M2 were very proud to be contracted for an unprecedented project – commissioned by the Duke of Bedford, 10 new build homes in Timber Lane, Woburn were to be constructed as the first affordable housing in this historic rural area.

These two and three bedroomed homes with garages, a new road and landscaping all had to be constructed to reflect the design of the other, traditional properties in this ancient village, which is also a popular tourist destination – so it was essential that the finished look reflected the look of the overall area.

To do this, we selected roofing materials from our trusted partners, and organised their delivery as early as possible to check that they looked right in situ, and to minimise any delay to the completion of the programme.

The originally-specified reclaimed slate tiles for the roof were not easy to source, and the quantity required was not achievable in the timescale we had, and we were instead able to find an alternative Spanish slate tile that met the same high quality standard, and matched the overall look and feel of the finished roof that we needed to achieve. There was also a saving of approximately £640 per roof, which we passed on to the client.

The M2 head office is based less than three miles from the construction site, which meant we were able to take delivery of most materials and store them securely in our own facilities, quality check them, and deliver them to site when required, which have the double benefit of helping to keep the project timescales on track, and minimising disruption to the local neighbourhood.

Community engagement is a high priority for us, and on this project it was even more important, as a number of the residents were already customers of our construction client. We completed the work with as little disturbance to the area as possible, as well as ensuring a thorough tidy up during the project, and when works were finished.

M2 were delighted to be part of this first rural exception site for affordable houses which was wholly owned and managed by a landed estate. The construction was carried out under the instruction of Woburn RP, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Bedford Estates.