The Design Brief
The site of the old mill in Randalstown was well known as an area of local beauty and heritage, so when McCavana Timber Frame Homes acquired the site for development they wanted to retain this old character with the ‘Old Mill’ apartment development.
The project architect had initially specified natural stone however the McCavana team had an already established relationship with Creagh Concrete and knew the economical benefits of building with the Bradstone Flint block over natural stone.
The fast-track flint block option recreated the beauty of natural stone and proved to be the perfect complement for quick build schedule of McCavana’s timber frame building system. The consistent dimensions of the block and option of cutting blocks allowed the flint block to be easily constructed by a brick layer without the need to employ a stone mason.
The dark tones and random stone appearance of the flint block beautifully recreated the historical theme of the old mill, blending with other existing old buildings on the site to produce a dramatic old stone finish with modern twist.
Not only has the impressive apartment development created a talking point within the local village but other leading contractors in Northern Ireland have shown interest in the Bradstone flint block and visited the Randalstown site
Product involved
The apartments were built using Bradstone flint blocks complemented with Bradstone dressed end corners and red brick window reveals.
Customer feedback
“We looked at other stone alternatives for the Randalstown development but felt that the Bradstone Flint block was the easiest to build, point and gave the most natural appearance” comments Sean McCavana from McCavana Developments.
The site had previously been an old mill so we tried to maintain this style with the flint block and red brick quoins. We are delighted with the outcome of the Randalstown project and we hope to use the Bradstone flint block on a development in Ballyclare in the near future”
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