9 Period Property and Restoration Specialists

Property maintenance and building conservation will be important to you if you’ve taken on a period property that you’d like to restore or at least maintain its period features. House restoration work needs to be very careful and precise, so it’s really important that you call in a building restoration expert with really good credentials to carry out the work for you. It will be even more important if you live in a conservation area or a listed property where you will be restricted in what you can change.

Restorers and building conservation experts can specialise in certain fields. Whether you need fireplaces, shutters, sash windows, stained glass or brickwork restored or recreated, there’s a period property and restoration specialist who can take on the job. There are also some restoration and property maintenance companies that will offer comprehensive building restoration services, employing plasterers, joiners, stone masons, plumbers and electricians to cover all tasks you need tackling.

Why would I want to hire a period property or house restoration specialist?

Living in a country like the UK we are lucky enough to have examples of wonderful architecture and interior design from previous centuries all around us, but if we didn’t try to preserve it, it would disappear forever. Although it may be easy in a lot of property cases to rip everything out and start again with something new, you’ll lose the small details and idiosyncrasies of the original property. That’s why many homeowners choose to hire building conservation and restoration specialists to not only revitalise but preserve their beautiful period homes.

Besides the aesthetic side of period building restoration, it may be the case that without hiring a professional house restoration builder you would literally have to tear down your home and start again because it may be impossible to carry out regular repair work on a very old building. This is certainly true for listed properties or properties in conservation areas where certain changes are restricted and the appearance needs to be preserved.

When would I need to hire a period property or restoration specialist?

Specialists and consultants can be hired for large scale building restoration projects, property maintenance services such as fire or water damage restoration, consulting on period property building work and for smaller restorative or building conservation work on particular elements of the home.

A property maintenance company will be able to help with all sorts of house restoration, from mould and rot removal to replastering and masonry cleaning, but if you have a period property, check that they are experienced with period and historic buildings first.

For larger structural work, perhaps if you’re completely renovating a dilapidated building, look for building restoration companies that can source original, or very close to original, materials to match the ones used in your home currently. Brick and stone matching, lime repointing, and roof and gable replacements can all be achievable and effective when done by the experts.

If you love the period features inside your home, such as the ceiling mouldings, dado rails, fireplaces and sash windows, but they’ve seen better days, then call in plasterers, joiners, carpenters, builders and conservators that specialise in restoring period items and details and will carry out building conservation work to maintain them. Victorian house restoration services will usually cover typical Victorian features such as these.

What should I ask period property or restoration companies?:

• What experience do you have in period property restoration?
  
• Have you worked on projects similar to mine?
  
• Can I see testimonials from previous clients?
  
• Are you on the Conservation Register?
  
• What types of period property restoration do you offer?
  
• Do you offer only consultation or do you carry out services too?
  
• Will I need to get planning permission for my house restoration?
  
• Are there any specific building regulations you will be adhering to?
  
• What materials will you be using? Are they original and where will you source them?
  
• What will my building restoration or property maintenance services cost?
  
• Do you offer written estimates?
  
• How much disruption will be caused?
  
• How long do you estimate the restoration to take?
  
• Do you carry out building conservation work that will ensure my property stays in good condition for years to come?
  

Find period property and restoration specialists on Houzz. Narrow your search for restoration professionals by entering your nearest city or postcode. Look at portfolio and product photos, and read reviews to find the best building restoration professionals for your home.