An empty building is not a paused building. Without heat, ventilation and attention, its condition changes, usually for the worse, and usually quietly.
What goes wrong in vacant buildings
Unheated, unventilated buildings become cold and humid. Condensation forms on cold surfaces, timber moisture rises towards the levels at which decay begins, gutters block unnoticed, and small leaks run for months. Vandalism and lead theft add to the risk. Much of the serious decay we investigate began during a period of vacancy.
Planned mothballing
Mothballing is the deliberate management of a vacant building: securing it, maintaining rainwater disposal, providing controlled ventilation (and background heating where feasible), protecting vulnerable elements, and inspecting on a planned cycle. Environmental monitoring provides early warning if internal conditions drift towards the danger zone.
Planning the return to use
A well-mothballed building is cheaper to bring back into use, because its condition is known and decay has been prevented rather than discovered. We prepare mothballing strategies proportionate to the building and the intended vacancy, and can carry the same knowledge forward into the repair and adaptation scheme when its new use arrives.
← Back to Building Pathology