This winter, we will be relocating.
We don’t have all the answers at the moment, but we have answered what we can below. As things unfold and progress with the new site, we intend to send out monthly e-mail newsletters; please sign up at the bottom of this page to ensure you are kept up to date with what’s going on. Our previous editions can be found below.
Why…? Our current lease at Nelson Road is coming to an end and sadly will not be renewed.
What…? We have found a new loft which is 48% larger than our current one.
How…? We have secured a mortgage and invested in our own premises; this unit is ours.
Where…? Unit 1, Castor Farm Estate, Metherell Avenue, Brixham, TQ5 9QB
When…? We hope to move this Christmas, we’ll be keeping everyone informed as things progress. There is a lot to do between now and then.
Will you be open whilst this is all going on and during the move? Yes! We will continue to work from the Dartmouth site until the Brixham workshop is ready for us. We have a great team lined up to convert the Brixham site for us. In fact, it’s the same team that built our Dartmouth workshop in 2017. When the Brixham site is ready for us we’ll close for a few days and transfer everything across.
But you have some of my items, where will they be or go? Firstly, it’s not a problem, we’ll be taking everything with us. We have job tracking software which keeps us up to date with open jobs and where items are stored. The new unit also has a huge store; we’ll be loading everything up and taking it across once the unit is ready and stored on racks exactly as they are now.
Brixham?! But you’re Dart Sails and Covers, “Brix Sails and Covers”? Yes, we know. If we could stay in Dartmouth we would, however when we investigated new locations it was decided that the East side of the Dart was beneficial as most of the local marinas are on the East side of the Dart. As we work throughout the south coast Brixham is the perfect location for us, and it’s hopefully closer and easier for most of you.
Metherell Avenue, is that the Sparks Studio? So, you’ve kicked out the kids? Yes and no. Unit 1 Metherell Avenue went up for sale on the 24th of April 2023, Sparks Studio still had one year left on their lease at this point, until July 2024. We placed an offer on the unit in June 2024 with the view of being an owner/occupier. The Surveys went on for longer than expected and it wasn’t until February 2025 that we had a revised offer accepted following the results of the surveys. We haven’t kicked anyone out; we purchased a unit which at the time of first offer had a tenant with a month left on their lease. As of February 2025, when the final offer was agreed, this unit came with vacant possession. We finally completed the purchase on 30th September 2025.
Who…? We remain the same team but hope that the increase in size enables us to look into adding to the team and maybe a couple of apprenticeships. Dom, Sean, Helen, Jamie, Mark and Laura can’t wait to show you our new loft.
What does this mean for me? Very little will change for us. This move is a big investment but as we own the unit, we have no lease, so we’ve set the length of mortgage and the payments. This has enabled us to set the monthly outgoings which are very similar if not less than renting elsewhere.
Can I help? I think we have everything covered but the most important thing for us is going to be cashflow during this process. If you have been thinking about treating yourself to that new sail or cover, we’ve never appreciated every order as much as we do now; every order will make a difference to us. We’d also really appreciate our invoices being settled in reasonable time; we ask that invoices are please settled within two weeks. It’s not uncommon for some of our invoices to be left unpaid for months. If you have your own cash flow to work around, then please talk to us.
How do I get in touch with you? Dominic and Seans mobile numbers remain the same and we all receive emails sent to info@dartsailsandcovers.co.uk.
Dom – 07773 909206
Sean – 07717 500726
We intend to take our landline number, but we assume there will be a period where this is disconnected. Please see our “meet the team” page on our website for our individual contact details.
Finally, an apology.
This hasn’t been an easy process, we have been distracted with valuation surveys, structural surveys, asbestos surveys, drainage surveys, planning permission, builders, roofers, financial advisors, solicitors etc. We know that a few enquiries have slipped through the net and response times have been too long. We really appreciate everyone’s enquiry and custom. To those that have received poor service we do sincerely apologise and to those that persevered and tolerated us, thank you!!!
