbs our spikes rather than popping, as chipboard or ply tends to do.

We reused almost every piece of timber that came out of Dartmouth — including all the noggins — some additional lengths were required, as the new loft floor has increased in size by just over 35%.

Heating

Unfortunately, we’re not yet connected to gas, but the building did come with an old oil heating system. Local legend “Duffy” happens to be a specialist in these systems and, within a couple of hours, had it serviced, combustion checked, the air shutter ram replaced, and the system fired up and working.

For now, we have radiators in the sail store and entrance/offices. We plan to refit our Powermatic gas heater later in the year ready for next winter, but for now we have more than enough to see us through to spring.

Electrics

The electrics required a complete start from scratch, but with a temporary setup along the way to allow power for lights and tools as the build progressed.

Energy-efficient LED lighting has now been installed throughout, modern breakers fitted in the consumer unit, along with a new fire alarm system, sockets and switches.

Thank you

We’d like to take this opportunity to say a few thank yous.

Firstly, thank you to everyone for your patience and understanding while we’ve gone through this process. It really means a lot that you have trusted and supported us throughout.

Thank you also to everyone who has settled their accounts promptly — it has made a huge difference to our cashflow and has genuinely helped reduce the pressure during a very busy time.

Matthew – Coppertops Tree Surgery – https://www.coppertopstreesurgery.co.uk/

Matt and his team arrived the morning after we purchased the building and immediately attacked the out-of-control site from one end, not stopping until they reached the other. What looked like a jungle was quickly, safely, and completely cleared in just three days — an epic task carried out with a smile.

An absolute dude who just got on with it.

James – Mr Builder Co – https://www.mrbuilderco.com/

James came in on price and on time every time during this project — from the rip-out, to the box build, to the loft floor. He and the team are exceptionally hard-working, with a proper can-do attitude. Nothing was ever a problem, and practical solutions were found to every issue.

Darren Blackaby – DB Roofing Services – https://db-roofingservices.co.uk/

Darren was the only person who didn’t suck his teeth when asbestos was mentioned. He actually assisted in steering us towards a Land Remediation Relief claim, which will eventually help towards the cost of the replacement roof. Funnily enough, the Revenue aren’t quite as keen to give as they are to take — but one day we may get something.

Sam Owen – SO Electrical – 07833453671

How he connected what looked like a snake’s wedding of cables and made it all work I’ll never know.
“You need a tray, mate — it’s so easy with a tray.”

From POE cables to last-man-out switches and AFDD protection, Sam had it covered. On time, on price, and extremely knowledgeable. He completely understood what we wanted from day one and made it happen, without a single issue being left unresolved.

Quite simply, we don’t believe this project would have been possible without these four key people and teams.

Looking ahead

This move marks more than just a change of address for us. This larger builder has increased our overall floor area by just under 50% which has enabled us to build a new loft floor which is 35% larger than our previous one.

The new space gives us the room and layout we need to work more efficiently, invest in better processes, and continue delivering the level of quality and service you expect from us.

We’re incredibly proud of what’s been achieved in a short space of time, and genuinely excited about what this new chapter allows us to do next. Thank you again to everyone who has supported us along the way — we look forward to welcoming you to the new loft very soon.

For now…

That’s it. Well, I guess so — for now at least. We’ll be back to being sail and cover makers.

There are already some future plans quietly in place which may be carried out over the summer. For example, 8” x 2” joists have been installed in the office ceiling ready to take a future upstairs floor. There’s also work to be done to the car park, and at some point we’ll need Wales & West to “dig up the road” for a gas line.

(Sorry — this is one of Sean’s favourite Peppa Pig quotes, which we used to hear all the time.)

For now though, we’re exactly where we need to be. The space works, the team is settled, the machines are running, and we’re back doing what we do best.