Pete lives in his lovely Shropshire Farmhouse - that's his scruffy farmhouse at the top of the page with the Heritage House tree. Its a big old yew tree - probably about 400 years old. Shropshire is a beautiful county - but boy is it big - head to the north of the county and Pete calls it South Cheshire! There is a huge diversity of property in Shropshire - from ancient timber frames to lovely stone cottages hugging the Clee Hills, huge Georgian manors, and little Victorian terraces overlooking the Ironbridge Gorge. We love them all, and really enjoy the diversity of this county. If you are looking for Building Surveyors Shropshire, or Shropshire surveyor, you've come to the right place.
It's important to understsand the diversity of materials in Shropshire too - if you look at the photo at the top of the page, you'll see what we mean - the brickwork to the gable is much older - 17th Century brick, whereas the brick on the side is late Georgian or early Victorian. The roof is more recent - Pete stripped and re-roofed it himself. It shows just how these houses are renovated and changed over the years. Below the brick is a Medieval stone plinth - and in the attic rooms where the skylights are, is magnificent 17th Century timbering. It is understanding the building, working out the progression of work, how it evolved over the years - that is the key to a good historic building survey. Once you know its history, you can predict what might go wrong, and why - what that crack might be, how it was caused, and what materials are present.
The sheer diversity of Shropshire and Herefordshire property is staggering - but there are common themes - earlier timber frames, and slightly later stone farmhouses and townhouses - all built with lime and breathable. The most common problem we find is high ground levels, and with the timber frames, inappropriate paint, tar, silicone sealants - all of which rot the frames. Broken drains are another big issue. ALWAYS check your drains and get them surveyed! Believe me - it pays to do it.
We do a lot of historic building surveys in Shropshire - many of them are Listed Building surveys. We cover Shropshire, Herefordshire and Wales from our base here near Bridgnorth. Shrewsbury is a favourite place for lovely old houses, as is Ludlow where you can feast your eyes on stunning timber frames whichever way you turn.
If you need a Listed Building Survey in Shropshire, Herefordshire, Powys, or anywhere in Wales for that matter, call us, and we'll be happy to help with the building survey, and any specification, listed building consent and project management you may need afterwards.