News from Durie Heritage

Simply for financial gain.  Smaller companies do it because it's easy money and larger companies - national companies - do it because that is their business model, their sole aim is to sell their own products and not to correctly identify and rectify defects.

It is certainly unethical and mostly fraudulent but they are very clever in stating their specialist credentials and their links to the PCA - Property Care Association - however if you have a minute, search the letters after their names - CSRT for instance - Certified Surveyor of Remedial Treatments (damp proofer) is obtained after a 3-day course, a course provided by the PCA...

Following action by us and colleagues like Pete Ward of Heritage House, they have adapted and their courses are no longer 3-days long - Certificated Surveyor of Timber & Dampness in Buildings (CSTDB) or Certificated Surveyor of Dampness in Buildings (CSDB) are now offered (the second one obviously without any knowlwedge of timber despite it being the main element at risk from dampness) are 3-day courses but with an exam after it.  At least four days is better than three!

Please check the credentials of these people.

What a year it has been.  Travelling throughout Scotland from Findochty to Stranrear and from Tarbert to West Barns, sometimes that combination in the one week.

Thank you to all our clients, you were all sufficiently enlightened initially to have sought out the correct advice and we are delighted to have provided you with the best information possible and also delighted to keep in touch and hear about ongoing work.

We have saved our clients not only tens of thousands of pounds of abortive work but also the heartache that that brings.  We have helped clients realise their dream and helped others avoid a nightmare.

We have enjoyed seeing some lovely houses, and some loveable wrecks in our journey and look forward to many more.

We are now licenced by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to use drones.  We now use drones to obtain high-quality images of roofs and other high level areas such as hidden parapets which add value to our buiding surveys but at no added cost to you.

We can also carry out specific roof surveys.  The only caveat is that this depends on several factors, most concerning public safety.  Flying a drone in a busy street is prohibited and the drone is unable to fly if it is very windy or it is raining so other methods of inspection are used.  Ths includes a 5m long selfie stick held out of a rooflight window... Not as glamorous or as much fun.

It's true, Heritage & Design Ltd has been accepted as a member of EPIC - the association for Ex-Police in Industry and Commerce.  EPIC only accepts members retired from police or HM Government security and investigation services following a full vetting process so can guarantee their integrity.

Why use an EPIC member?
Epic members have served in a disciplined and highly professional organization in which they have had the opportunity to develop considerable and specialist skills to a high standard.

• They bring to the commercial sector experience in a wide range of specialties and a highly professional approach delivered with discretion and integrity.
• Many, having left the service, have either chosen to continue to expand on their existing expertise or embarked on gaining new and additional skills and knowledge.
• EPIC does not just assume the integrity of the applicant but assures that only those who pass additional vetting in to their background including personal activities are permitted to join the association.
• Engaging a member of EPIC can provide you with a far greater level of confidence in the qualities and abilities of them over other sources of expertise.

"Choosing with whom to do business can be a minefield. Most people do not know where to go, or who to trust and the last thing they want to do is pick someone at random with no prior knowledge of their reliability."

​Having researched the typical questions people use as their search criteria on the internet, it is no wonder they receive such poor advice from so many untrained and unprofessional tradesmen who have jumped on the damp proofing band wagon.

Taking MyBuilder website as a recent example, people are actually asking for rising damp repairs or ask specifically for damp treatment, and not to find out what's causing the dampness in the first place.

We all love something that's free but, generally, that free offer is intended to gain more custom in the long run.  A free survey is offered by damp proofers because they know they can get a significant fee from (mis)diagnosing various issues and providing their own solution to them.

So where is the benefit of 'free' in that case?  Not only do you need to pay a large bill, it will be for unnecessary and disruptive work that won't even come close to solving the issues.

An example is where a blocked rainwater pipe has been leaking outside for a couple of years and has eventually caused a damp patch behind the TV.  A damp proofer's FREE diagnosis and solution:  A breakdown on the damp proof course (DPC) causing rising damp!!!  Their solution is to hack off plaster, apply a waterproof membrane, drill a new DPC through the wall, and re-plaster using waterproof plaster.
Cost: £1,500 to £3,500.

My diagnosis, following inspecting the whole property to identify a pattern of the moisture and to determine its source:  A blocked rainwater gulley with the solution to unblock it and allow the wall to dry out naturally.
Cost:  around £400.

No professional can provide their services for nothing as that is where the value lies.  Experience, education, expertise, specialist knowledge, they all come at a price but will save you money and disruption.  If you are seeking advice about a legal matter, would you act on advice you got 'down the pub' or pay for the correct advice from a trained and qualified professional who is bound by standards and ethics?