Durie Heritage - Building Surveyors Reviews 82

John and Alison undertook a complete damp survey of our Grade 2 listed building then wrote a comprehensive and well illustrated report on its results. They were efficient and courteous during the survey and delivered the report within a few days of its completion. The said report has provided us with a route map that has enabled us to prioritise the various actions needed to remedy defects in the building. It was written in clear, non-technical language and they elaborated on all matters where we needed further explanation or advice. They have continued to provide ongoing support as we develop a programme of remedial work. We felt that there fee was very reasonable considering the amount of work involved.

John and Alison of Durie were very helpful and thorough in helping us with understanding and advising on a newly acquired property with damp and other issues - most of which the surveyor failed to spot. It seems difficult to find independent and knowledgeable advisers such as Durie but I would have no hesitation in recommending them and they would be our first port of call in the future if we need any further advice.

What can we say about John and Alison? What an extraordinary find – how lucky were we to engage their services to carry out a survey on our home! That was seven months ago and they are still in regular contact with us, always ready to offer advice and assistance as we make good the issues they raised in the initial survey. Any question we have is swiftly answered – service above and beyond the initial survey we commissioned. Incredibly knowledgeable and totally dedicated to their passion for old buildings. I cannot recommend them highly enough.

Very good experience, very knowledgable about building damp issues. Used them twice, timely response !

Durie Heritage's assessment and report into our 'sold as seen' 1905 terraced cottage- rather neglected- has been absolutely invaluable.

It served as a road map for prioritising important remedial works to our house; helped us to avoid being scammed out of thousands of pounds by Damp Contractors who little understand pre-modern housing; alerted us to the potential asbestos risk.

John and Alison were helpful and considerate, extremely flexible with our tight purchase turnaround, and courteous in all communications.

I have recommended a Durie Heritage survey to several friends with old properties now, and certainly would never consider buying an old property without such a survey in future.

From the get-go even via their website we were impressed with Durie Heritage - it was clear they’re experienced, passionate, and go the extra mile: no nonsense! We urgently needed a survey, advice and support regarding the purchase of a complex old property. John and Alison made everything simple, even finding time in their busy schedule to fit us in last minute. Durie Heritage provided an exceptional level of knowledge obtained from extensive practical and theoretical experience. John and Alison are an amazing team and incredible to work with. If you decide to enlist their services, you’ll get a highly personalised ‘boutique’ approach to suit your specific needs. Guaranteed they’ll go above and beyond to help.

Unable to rely on the standard Home Buyers Report I contacted John Durie to determine if he could help identifying potential work that would be required on a Scottish Category 'B' listed house that I was proposing to buy. John produced the most detailed 39 page report with images of everything from a missing light bulb to asbestos on the garage roof. The report enabled me to make an informed decision on whether to buy at all and the report helped to determine how much I should pay. I cannot recommend John highly enough. Outstanding, diligent, professional service.

Money well spent! John and Alison were able to identify issues and propose solutions that would help me eliminate persistent damp issues within my Cottage. I received follow up support and were happy to answer any questions that i had after the survey was carried out .

Thank you both !

Alison and John are a highly professional and reliable team. They always respond to requests quickly. Their reports are so thorough and detailed whilst being delivered swiftly. Our Planning Consultant even commented at the quality of the reports. We certainly plan to use them for all future listed building projects and recommend you do the same.

I engaged with Durie Heritage to help assess a potential issue with our cottage after we found some structural timber issues during renovation of our 16th century black and white cottage. John and Alison went out of their way to advise on the condition and potential causes of the issue and advised on the remediation options. It was really helpful have their expert opinion and nothing was too much trouble and they were always available to give advise and guidance. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend their services on historic building surveys as their knowledge is priceless.

John and Alison are absolutely incredible! We bought a property that includes a Victorian stone cottage needing a lot of work, and having John and Alison do a survey for us has probably been the best money we've spent so far. They were incredibly thorough - we hired them for a damp survey, but they inspected every nook and cranny, internally and externally, and gave us advice on pretty much every aspect of the house they could think of. So helpful to know all the issues ahead of our renovation so we could plan accordingly and make the best decisions for the long term. They even were kind enough to take a look at the modern side of our house and caught a few small issues that we hadn't spotted, which we can now fix before they become majorly costly repair jobs! We have also been emailing them in the last few months as questions crop up during our renovation, and they take the time to respond thoroughly and give us advice each time. Given the lack of knowledge amongst builders and trades about old properties and traditional materials, we would honestly have been lost without them. Could not recommend highly enough!

Durie Heritage provide an excellent service. They responded to our email swiftly and booked us in for a survey. On the day, Alison and John arrived promptly and explored every corner of our house. The report provided to us at the end of the service was easy to access, and understand, and very comprehensive. We would highly recommend Durie Heritage. In addition to the above, John and Alison offered support after the survey to help with next steps and future projects - which we thought was a wonderfully personal and caring touch.

Professionals. Mostly recommended!

John goes above and beyond to meticulously explore your home. Giving detailed and accessible information. He has helped, and is continuing to help us immensely in understanding our new home. He has given us the confidence and reassurance we need to look after our old property. His attention to detail and ongoing support makes him truly a cut above the rest. Thank you so much.

A belated review from September 2019, we found John though several searches looking for a specialist in heritage houses, being first time buyers and buying an 200+ year old building we were obviously nervous, and desperate to avoid using chemicals both having been brought up to do things traditionally where possible. John had excellent communication leading up to the survey ( which is of itself a brilliant read) answered any and all questions we had even after we had purchased the property and had begun renovating it . Whilst not as cheep as an off the shelf survey it was more than worth it both in highlighting a defect that the home report had missed allowing us to negotiate an improved price, but also for ongoing reference and useful information about non standard and old houses. To this day we still reference the survey and it formed the basis of our to do list once we started renovations.

Would highly recommend to anyone looking to purchase a historic or nonstandard house or wondering how to deal with random damp patch without spending £0000's on damp companies.

Fantastic experience with Heritage and Design. Highly professional and timely. Undertook a damp survey in our 1880 home. Highlighted a number of elements that needed to be fixed.

Continue to touch base with them for ongoing advice.

Sensible ,informed and prompt advice.

Excellent service. Very comprehensive report produced as a result of the thorough survey. Would have no hesitation in recommending Heritage & Design

Heritage and design Ltd did a prompt and thorough damp survey for us. We were happy with their report which also suggested a course of action to remedy the issues. They are independent and not affiliated with one of the usual chemical dpc companies, which in my opinion delivered an unbiased report.

Incredibly fast at responding to my inquiry. Provided very helpful advice. Explained the problems i had clearly and concisely. Would highly recommend.