Traditional buildings work differently from modern ones. Surveying them well requires understanding how they were built and how they manage moisture.
Breathing buildings
Most buildings constructed before the twentieth century have solid walls of stone, brick or cob, bedded and finished in lime. They manage moisture by absorbing and releasing it; they breathe. Modern materials and standard remedial treatments frequently interfere with that balance, trapping moisture and accelerating decay.
What our surveys cover
We survey the building's construction, condition and defects: structure, roofs, walls, floors, joinery, finishes and services, along with the moisture behaviour that underlies so many problems in traditional buildings. Where appropriate the survey is supported by moisture measurement, micro-drilling, monitoring or laboratory analysis.
Advice you can act on
Reports set out what the building is, what condition it is in, what actually needs attention and in what order, distinguishing urgent defects from the manageable realities of an old building. Recommendations favour compatible materials, retention of historic fabric and proportionate intervention, and can be developed directly into specifications and consent applications where work is needed. Our investigations at Grade I listed Pengersick Castle, a damp and timber investigation of the tower, reflect this approach.
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