There’s a conversation we have regularly with homeowners across Weymouth, Dorchester, and the surrounding villages. It usually starts with: “We need more space.” And it almost always ends somewhere more interesting than a white box extension.

We don’t do new build. We don’t do extensions. What we do — and what we’d argue is the most rewarding category of home improvements for any property owner — is look very hard at what you already have, and find the space that’s hiding in plain sight.

Because in our experience, the problem is rarely square footage. It’s almost always how that square footage is being used.

Every home tells a story, and this project started with a simple phone call. A homeowner in Upwey, Dorset had spotted one of our flyers and reached out, desperate for help on their beautiful Grade II Listed building‍ ‍with three original timber sash windows that had seen better days.

What do you do when you have old tools that need a new lease of life? Put them to work of course! Director Mark's grandad gave him lots of old tools when he first started Upcycle Interiors, and of course there are just some tools which he would have been unable to make good use of. That's where his upcycling skills came into play!

Recycling a material normally means reducing it to its raw material and then making a new item from it. For example, glass bottles are melted down and then used to make new glass bottles. This process uses a lot of energy. The value of the recycled material is “neutral”, after it is used it is thrown away, melted down and another bottle is made, which has the same value/quality of the bottle that was discarded.