Contractors will be starting the first phase of a nine-month long project which will see the 120-year old building totally refurbished and wrapped with a two-storey extension.
Although the station’s two boats - a D class and an Atlantic 85 - are both state-of-the-art craft, the listed boathouse itself is no longer fit for purpose.
Apart from showing signs of the wear-and-tear expected after more than a century’s exposure to Bristol Channel weather, the building lacks proper changing rooms, training facilities and administrative space.
But one of the most significant gains from the building project will be an immediate improvement in launch times.
At the moment the volunteer crew can expect to be at sea within seven or eight minutes of being alerted.
But local operations manager Dr John Higgie said because of the station’s current configuration the process was not as rapid as it might be.
"At the moment our D class is kept at the front of the boat hall but its launch vehicle has to be garaged in the tractor house at the rear of the building," he said.
"This means that before we can launch it the tractor has to be brought round to the front of the lifeboat house to be hitched up.
"The great advantage of this project is that the tractor house will be demolished and the boathouse extended back to the road with the D class permanently attached to its launch vehicle and ready to exit the building via a new set of double doors facing towards the harbour.
"That is going to make the entire launch process much smoother and more rapid - we should be able to save several minutes, minutes which in an emergency can make all the difference between life and death."
The refurbishment will also provide male and female changing areas - at the moment female crew members have to get changed in a storage cupboard - as well as a training room capable of accommodating all the crew.
There will also be a galley, improved workshops, a remodelled retail area, a viewing gallery for visitors and a lift providing disabled access to the upper floor.
The RNLI has bought land to the west of the existing building where a new main entrance will be created. During construction it will be business as normal for the crew, who will be operating from two portable buildings on land in front of the station.
Local fundraisers have been set the challenge of raising a quarter of the project’s cost and say the response from the West Somerset community has already been very generous.
The Minehead station responds to between 30 and 40 calls in an average year, providing 24-hour rescue cover along the West Somerset and North Devon coastline from Hinkley Point to Foreland Point.
Anyone wishing to support the building appeal can do so by visiting the Justgiving page at https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/Minehead-RNLI-Lifeboat-Station-Appeal
Or they can make a direct donation to the appeal by contacting the fundraising team at Minehead RNLI which can provide online banking details or a postal address for donations. Call Liz Escott on 07877 952975.
Minehead lifeboat station was opened in 1901 directly as a result of one of the most celebrated launches in RNLI history. In 1899 the Lynmouth crew, prevented by the weather from launching at their own station, hauled their boat 13 miles across Exmoor and launched from Porlock Weir to stand by a stricken schooner.
The Watchet lifeboat was similarly weather-bound and the RNLI realised there was a need to provide an intermediate station to serve the Exmoor coastline. Both Lynmouth and Watchet stations have since closed.