South View Gardens Image.jpg — Pictured, from left to right, are Martyn Tweddle, commercial manager at SBC Builders; Steve Colby, head of investment at Karbon Homes; Helen Condron, housing officer at Karbon Homes; Ethan Bentley, quantity surveyor at Karbon Homes; Dan Thompson, major works manager at Karbon Homes; and Alan Smith, site manager at SBC Builder

Housebuilder makes homes ‘fit for future’

A housing provider is investing £855,000 to modernise almost 20 homes in County Durham as part of a wider programme of improvements.

Karbon Homes is refurbishing 19 properties at South View Gardens in Stanley, comprising 14 two-bedroom bungalows and five three-bedroom houses dating from the 1960s.

Improvements include new kitchens, bathrooms, wet rooms and windows, alongside electrical upgrades, additional insulation, landscaping and redecoration.

Work has also been carried out to tackle damp and mould, including external groundworks and internal damp-proofing measures.

Positive Input Ventilation systems and extractor fans have also been installed to improve airflow within the properties.

Steven Colby, head of investment at Karbon Homes, said: “We are thrilled to see this important refurbishment project come to fruition.

“We have spent around £45,000 upgrading each property and we are delighted with the results – the homes look great both inside and out, and feedback from customers has been really positive.

“Ten of the homes are already finished and the final works will be completed by December.”

Karbon owns and manages one in four homes in Stanley and has invested £12 million in improving properties across the town during the past two years.

The work forms part of its Thriving Stanley Action Plan, which was launched in 2024.

Steven added: “This is the latest project in our ongoing investment to ensure our housing stock in Stanley is fit for the future.

“Over the last two years we have installed over 400 new kitchens and nearly 500 new roofs to homes across the town, as well as improving the energy efficiency of some of our properties to reduce customers’ bills and carbon emissions.

“We believe in shaping strong, sustainable places for our communities, and we will continue to invest in Stanley over the coming years.”

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