Builders
The builders listed here work on period, listed and traditional buildings, from routine repairs to full restorations and sympathetic extensions. What sets a conservation builder apart is familiarity with older construction: solid walls that need to breathe, lime mortars rather than cement, timber frames, and the habit of repairing rather than replacing. Many are main contractors who bring in specialist trades – lime plasterers, leadworkers, joiners – under one contract. Use this category when a project spans more than one trade or when the building’s age demands materials and methods a general builder may not offer.
What this category covers
- General repair and maintenance of period and listed buildings
- Restoration and refurbishment projects under one contract
- Sympathetic extensions and alterations
- Coordination of specialist trades such as lime plastering and leadwork
- Emergency and structural repairs to older fabric
A Houston Builders Ltd
A Houston Builders Ltd is a building contractor based in Kirkcudbright, carrying ...
A T Mead Traditional Restoration
BUILDING CONTRACTORS: A small independently-run business which specialises in the alteration of ...
A T Mead Traditional Restoration
BUILDING CONTRACTORS: A small independently-run business which specialises in the alteration of ...
AIM Heritage & Development
AIM is a heritage and luxury building contractor based at Emsworth in ...
Andrew Churchman Ltd
BULDING CONTRACTOR: Andrew Churchman Ltd is a long-established company based in Belper, ...
Arcadian Restoration
Arcadian Restoration is a building restoration business based near Telford that describes ...
Aston Building (Conservation) Ltd
Aston Building (Conservation) Ltd is a family-run building company based in South ...
Bakers of Danbury Ltd
Bakers of Danbury is a privately owned building contractor established in 1878 ...
Choosing a builder for an older property
Ask what the firm would use on your walls. The answer distinguishes a conservation builder quickly: solid-walled buildings generally need lime-based mortars, plasters and breathable finishes, and a builder who reaches for cement and modern renders by default can do lasting harm.
Look for recent comparable projects and speak to the owners if you can. A builder used to Victorian terraces may still be learning on a timber-framed farmhouse; construction type matters as much as age.
Agree the approach to surprises before work starts. Old buildings reveal problems as they are opened up, so ask how variations will be priced and authorised, and keep a contingency – ten to twenty per cent is common on restoration work.
On listed buildings, confirm who is responsible for consent. Work that changes fabric or appearance usually needs Listed Building Consent, and the owner, not the builder, is legally responsible for making sure it is in place.
Guidance for builders and contractors
Technical guidance from Tuscan Foundry, written for architects, surveyors and conservation professionals.
- Damp in Historic Buildings: Diagnosis Before TreatmentThe real causes of damp, why rising damp is over-diagnosed, what meters measure, and remediation in the right order.
- Historic Brickwork: Repointing, Repair and CleaningLime versus cement, joint profiles, matching bricks, gauged work and cleaning that does not damage the face.
- The Repair and Restoration of Cast Iron GutteringRepairing and restoring cast iron guttering on period buildings.
- Installing Conservation Rooflights in Traditional Roofs: Detailing, Flashings and WeatheringThe seven-stage sequence for installing a conservation rooflight in a traditional roof.
- Renovating Period PropertiesWhat to expect, and where renovation projects on period property usually go wrong.
- A Stitch in Time: Gutter and Roof Maintenance for Heritage BuildingsMaintenance that prevents the expensive work later.
- Navigating Listed Building Consent: A Complete Guide for Property OwnersWhen consent is needed before work starts.
Questions to ask
What makes a builder suitable for listed building work?
Experience with the construction type in question, routine use of lime mortars and breathable materials, a repair-first approach to historic fabric, and comparable completed projects you can see or ask about. Membership of heritage trade bodies can help but is no substitute for a track record.
Should repairs to an old building use lime instead of cement?
Usually, yes, on buildings built before around 1919 with solid walls. Lime mortars and plasters stay permeable and flexible, letting moisture escape. Hard cement traps moisture in the wall and can accelerate decay of brick, stone and timber.
Who obtains Listed Building Consent, the owner or the builder?
The owner is legally responsible, though an architect, surveyor or agent often prepares the application. Carrying out unauthorised works to a listed building is a criminal offence, so confirm consent is in place before any work that alters fabric or appearance begins.
