Everything you ever wanted to know about old houses - under one roof...
Do you live in an old house, or maybe just thinking of buying one? Over the years, we've seen and experienced just about everything that can go wrong with one. We work on properties from early medieval stone cottages to Edwardian townhouses. This website is dedicated to helping you understand your home, and get the most from it.
What IS an old house? It's very simple - an 'old house' is a structure built with solid walls (stone, brick, timber frame) using breathable materials. Most problems with old houses result from inappropriate use of modern building materials which prevent your house from 'breathing' - things like cement and gypsum plaster, emulsion paints and waterproofing.
Everything within this site relates to old buildings. The techniques and materials are essential to old houses, but they equally can be applied to new ones. You Cannot apply new house techniques to old houses! The Golden Mantra - BREATHABILITY!
Is damp a problem? Flaking plaster, hollow render on walls, paint bubbling and flaking off walls, mouldy wallpaper, leaky or rotting timber frame, stonework deteriorating, things just getting creaky and rotten? These are typical problems with old houses. We can help with sensible solutions, and show you WHY the problem is happening, and how to prevent it in future.
We're on BBC Restoration Home ....
The guys are all excited... they're watching each other on the telly... Restoration Home - and a little timber frame in Abbey Lane, Southam...
High Technology and Old Houses
We've just taken delivery of our new Thermal Imaging Camera - which apart from costing a lot of Pete's hard earned money, is helping us to map dampness in old houses. We can now show thermal images which demonstrate where cold areas are encouraging condensation. We are also studying thermal performance of insulation, and working out how to ensure that houses don't lose heat through 'cold bridging' - gaps in insulation, damp walls, and small holes in the building fabric.
Another Happy Client!
Peter recently did a building survey on a lovely old farmhouse in Shropshire. Clad in cement render, with injection damp proofing all over the place, it was wet and cold. After showing the owner how it wasn't really that hard to get it all breathing again, imagine Pete's surprise when Stuart's blog appeared on his desktop. Here's an old house restoration, from the owners viewpoint - it is textbook stuff, and shows how easy this stuff can be... Have a look at the October AND November blogs - great progress, and all with a hammer and chisel..
Old Lawns Farmhouse - The Restoration
“Just had the one hour telephone consultation with Pete and it’s probably the best £75 I’ve ever spent. Pete’s advice and information was clear, matter-of-fact and totally impartial . I now feel confident in moving forward with the sympathetic restoration of my Listed 18th century cottage, armed with a treasure trove of ideas and specifications for materials which will banish the damp for good! It’s probably saved me a fortune too, as I won’t now get ripped off by injection dpc salesmen/dodgy builders with no idea about heritage buildings. Many thanks, Louise.”
Have a look at the Testimonials pages for a few more Happy Clients!
We are amongst the leading specialists in the country when it comes to dealing with damp problems in houses. Our Damp Surveys help you understand the reasons for damp, and how to deal with them - simple, logical, easy to understand. We never use chemicals or injection damp proofing - they are fraud.
We Survey your potential purchase. It's tailored to your needs - whether to investigate timber and damp issues, or a full Building Survey. We look at building history, how its built, what with, whats wrong, and what it may cost to get it to tip top condition.
Use the Knowledge Base to learn about the things that will affect your home - its history, and the things in it.
The site will never be perfect, or completely finished - its a work in progress, and YOU .... the owner of an old house, will help to make it better. All sorts of people and organisations have helped make it what it is - and hopefully will continue to do so... Please Enjoy.. and contact us if you dont find what you are looking for.