We are Historic Building Surveyors and specialist Heritage and Listed Building Consultancy, with offices in Shropshire, Yorkshire, and London.
We are the countrys foremost Timber Framed building surveyors.
Heritage House Surveys is a partnership of enlightened, experienced and qualified Surveyors. We understand old buildings and can help with every stage of your purchase or restoration project. We are expert in surveying all old properties, from historic timber frames to Victorian terraces. The Team includes RICS and CIOB Members. Our surveys are conducted to the requirements of BS 7913: Guide to Conservation of Historic Buildings.
Pete Ward is the author of best selling book, Warm Dry Home. Now in its fourth reprint due to high demand, the book demystifies damp and timber problems in buildings, and explores causes, diagnosis, and solutions.
We carry out Pre-Purchase building surveys, Timber and Damp Surveys, and on-site Consultations, all over the country.
Heritage House is a long established brand, started by Pete Ward in 2005. He has successfully discredited the British 'damp industry', and is now focussed on teaching physical differences between old and newbuild houses. He encourages understanding of dampness problems - universal acceptance of breathability, and use of traditional materials like lime, and timber. Pete published his book, The Warm Dry Home in 2022 which sold out the first print run of 2500 copies in two weeks. It is now the standard text for anyone learning to survey buildings, together with home owners wishing to gain understanding of their building.
The survey crew have a huge breadth of experience, from working on Royal Palaces, to restoring a little two roomed cottage in the Dales.
We are the leading specialists in survey of timber framed buildings in the country. If you are considering purchasing a timber framed building, please bear in mind that there are probably only half a dozen surveyors in the country who have the knowledge, skills and experience to understand the building. They are complex structures, held together with mortise and tenon joints which rot easily and give rise to structural problems. To survey them, you have to be able to take them apart and rebuild them; To understand their construction; To be able to identify the type of timber used, and the construction of the infill panels. We have assisted with legal claims against conservation accredited rics surveyors who have failed to understand such buildings, and left clients with huge repair bills. You cannot take chances with timber frames!
We have a Conservation Officer in our team. We have extensive practical experience of working with old houses. It's no use being an academic, or highly qualified if you can't re-build an old house and understand the materials it is built with!
Our team live and work all over the country, including Shropshire, Herefordshire, Wales, Lancashire, Oxfordshire, London and the south east, Northumberland, Hertfordshire and Devon / Cornwall.
We survey Listed Buildings, Pre-Purchase Surveys, Building Surveys, Timber Framed buildings, and Independent Timber and Damp Surveys. We undertake expert witness and legal work on issues ranging from dampness and disrepair, to dealing with negligent RICS surveys, and Listed Building problems. What survey do I need?
If your house is Listed we can provide consultancy services to help you understand what you can and cannot do. Living in a Listed building should be a pleasure - you don't need permission for repairs and maintenance. We work with Grade 1 Grade 2 and Grade 2* Listed Buildings.
We can also offer a consultation service, in which we walk around your property with you for a day, disucssing the build, materials, and options for maintenance and repair.
