Out with the old, in with the new

Renovating a family home in England

Lee Briggs has loved working as a tradesman since his very first day on the job. He founded his own business, EDGE Decorating Services Ltd., in Ipswich in the county of Suffolk in April 2013, and has remained passionately dedicated to the painter's and carpenter's trade ever since. We paid a visit to Lee and his employees and accompanied them on one of their everyday jobs.

Visit of the current project

Their current project turns out to be a beautiful old building, with a brick-walled style of construction that's highly typical for the region. Nevertheless, it's immediately apparent from the exterior that this family home has seen better days. Our first impression is only confirmed as we venture inside: The plaster is crumbling from the walls, and the wooden surfaces of the old doors and staircase have become rather unsightly. It would normally leave a person in a state of despair – but for Lee and his colleagues, it's a magical sight that brings a smile to their faces. "This is one of the nicest things about my job – to give an old building a new lease of life. These days, we're usually taking care of mansions, office buildings or even residential buildings like this one here. The individual charm of the buildings leaves me feeling inspired over and over again."

Arrived, unpacked and down to work in an instant

It's not long before Lee and his team get started on their work. Lee firstly devotes his attention to the old wooden staircase, while his colleagues immediately see to the doors. "This hasn't always been the case," Lee explains to us. "Previously, we weren't able to get started with the sanding right away. We first had to cover all the furniture and objects to protect them from the dust that gathers when carrying out sanding work. This took up a lot of time, and even in spite of that, the dust always managed to get everywhere. Particularly all over my colleagues and myself." Today, however, it's a different story: With a short and simple click, Lee attaches the ROTEX RO 125 eccentric sander to the extractor hose of the CTM MIDI mobile dust extractor. Demonstrating an expert blend of care and skill, Lee attends to the decorative elements on the stair railings. Every so often, he runs his hand over the sanded surfaces to check the results of his work. "The expectations of our customers are high. We are proud to offer them an excellent service and work that is carried out swiftly, yet to a high level of quality," he explains to us.

The last sanding

Bit by bit, the old surfaces of the wooden elements in the house are removed. By the time the team have started packing up their tools, it's already growing dark. Lee invites us over to his house for dinner. "Thanks to the dust extraction system, my work is not only cleaner, but also quicker," he remarks while we're heading back. "Because of that, I have a little more free time to spend with my family and can get involved with my children's hobbies. The time that we spend together is the most valuable to me." This becomes clearer once we arrive at Lee's home, where his whole family is already gathered together around the dining table. While we're eating, Lee shows us pictures of one of the next projects he's got lined up – an old manor house. Everyone's in agreement that with the right tools by their side, Lee and his team are bound to have yet another great success with this project.

Find out more about how Lee and his team go about the process of renovating the family home in this video.