Projects

400+ New Homes at Drummond Park, Ludgershall, Andover

Case Study: Commercial Carpentry for 412 New Homes at Drummond Park, Ludgershall, Andover

In Spring 2022, the SC4 Carpentry team began an ambitious commercial carpentry project for 412 new homes as part of Lovell Partnership Ltd’s Drummond Park development at Ludgershall, near Andover, Hampshire.

About the customer and project

Lovell are an established residential construction specialist with 50+ years’ experience building quality new homes across the country, as well as an impressive portfolio of land development, regeneration, and refurbishment projects. Lovell have a special place in our hearts here at SC4, being the first client we ever worked with back in 2000! We were delighted to renew the relationship at their Newbury site, The Oaks, as part of our 21^st birthday celebrations in 2021, and were subsequently invited to tender for the ongoing Drummond Park project.

The tendering process included a Zoom call, during which the commercial and tendering team was able to demonstrate our knowledge and experience, giving the customer the confidence to trust us with not only the carpentry works for our largest project to date(!), but also the supply and management of the materials on site.

How we helped

Our role at Drummond Park includes supplying, storing, and managing the carpentry materials on site for all 412 new build homes, including fascia, wall plates, first fix carpentry materials and window boards, doors, door linings, ironmongery, and all second fix carpentry materials. As well as installing these materials, our team are installing the joists, roof trusses, stairs, and external and garage doors, and providing a contract crane lift service for the installation of the roof trusses.

The project is being overseen by SC4’s Associate Director, Simon Mead, with materials support from the head office-based finance team led by Director Katy Hall. Installation is handled by a team of 35 carpenters, alongside our crane appointed person, crane supervisors, and slinger signallers. All ordering and deliveries are managed in house by SC4 to ensure that materials are on site ready for fitting according to the customer’s programme.

The challenge

This was the first project where SC4 had provided materials on site, so there was an initial learning curve that the team met with aplomb due to their extensive technical knowledge, skills and experience accrued from other projects.

The early stages progressed slower than the client had anticipated due to the downturn in the housing market following the pandemic.

However, the project has been progressing rapidly for the last 2 years and we are very proud of how our SC4 team has risen to the occasion, working to a high standard, accurately, and safely, and delivering their milestones on time.

Outcomes

After overcoming the initial hurdles, the project progressed well, with the beautiful on-site show homes completed by July 2022. 50 new homes were finished within the first year, including joists, roofs, garages, and porches, first and second fix and finals – and 60 more plots were in progress. By May 2023, the project was taking solid shape, establishing the framework our team have used to deliver subsequent stages of the development to a high standard, with 245 homes completed by October 2025, and around 55 more in progress.

SC4 carpenter Josh Whitfield and apprentice carpenter Jason Randall both received Lovell’s Site Operative of the Month Award in July 2024 for ‘going above and beyond’. Director Katy Hall was also shortlisted for the Contribution to a Project category at the IWCE (Inspiring Women in Construction & Engineering) Awards 2024 for her role in the materials supply aspect of the project. Good work!

The project has also expanded into a significant training and development opportunity for both SC4 and Lovell, with several SC4 apprentices cutting their teeth on the project. In January 2025, the Drummond Park site also played host to 30 T-Level carpentry students from Newbury College, Berkshire, and Wiltshire College & University Centre as part of their work experience programme.

Customer feedback

Lovell Partnerships Ltd have been pleased with our contribution to the project and gave the following feedback:

“SC4 are a great contractor, always willing to help. Reliable performance and consistent quality service from a friendly and approachable team.

Katy is tenacious but friendly in providing first class support with consistency and integrity, accurate and timely record keeping, and proficiency in all aspects of the business. Her role has involved overseeing and implementing all material operations and control for a multi-million-pound subcontract order to provide service to the build team on site.”

We would like to extend our appreciation to the Lovell team on this very well-run site. The strong partnership and good communication channels we have established over the past few years make it possible for our team to provide the high-quality service we strive for. Thank you.

Find out more

If you would like to find out more about this project or how we can support your property development, please contact one of the specialists at SC4 today by clicking here, or by calling 0330 912 1159.