People

Managing Director

James studied Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of Cambridge and Estate Management at Oxford Brookes University. He began working at Hutton and Rostron in 1986, specialising in electronic publishing, primarily for the construction industry.

Prior to joining H+REI full time he undertook project specific historic research and assisted on specialist surveys of buildings ranging from Hampton Court Palace to Brighton Pavilion.

 ei@handr.co.uk

James became a director of H+REI in 1999. He continues to work as a building surveyor and historic building consultant with an emphasis in the built environment of the Georgian period and ecclesiastical buildings. He liaises with Conservation Officers and Planning Departments all over the country but with a particular focus on London.

His experience is valuable to developers and property agents trying to achieve the best value on their projects especially in the discharge of conditions issued by insurers such as Premier and NHBC.

Associate Director (Northern)

Peter is a Fellow of the Institution of Specialist Surveyors and Engineers (ISSE), formerly the Institution of Remedial Treatment Surveyors. He was a director of the Institution for over five years and initiated the Institution inaugural international conference on Dry Rot in 1995.

He is a member of the Property Care Association’s (PCA) board of Independent Consultants. He successfully introduced the UK’s first full-scale, scientifically controlled treatment of dry rot using heat as the lethal agent rather than chemicals and now specializes in the strategic management of moisture and decay problems in buildings.

Peter joined H+REI in 1998 as an independent consultant in building pathology and remedial treatments. His consultancy work involves building inspections for decay and dampness, expert witness reports and specification and supervision of works on historic and modern buildings throughout the UK.

Historic Building Defects Surveyor & Materials Scientists

After joining H+R in 2012, Tim regularly attends building conservation master classes at West Dean College of Arts and Conservation and continues to pursue his interest in stonemasonry, brickwork, render and mortars.

Tim is proficient in conducting investigations from high level access platforms including ladder training, tower scaffolding training and even baskets suspended from cranes. Tim is the certified remote pilot for the H+R drone which involves ongoing liaison and approvals from the Civil Aviation Authority.

Tim attained Membership of the Chartered Institution of Building in 2019 and Membership of the Society of Facade Engineering (CIBSE) in 2022.  He continues to work towards an MBA qualification with part time studies

Specialist Surveyor and Materials Scientist

BSc (Hons)

Joe spent several years at Leeds and Canterbury Christchurch University studying classical music composition at degree level before deciding to enter the construction industry. The renovation of a number of houses led to the completion of an apprenticeship in Carpentry & Joinery with an award-winning Timber Systems construction company in Glasgow, followed by self-employment as a Joiner/Cabinet-maker. He then spent several years as a Carpenter/Joiner with the National Trust based at West Wycombe Park in Buckinghamshire carrying out sympathetic timber repairs to historic buildings, as well as manufacturing and installing joinery products.
Joe later obtained a BSc in Building Surveying from the University College of Estate Management in Reading.

Joe joined H+R in 2018 as a specialist surveyor. He investigates damp and decay issues affecting both timber and masonry structures providing remedial advice to architects and structural engineers. Having spent many years in the construction industry, several of those involved in the heritage sector, Joe has gained valuable knowledge of the built environment, as well as practical experience in the sympathetic repair of historic buildings.

Historic Building Surveyor

BSc (Hons), PG Cert

Katie obtained a degree in Architectural and Urban Conservation at Northumbria University, Newcastle followed by a post-graduate certificate in the Archaeology of Standing Buildings at Leicester University. She is an Affiliate Member of the IHBC and currently applying for full membership. She is also a longstanding member of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings and the Victorian Society as well as a supporter of SAVE Britain’s Heritage and an active contributor to War Memorials online, photographing Britain’s war memorials and assessing their condition.

Her background is in local authority and she spent 18 years working as a conservation officer. Through this previous role she has an extensive knowledge of heritage protection and planning systems. Her previous work involved advising building owners on matters concerning the care and repair of historic buildings and their proposals for alteration and refurbishment. She also assessed proposals submitted under planning applications which affected heritage assets and listed building consent, prepared conservation area appraisal and management plans, managed case work for buildings at risk and budgets for grants.

Katie joined H+R in 2020 as a heritage surveyor and architectural researcher. Her interests lie in historic building research and recording, undertaking condition surveys including defect diagnosis and championing solutions for historic buildings “at risk”. She enjoys partaking in continued professional development and training to enhance her knowledge in all aspects of heritage conservation and management.

Specialist Surveyor

BSc (Hons) Historic Building Conservation

After learning that the reality of being a Vet was far detached from childhood expectations, Will explored other potential career avenues. Several years experience in the construction industry working on site in various operational capacities and weekend work on his own account led to a realisation that his interests lay in Built Heritage. Subsequently he studied Historic Building Conservation: obtaining a foundation degree at the Building Crafts college, followed by a degree in historic building construction at Kingston School of Art.

During this time he undertook work placements with specialist contractors, which included developing joinery skills at the Tower of London and lead sheet repair at St John the Baptist, Old Sodbury.

Will joined H+R in 2020 and possesses an interest in sustainability and adaptive design in the context of historic buildings; with a belief that these practices can help to solve the global issues we face today.  He is currently advancing his IHBC membership, whilst developing his skills and understanding of building pathology and risk management.

H+R Rothound Dogs

Rothounds are typically part of an H+R specialist surveying team and operate throughout the UK.  They support H+R surveyors by sniffing out active dry rot (Serpula lacrymans). Dogs of 2-3 years old are best for training as they have lost their puppy behaviour and are still at a stage where they can bond with their handler.

Sprocker Pip was re-homed from a farm in North Yorkshire, and has graduated as a Rothound having passed her initial training.  Pip now currently enjoys her on-going training with her Rothound handler as part of her personal development.  All our Rothound handlers are Dog First Aid trained to ensure the well-being of Rothound dogs.

When looking for potential search dogs we look for dogs with a good scenting ability, a tendency to be single minded and the willingness to work. These are not always the type of dog you would select as a pet but are more natural hunting or working dogs.

Rothounds need to safely operate in the mixed environments found in industrial and historic buildings. They also need to be able to operate in areas where there may be distractions such as people, machines and other operations taking place. The handlers need to be able to carry out a risk assessment for themselves and the dogs, to read the dog’s reactions to a live scent and to interpret how the dog is reacting. Once the location of the scent source is located or narrowed down by the dogs, the handler is able to carry out a professional assessment of the findings using traditional surveying methods

As the dogs become used to their handlers and working in buildings it is interesting to see the dogs actually narrowing down the factors that they attribute to dry rot. They learn to hone in on damp areas (which they associate with their target scent and a reward) and in many cases this can be useful to the handler in identifying other problems

It only takes about two or three weeks to train a dog to locate a specific scent. However, it takes about 6 months to train an H+R Rothound. This dog training does not involve any food rewards as this can cause the dogs to false indicate. Instead training focusses on the searching being part of a big game for the dog and their reward is to play with their training toy and to be praised by their handler.