Dos and Dont's - General

Do

• Carry out regular inspection and maintenance.
• Seek advice from suitably qualified professionals.
• Repair rather than restore or replace.
• Respect the building's character and history and ensure new work is sympathetic.
• Avoid unnecessary work.
• Study the history of the building and how it has changed.
• Analyse the cause of the defects.
• Use only traditional materials and proven techniques.
• Reuse materials salvaged from your own building.
• Remedy previous bad repair
• Remove disfiguring alterations of additions.
• Adopt correct priorities for repairs.
• Use only reliable contractors or craftspeople.
• Obtain necessary planning and legal consents.

Don't

• allow serious defects to remain.
• expect independent advice from a salesman.
• repair in unsympathetic materials.
• attempt to 'improve' by altering the original appearance.
• clad walls with artificial stone or other modern materials.
• use unsuitable 'off the peg' architectural elements.
• rely on commercially based claims for any product or technique.
• use so-called 'maintenance-free' products.
• waste re-usable material
• bodge repairs.
• remove or demolish original elements.
• replace windows or doors in non-original patterns or materials.
• employ anyone without references or inspecting their work.
• do any work without the required consents.