Property Preservation for Historic, Heritage and Listed Buildings

In the repair and renovation of listed and heritage property, there is simply no substitute for knowledge, experience and quality workmanship.

At Peter Cox, we understand the delicate balance between preservation and protection. Our expert team provides comprehensive damp and timber surveys to fully understand the issues affecting the building, before carrying out the appropriate preservation treatments. This ensures a full diagnosis of the problem, and a treatment programme tailored specifically to the unique characteristics of your historic or listed building. This means the property will remain structurally sound longterm, while prioritising the historic integrity and characteristics that make our heritage buildings so special.

While historic buildings come with charming characteristics, they can also face preservation challenges. Whether you are an architect, developer, or homeowner, understanding how to maintain these buildings is vital to preserving their historical and structural value. This means you want to work with a company who can provide you with honest advice backed by years of experience and the right qualifications. 

Peter Cox have been protecting heritage buildings for over 70 years offering thorough damp and timber surveys backed by evidence and treatment recommendations you can rely on. A qualified damp surveyor local to you will assess your property inside and out, providing you with a clear, easy-to-understand report outlining any issues found, along with tailored solutions, but only if they are required. When applicable, many of our damp and timber treatments are backed by long term guarantees up to 20 years, giving you peace of mind.

In order to determine the best course of action to take when restoring historic structures, a thorough inspection of the site by our specialist surveyors will need to be carried out. Peter Cox have a number of CSRT and CSTDB qualified surveyors operating out of our network of local branches, meaning a local surveyor close to you.

They will identify any issues relating to damp and timber decay, while identifying any building defects that could be the source of potential damp issues. A thorough survey is essential as property preservation issues can be more complex than meets the eye.

Observations found during the survey visit will be supported with evidence, backed by a range of surveying tools. Where necessary, the report will contain diagrams and images to support these observations. The survey report is in an easy to understand format, so you can take the appropriate steps to protect the property in question.

Peter Cox can provide a wide range of treatments for property restoration, each tailored specifically to the property in question. We can work with conservation bodies to make sure your property is suitably protected while adhering to strict heritage guidelines.

We can provide you with advice and solutions for rising damp, penetrating damp, and condensation, helping you prevent moisture problems on your project.

Woodworm is the common name given to the larvae of various wood-boring beetles that can damage timbers in listed and historic buildings. The larvae bore into timber and over time this can cause structural damage if not addressed properly. This can mean severe damage in properties built with structural timber frames, particularly if they get wet. If an active infestation is found we will normally apply targeted insecticidal treatments that penetrate the timber and stop larvae from emerging.

Wet rot and dry rot are common problems that face regeneration projects, and if left can cause severe structural damage. While both wet rot and dry rot behave differently, they both require a source of moisture for spores to germinate. It is important to remove the source of moisture that is feeding the fungal decay outbreak before carrying out timber repairs.

For severe damage to beam ends or other structural timbers that are embedded in masonry walls, we can provide expert timber repairs including timber resin splices (TRS) for structural timber.

This is a preferable method for timber repairs in listed buildings as the whole length of original timber does not need to be replaced. Once the epoxy resin has set, the timber will retain the original bearing strength, and the replacement timber can be made to match the original aesthetics, making the repair unnoticeable. This is perfect when working on listed or historic properties where specifications requiring the aesthetic features of the original timber are required.

Many historic properties across the United Kingdom suffer with structural issues due to age, deterioration or unavoidable environmental effects. Peter Cox are experts in structural repairs such as wall tie replacements, crack stitching, lintel repairs and structural sock anchor installations.

Up and down the country Peter Cox carry out building repairs on historic, listed and heritage buildings, find out more about some of the recent work we have carried out.

Peter Cox are well equipped to deal with any size job, from small scale damp problems to extensive timber repairs in large historic buildings. Our treatments are specifically designed to stop the problem at source whether your property is a thatched cottage or a castle.

We have CSRT and CSTDB qualified surveyors located across the country, working from our network of local branches. Their survey report will detail any issues found and recommendations for further treatments, but only when required.

Our specialist technicians are equipped with vacuums, floor coverings and dust sheets to protect your home and to keep dust and debris to a minimum inside your property. We also provide our technicians with Hilti dust extraction units which help remove airborne dust from the atmosphere around our work and will reduce the amount of dust settling in your property.

Peter Cox have been protecting historic and listed properties with expert solutions for decades, giving homeowners and commercial clients the peace of mind that comes with working with the market leaders in property preservation. Over 500,000 long term guarantees, of up to 20 years for some of our services, have been issued since the company was founded in 1951.

We are well versed in the necessary liaison with heritage and conservation bodies, their professional advisers and property guardians such as the National Trust.

We are sensitive to the special needs of historic fabric, understand the importance of developing the most appropriate repair specifications and treatment methods, and are continually researching new products. Quality of workmanship is paramount and Peter Cox technicians can handle specifications as varied as horsehair plastering, sourcing reclaimed timber, reconstructing traditional oak framing, strengthening floor beams and stabilising masonry facades.

Peter Cox are a member of the British Structural Waterproofing Association and are CHAS, Constructionline and Alcumus (Safecontractor) approved. Our operations are governed by a third-party accredited ISO 9001 Quality Management System, providing you with the assurance that your project will be completed on time, within budget, and to the highest possible standards.

We are a Which? Trusted Trader member and are rated ‘Excellent’ on Trustpilot with over 2,500 independent reviews from our customers.