Building Maintenance in Purley (CR8)
A large period house needs looking after rather than rescuing. Most of what goes wrong on the Purley stock starts small and outside — a gutter that has stopped running, a length of timber that has lost its paint — and gets expensive only because nobody dealt with it for a few winters.
Water is what does the damage
Almost everything that becomes a serious repair on a house of this age begins with water going somewhere it should not.
A blocked or split gutter puts it down a wall instead of into a drain; a gully that has silted up discharges against the brickwork; a failed flashing lets it in at a junction and it appears in a room three metres away. None of it is dramatic on the day and all of it is cheap to sort at that point. Getting the rainwater goods running properly is the single most useful thing to do on a big older house, and it is worth checking after autumn rather than after a leak.
Brickwork, timber and the bits people stop looking at
On the older stock the recurring items are pointing that has weathered back, external timber that has lost its protection, and the details high up that nobody sees from the ground until they fail. Where a property sits in a conservation area, repairs still have to suit the original — a hard modern mortar against soft old brick does more harm than the weather did. Several small items booked as one visit works far better than a separate call-out for each, and we would rather tell you what can wait than find work that is not there.
Who turns up
The building work — brickwork, pointing, carpentry, making good — is our own team. Where a job reaches into roofing, electrics or gas, those specialists are brought in and managed by us, and one firm stays answerable either way.
More in Purley
Everything we do in Purley is on the Purley area sheet, and the full detail of how we approach this trade is on the building maintenance page.
Common questions
Q.01Do you take on small jobs?
Yes, and several booked as one visit works better than a call-out for each. We will also tell you plainly what can wait rather than finding work that is not there.
Q.02There is damp on an internal wall. Where does that start?
Very often outside, and usually with rainwater — a gutter not running, a silted gully, or a failed flashing. We look for where the water is getting in rather than treating where it shows.
Q.03Does the conservation area affect repairs?
Like-for-like repair is generally straightforward; anything that changes appearance may not be. We check before pricing rather than after, and we match mortar to the original rather than using a harder modern mix.
Q.04How quickly can you get to Purley?
Godstone is a short run, which is the point of keeping home work within about ten miles. Ring 01883 337 700 and we will come and look.
Thinking about building maintenance in Purley?
Tell us what you are planning. We come out, look at the job properly and give you a price for it.