We are working hard to get on top of things as fast as possible.
The story so far…
Hello again, we can hardly believe that a month has already passed since getting the keys to our Brixham workshop. It’s been a busy few weeks and a lot has changed.
Here’s the story so far, what we have done and why?
Outside/Garden
The site had been neglected for some time; the outside had got to the point of being out of control. A hedge trimmer was needed on day one to cut through the foliage and find the entrance gate. One of the main priorities has been sorting the leaking roof which needs scaffolding and space to erect this. It was decided that it was best and most cost effective to clear the entire site in one go and to fell the rotten sycamore at the main entrance too. It’s a shame to see it all go but it’s all clear now and ready for scaffolding.
Before…
After…
Inside
This unit was once a JW Kingdom Hall that had been set out to suit their needs. It came with four toilets, a kitchen, a changing area, some odd shaped rooms and a hall with a stage. These things aren’t really needed or helpful for making sails and covers, so we have removed everything and gone back to the concrete floor and block walls.
Before…
After…
The plan is to copy the design of the Dartmouth “box” which housed the entrance, a design office, kitchen and toilet. The stud work box in the corner worked well and maximised the space left for our workshop/sail loft.
Dartmouth Loft “Box”
Dartmouth Loft
At the moment things are going well, and a plan has come together. The roofer and builder need around 6 weeks to do their thing which means it should be ready for us mid/late December. The plan is that we carry on working from our Dartmouth loft until Christmas, then pack up the work bench, machines, tools etc. Move over to Brixham between Christmas and New Year and open the doors to our new workshop in Brixham Monday 5th January, easy as that!
For now, that’s all we have, keep an eye out for the next one which you don’t want to miss.
Plan B
No plan survives contact with reality – or the Great British weather, which is much the same thing.
Hello again! We’re edging ever closer to the big move now; the team has been working flat out to keep things on track. Here’s an update on what we’ve achieved over the past four weeks, why we’ve shifted to Plan B, and how everything is shaping up.
INTERIOR STRIP
The team did an outstanding job stripping out the interior in just four days. Yes — four days! We were handed back a completely empty shell, ready for the next phase of prep.
The walls needed all the old dot-and-dab adhesive removed before painting, while the floor had to be cleared of its previous glue. The walls were relatively straightforward — one solid day of scraping, wire-brushing, and sanding had them ready for primer.
The floor, however, was another matter entirely. It needed hand-scraping to remove the tacky residue, followed by repeated rounds of sanding… day after day, evening after evening. Tough work, but absolutely worth it for the finish we’ve ended up with.
During the stripping out of the interior
All stripped out with the finished floor!
THE ROOF
The asbestos roof had simply reached the end of its life. We could have tried patching it, but realistically it was on borrowed time — and removing it later, with a full workshop and machinery underneath, would have been almost impossible.
So, we bit the bullet. The entire asbestos roof has now been removed and replaced with a modern insulated system. The building is fully watertight and incredibly well insulated (280 mm / 11 inches), which should help keep winter heating costs under control.
The old roof
During the installation
The new roof
The roof was one of the major components of the project, and naturally the weather stepped in right on schedule to complicate matters. What was supposed to take eight days took the full eight plus an additional four-day return visit to finish the job. This has knocked the timeline back, leaving the builder with two fewer weeks than planned — hence the move to Plan B.
Plan B
With the schedule tightened, the builder will now only have time to complete the reception, offices, kitchen and toilet areas before Christmas.
The workshop and loft floor will be tackled in January, which means we’re anticipating 2–3 weeks of downtime early in the new year before we’re fully up and running in the new space.
We will remain fully operational in Dartmouth until Friday 19th December. After that, we’ll begin dismantling the workshop, packing up the machines, and moving everything across to Brixham.
Our focus now turns to the final details — phone lines, post, internet, and all the other essentials that make the place function. There’ll be another update over Christmas, hopefully confirming everything is still on track and sharing the final pieces of the puzzle.