Houses that have been owned for a long time
Almost 62 per cent of Pagham homes were owned outright at the 2021 census, one of the highest figures anywhere we work, and 38 per cent of residents were 65 or over. That combination produces a particular kind of renovation. A house bought in the 1980s or 1990s, kept clean and decorated, with a kitchen and bathroom replaced once, but with the wiring, heating, roof coverings, windows and drainage largely what they were when it was built. When it is sold, or when its owners decide to stay for another twenty years, all of that wants doing at once.
A renovation like that is not glamorous. It is a rewire with a modern consumer unit, a new heating system, insulation in the loft and the walls where it can go, new windows, a new kitchen and bathroom, a level-access shower if it is wanted, and new floors through. It is also the best value work there is, because doing it in one programme means the walls are opened and made good once.
Bungalows: lean-tos, sun rooms and flat roofs
Many Pagham bungalows have grown over the years by accretion: a flat-roofed lean-to at the back, a sun room off the lounge, a converted garage, a porch. Each was built by somebody different and few were built well. Part of a Pagham renovation is often deciding which of those to keep, which to rebuild and which to take down. A rotten timber sun room on a slab is usually cheaper to replace with a properly built room than to repair. A flat roof that has been patched four times usually wants re-covering with a warm roof build-up rather than another patch.
The beach estate is reconstruction, not redevelopment
On the Pagham Beach Estate, Arun's interim framework of October 2021 governs what can be done. It permits reconstruction, with re-roofing and new windows named, and expects property-level flood protection where it is practicable. It resists new dwellings, extra bedrooms that raise how many can live there, and anything that increases risk in the next five years. Where a building is rebuilt, the finished floor must sit at least 300mm above the predicted flood level. The council states plainly that neither it nor the Environment Agency has a duty to protect the frontage.
A renovation within the existing walls is generally fine. One that changes the footprint or the number of bedrooms needs careful thought and, in each case, a coastal engineer's review. We tell you which side of the line you are on at the first visit.
Floors that cope with water
Pagham has flooded from more than one direction. In June 2012 the county recorded 27 properties affected at Rose Green alone, mostly on Hook Lane and Hewarts Lane. In November 2022 much of the village was under water after heavy rain, and some homes flooded for the first time. Arun says that if the harbour overtopped its defences, 88 properties in the south-west of the village and the Church Farm caravan park could flood, though Environment Agency work has reduced that risk. A renovation is the moment to make a ground floor recover from water rather than be ruined by it: solid floors with tiles or sealed vinyl, lime or cement-based plaster on the lower walls, sockets set higher, a non-return valve on the drain, and the boiler off the floor.
Nyetimber and the listed buildings
Pagham has no conservation area, but it does have a concentration of listed buildings in Nyetimber: the Lion inn, Nyetimber House, the forge, the windmill, Inglenook, Mill Cottage and the barns at Mill Farm, all Grade II. Barton Manor and the church of St Thomas à Becket are older still. Renovating a listed building needs listed building consent for any work that affects its character, inside as well as out, and the materials are lime, timber and clay rather than gypsum, plastic and cement.
No neighbourhood plan, so Arun's rules and the parish's view
Pagham Parish Council withdrew its draft neighbourhood plan in February 2021, so the village relies on Arun's Local Plan and the parish council's planning committee comments on applications. Most renovations need no planning permission at all. The ones that do usually involve a new roof form, a change of use, or work on the beach estate.
Cost and how we run it
A whole-house refurbishment sits at £42,000 to £90,000 and upwards on our price guide, including VAT. A Pagham bungalow renovation is usually in the lower half of that band unless it adds space. You get a written programme, an itemised quotation past two hundred lines, fortnightly valuations, and one person on the phone throughout.
The wider service is building works and renovations; the town page is renovations in Bognor Regis. Space added rather than improved is house extensions in Pagham; a bathroom made step-free is bathrooms in Pagham. The village is on builders in Pagham.
Tell us whether you are on the beach estate, inland or in Nyetimber, and walk James round with your list. Every item comes back priced. Ring 07470 078236. £2m public liability, employers' liability and a two-year guarantee on the workmanship.