Building Repairs

Grants in this category contribute towards the structural and external repair of historic buildings which are in use. This can sometimes include internal repairs, but only if these are necessary for structural stability, and redecoration only if the public has access to the building by virtue of its use.

The category does not include routine maintenance, redecoration, or internal repairs alone unless the decoration is needed as a direct result of eligible repair.

The level of grant from the common fund should reflect the difference between the cost of repair and the financial value added to the property as a result of repair.

The objective is to put into sound repair the structure and external envelope of buildings that make a positive contribution to the character or appearance of the conservation area. Repairs should be comprehensive in scope, using appropriate techniques or methods of construction and high quality natural or traditional materials, normally on a like-for-like basis. Substitute or artificial materials are ineligible and their use generally unacceptable on grant-aided projects.

Repairs may include:

• Consolidation or reinforcement of the existing structure, using the most conservative approach that is practicable, although limited reconstruction as existing is eligible if unavoidable. The survival of vernacular building techniques such as clay wall, wattle and daub, etc (often found in town buildings behind later finishes) is very important, and repair should be in compatible materials.
  
• Appropriate repairs to timber frames, roof structure, beams, floor joists and other structural timbers, based on a careful and comprehensive survey of the existing structure. In situ reinforced resin repairs to structural timbers are not acceptable unless justified on the grounds of avoiding major disturbance of historic fabric.
  
• Dry rot eradication and timber preservative treatments, preferably based on an analysis and specification by an independent consultant (whose fees are also eligible), and using non-destructive techniques and non-toxic applications wherever possible.
  
• Damp-proofing by traditional methods, but only where damp is causing structural damage to the building. Damp-eradication measures, such as improved drainage, the introduction of French drains, or the lowering of ground levels, are preferable where practicable.
  
• Re-roofing in natural materials traditional to the area, normally to match the historic covering, using new materials and/or re-using sound existing materials where possible. Repairs to the roof structure and high level external elements should be undertaken concurrently. Re-roofing with artificial or alternative materials, such as concrete tiles, asbestos cement slates, reconstructed slates or artificial stone slates is not eligible for grant, nor is the use of roofing felt for flat roofs or lining gutters.
  
• Repairs to chimneys, including lining or rebuilding if structurally essential, provided that the chimney is reinstated accurately to the historic height and profile; also replacement of the historic style of chimney pots/cans. The retention and repair of existing stacks or stalks may be a condition of grant offered to other work.
  
• Repair or renewal of existing leadwork, the provision of weatherings, and the re-forming of gutters to adequate falls, normally in accordance with the details and weights recommended by the Lead Sheet Association in The Lead Sheet Manual.
  
• The repair or replacement of rainwater goods or a rainwater disposal system to a building, to match the historic material and sections. Generally, this will be in cast iron, but occasionally in lead, timber or stone, where appropriate. Aluminium, plastic, PVC or GRP rainwater goods are not eligible.
  
• The repair of external stonework and brickwork, including decorative elements, to an appropriate specification. Plastic in situ resin-based mortar repairs to brickwork and stonework are not normally acceptable or eligible, except for minor areas.
  
• Selective rebuilding of existing stonework and brickwork, if structurally necessary and to an agreed specification. Generally, this will be using salvaged existing materials, and/or new matching materials and should be preceded by a record survey of the existing. Only repointing which is structurally necessary, kept to the absolute minimum required and carried out to an appropriate specification, is eligible. Comprehensive repointing for cosmetic reasons is not eligible.
  
• The repair (or if unavoidable, replacement,) to the historic pattern and detail, and in the historic material, of windows, external doors and other external joinery which contributes to the character of the building and/or the conservation area.
  
• Repairs to external render, stucco or harling and limited areas of renewal (there should be a presumption against total or substantial renewal, unless this is unavoidable), to an approved specification. If such a coating has been removed in recent years to the detriment of the performance and appearance of the building, its reinstatement may be the most appropriate form of repair. Also eligible is the repair of applied details and features, such as cornices, string courses, window architraves, columns, pilasters, rusticated rendering. These should be repaired carefully and accurately to the historic form or profile, and as nearly as possible to the historic composition. Generally, GRP or similar replacement mouldings are not acceptable for grant, nor are proprietary in situ resin-based repair techniques.
  
• The external cleaning of stonework and brickwork is only eligible where there is such a build-up of dirt, paint or built-up resin coatings on the surface that it must be removed in order to assess the extent of necessary repair or where the surface build-up is damaging the fabric of the building by chemical action. Cleaning for cosmetic reasons is therefore never eligible. Any cleaning which is agreed to be eligible must be undertaken to an approved specification and carried out by specialist conservation contractors.
  
• The repair to the historic pattern and detail of distinctive architectural features, for example decorative ironwork such as balconies, canopies and railings; tiling and other historic finishes, and architectural sculpture.
  
• The repair or reinstatement of retaining walls, boundary walls and/or railings, if they contribute to the stability of the building, enhance its setting, or are of particular interest in the conservation area.

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