THE OLD COASTGUARD TOWER
A complex renovation of an old coastguard tower, turning it into a luxury seafront holiday let.
the brief
The tower has so much history. During the Second World War a gun was mounted on the top floor as part of measures taken to prevent an invasion of Britain by German troops which was feared, but never materialised.
The building enjoys stunning 360° views of the sea and the south downs. Prior to renovations, the building was derelict and had been left to ruin for over a decade.
This was a personal project for Grey Tree Construction, so there wasn’t a client brief as such. However, we knew that we wanted the end result to be a high-end holiday let that made the best use of the space available and the incredible unrestricted views out to sea.
This build was both incredibly complicated and detailed. The location of the property makes it extremely exposed and the shape of the building added further challenges.
As a solid-shell commercial property, there were obvious restrictions of space, but this was overcome with some unique engineering of steel frame elements to fit an additional floor level in. Furthermore, we added cantilevered balconies to give some outdoor space overlooking the beach.
The build was finished to an extremely high specification, including unique smart control lighting, heating and security.
the build
the result
This was a really exciting personal project for us to work on and we are thrilled with the end result. It’s now officially known as ‘The Little Lookout’ and is available to rent as a holiday let via Airbnb. It has also featured in magazines and on TV.
Amazing property which has been renovated to a very high standard. Love that everything is designed around the views. I can’t tell you how many times we both muttered this is so cool!
- Heather, AirBnB guest July 2023