All 125 businesses listed under Builders
- A D Holden APC West Sussex
- A Houston Builders Ltd Dumfries and Galloway
- A T Mead Traditional Restoration Wiltshire
- A T Mead Traditional Restoration Wiltshire
- A T Palmer Ltd Kent
- AIM Heritage & Development Hampshire
- Andrew Churchman Ltd Derbyshire
- Anthony Hicks Ltd Kent
- Arcadian Restoration Shropshire
- Aston Building (Conservation) Ltd Oxfordshire
- Aylmer & Ludlow Gloucestershire
- Bakers of Danbury Ltd Essex
- Bath Heritage Building Ltd Bath and North East Somerset
- BCM Steeplejacks Ltd Scottish Borders
- Benjamin Henry Ltd Somerset
- Bespoke Construction & Joinery Solutions Monmouthshire
- Brixham Mortar Devon
- BuildTonic Ltd Surrey
- Bullen Conservation Ltd Lancashire
- Busby’s Builders Hampshire
- C R L Restoration Surrey
- CC Construction Group Greater London
- Chalk Contractors Cheshire
- Chris Reading Associates Limited Hampshire
- Christopher Wright Restoration Ltd Worcestershire
- Chronstruct Ltd Somerset
- Church Conservation Ltd Cardiff
- Churchgate Heritage West Sussex
- CJR Heritage Services Herefordshire
- Clarke Roofing Southern Ltd East Sussex
- Cliveden Conservation Workshop Ltd Berkshire
- Collins & Curtis Masonry Ltd Suffolk
- Conservation Building Services Ltd Shropshire
- Country House Renovations Limited Gloucestershire
- CPM Carpentry & Joinery Ltd Cambridgeshire
- Craft Build Ltd Wiltshire
- Dartmoor Masonry Ltd Devon
- Dorset Heritage Ltd Dorset
- Duncan Building Contractors
- Eco Tiffin Limited Hertfordshire
- Eco-Renovation Hertfordshire
- Ellan Gray Contractors Limited Kent
- Ellis & Co Somerset
- Ellis & Co (Restoration and Building) Somerset
- Equilibrium Building Solutions Ltd East Sussex
- ES Restoration Ltd
- Eternity Conservation & Build Berkshire
- Evans and Evans Building and Roofing Shropshire
- Gee & Co Ltd Devon
- Gills Joinery Ltd West Yorkshire
- Gransden Construction Ltd Kent
- Greenacre Design & Build Devon
- H & W Sellors Ltd Derbyshire
- Heritage Brickwork & Construction Hampshire
- Heritage Project Contracts Shropshire
- Heritage Property Preservation Ltd Bedfordshire
- Heritage Property Repairs Ltd Lancashire
- Historic Property Restoration Ltd Tyne and Wear
- Hodgson Sayers Durham
- Imperial Restoration & Construction Ltd Oxfordshire
- Ingeni Group Essex
- Inspire Building Specialists Ltd Oxfordshire
- J P Ladell Suffolk
- J. Titmus and Herts Restoration Co. Hertfordshire
- JH Building Restoration Ltd Cambridgeshire
- Joel Endersby Heritage Restorations Cornwall
- Johnstone Joinery Highland
- Js Quality Homes Hampshire
- K C R Ltd (Kent Conservation & Restoration) Kent
- Keystone Heritage Ltd
- Lancashire Heritage Ltd Lancashire
- LDC Heritage Restoration Derbyshire
- Lilstone Ltd Greater London
- Malvern Carpentry & Construction Worcestershire
- Mathias Brick and Flint Ltd Buckinghamshire
- McCurdy & Co Berkshire
- MD Plastering & Historic Conservation Essex
- Melhuish & Saunders Ltd Somerset
- Messenger BCR Lincolnshire
- Modern Heritage Wiltshire
- Monarch Joinery Frome Ltd Somerset
- Newmans Building Conservation Ltd Bath and North East Somerset
- ODS Group Oxfordshire
- Old Stone & Timber Ltd
- Olde English Buildings Essex
- Oliver & Sons Heritage Restoration West Sussex
- Orange Property Group East Sussex
- Organic By Design Cambridgeshire
- Owlsworth Conservation Berkshire
- Owlsworth IJP Ltd Berkshire
- Pacestar Joinery Greater London
- Parker & Son Construction East Sussex
- Parsons Building & Maintenance Kent
- Probuild Contracts Edinburgh
- R J Rowley Specialist Restorer of Historic Buildings Leicestershire
- Ravenhill Restoration Ltd Essex
- RestorationWork Surrey
- Reynolds Conservation Ltd Shropshire
- Rogate Construction Ltd Hampshire
- Saddleworth Restoration Conservation Greater Manchester
- SGM Construction Services Ltd Warwickshire
- Smith Heritage Hampshire
- South East Conservation Kent
- South Edinburgh Joinery & Building Edinburgh
- Spencers Builders Ltd Gloucestershire
- Splitlath Limited Herefordshire
- Stephen Grindrod Limited Cumbria
- Stone Edge Conservation Greater London
- Synergy (Construction Consulting) Limited Greater London
- Temple Leadworks Hertfordshire
- The Breathable House Company Ltd Oxfordshire
- The Heritage Coast Building Company Ltd Devon
- The Oak Blokes East Sussex
- The Wessex Conservation Company Somerset
- The Yorkshire Lime Company Ltd West Yorkshire
- Thompson’s Group Wiltshire
- Thorne Building Associates Ltd Dorset
- Traditional Heritage
- Traditional Stone West Sussex
- Trail Group Kent
- Universal Stone Ltd Essex
- Valley Builders Ltd West Sussex
- W. J. Cove West Sussex
- Worth Projects Cheshire
- Wye Valley Heritage Ltd Herefordshire
Directory information is provided to help visitors identify potentially relevant specialists and suppliers. Inclusion does not constitute a recommendation, approval or guarantee by Tuscan Foundry Products. Please check current services, credentials, availability and suitability directly with each business.