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The month has witnessed a renewed recruitment drive with the appointment of additional administrative staff for the Southern and North-Western offices. Interviews and trial days for professionals interested in working for H+R continue and new appointments are anticipated over the next few weeks Survey work has started at the re-development of the Old Post Office and Telephone Exchange in the centre of Kingston-upon-Thames and H+R have been appointed to work for a materials testing house on a large listed hotel…

The Brexit vote result has encouragingly resulted in a significant upswing in new enquiries from corporate and commercial clients who had been delaying decision making over the last month. The market view appears to be settling on the fact that ‘bricks and mortar’ are a relatively secure investment that the UK needs more housing whatever happens and that the devaluation of sterling will heighten the interest of overseas clients. In addition, there is the continuing imperative to care for our…

The month began and ended with significant private commissions in Worcestershire and Staffordshire illustrating H+R’s geographical reach into the Midlands. The agents for both properties required risk management and QS information so as to give greater cost certainty on refurbishment and purchase Projects in the month ranged in size from a 1900s timber framed hut for a small Christian community in Twickenham up to Dover Town Hall. The client team on the latter project also required H+R to provide a…

April showers, sun and snow have made site conditions both pleasant and challenging on various H+R projects during the month High winds made cherrypicker deployment questionable in relation to the timber condition investigations at the most important and spectacular Thai Buddhist temple in the UK located in Wimbledon. The highly decorated and gilded finishes to the vertiginous timber gables demanded a great deal of discretion when deploying micro-bore drills More project work in Scotland included damp and decay risk management…

The month ended with a bang as one of the veteran Beech trees at Netley succumbed to Storm Katie. H+R’s in-house team soon had the air singing with the sound of chainsaws as the entrance drive was cleared. The tree in question would have been a young sapling when Netley itself was gutted by fire in the 1850s Significant investment in the month included a handheld 3D scanner, a new specialist vehicle for Rothound transport, an upgrading of the website…

A shorter month has not meant any let up in activity with principal survey work focused on our Grade I listed projects at Brocket Hall, where H+R are reporting to two project management firms, and also completion of investigations, at the Temperate House in Kew, at Glasgow School of Art and Apothecaries Hall in the City of London. Our usual heavy involvement in Belgravia continued with new projects at Nos. 2 and 33 Belgrave Square and at South Molton Street…

During the month, project work has necessitated H+R survey teams staying away from their offices for protracted periods. This included Cardiff where the Royal Infirmary refurbishment required another extensive range of surveys including deployment of H+R’s 3D laser scanner. In addition, a team spent several days on the Isle of Man developing a programme of environmental monitoring and condition assessments of the historic boat ‘Peggy’ and also for Castle Rushen High profile work in the month included appointment to investigate…

H+R’s head office at Netley House was bedecked with greenery from the surrounding grounds and a 25 foot Christmas tree brightened up the main hall. At this time of year and into January, the fires are also lit providing a welcome back to the office for survey teams returning from wet and windblown sites. The north-west team now have a new office at The Manor House near Mottram in Longdendale, Hyde which will allow space for expansion A local project…

Specialist investigation and remedial specification relating to window frames has been the theme of the month with a total of nearly 400 windows individually assessed on three projects to inform the pre-tender process and to conform to the requirements of Conservation Officers. On one highly confidential project, H+R provided measured drawings of the different frames using 3D laser scanners Within the month, and amongst many other projects of interest, work started and was completed on a series of investigations at…

October has brought glorious sunsets and morning mists to the H+R head office at Netley House. Soon enough fires will be lit in the grates The Scottish theme of August and September has been continued with Southern office staff having to assist the North-West office to undertake extensive surveys at the David Livingstone Museum in Glasgow and at Riddles Court in Edinburgh. The latter is a very rare survival of 16th Century Edinburgh and was frequented by H+R staff when…

The Hebridian Isles have generated enquires in September with specialist investigative work commissioned to the principal historic houses on Canna and Mull. The logistics of transporting surveyors, Rothounds and equipment to the outer reaches of the British Isles can be challenging and in past years extensive visits have been undertaken to Skye, Lewis and Raasay H+R have undertaken a further appraisal for the new owners of Tottenham House in the Savernake Forest last visited in 2005 and 2013. A ‘sleeping…

A nautical theme returned during the month with client discussions focussing on HMS Victory and the renovation of timbers to a 1789 sailing ship on the Isle of Man. This lay for a large part of its life undiscovered within a walled up boat cellar. Masonry naval fortifications such as Fort Bovisand in Plymouth have longstanding issues relating to damp penetration and moisture retention that have to be managed and resolved prior to refurbishment and conversion. With this in mind,…