Talking Conservation – Details, episodes & analysis

If you're a fan of home renovations, historic properties, or jaw-dropping transformations, you’ve likely heard of Greg—better known on social media as “Man with a Hammer.” In this episode, we dive into his epic journey of restoring the Admiral’s House, a massive 8000-square-foot ex-Naval officer’s quarters in Plymouth, into a stunning forever home. Built in 1804, this grand Georgian property boasts 30+ rooms, 5 floors, and 60+ windows—but it needed serious TLC. Greg shares his Yorkshire upbringing, his DIY struggles as the self-proclaimed 'office wally,' and the inspiration behind his gorgeous interior design style. We also explore the challenges of tackling such a huge solo renovation project. Whether you’re a DIY enthusiast, a lover of historic homes, or just curious about this viral renovation story, this episode is packed with inspiration and insights. Don’t miss it! Link to Greg's Sunday Times Best Seller Book: https://bio.to/ManWithAHammer #oldbuildings #restoration #interiordesign #conservation

In this episode we explore what many homeowners have experienced during the purchase process of buying an older property; the dreaded "you require a separate timber/damp survey".

Stephen and Rich discuss the reasons you may get such a requirement, usually from your mortgage lender, the history that surrounds it and finally what people can do about it to ensure you both satisfy the lending conditions but also do what is appropriate for your home.

Thanks for listening.

Links:

Joint Position Statement, September 2022: "Investigation of moisture and its effects on traditional buildings" - https://www.rics.org/profession-standards/rics-standards-and-guidance/sector-standards/building-surveying-standards/investigation-of-moisture-and-its-effect-on-traditional-building

To book a consultation with a heritage professional regarding damp & timber: https://expertible.com

#conservation #surveyor #oldhouse

MYTHBUSTING!

James Wright

We are talking to James Wright - the Historic Buildings Mythbuster!

We start off by looking into his background and how he got into building archaeology, and then we go on to tease a bit more out about him in terms of some of the grand buildings he's dealt with to some of the smaller historic buildings, and the lessons that he's learnt from those. We talk about some of the science involved in building archaeology, so dendrochronology what it is, how that works and how he uses that, as well as some of the other investigation techniques and the technology that's used.

The historic reuse of building materials is discussed and how that can throw you off the scent of a particular building in terms of it’s age and legacy. From this we go ont to talk about where to start with understanding your own building and some of the resources that homeowners can use to research their own building's history.

Then, onto the myths. In particular we talk about the myth of reusing ship timbers, as well as touching on the issue of the oldest pub.

And then James mentions his favourite books, including Linda Hall’s ‘Period House Fixtures & Fittings’. When we go on to talk about his favourite building, we benefit from a fantastic overview of the history of Knole House in Kent.

Of course, we mention how to contact James.

We think it's a really good episode, this one, very engaging, hope you enjoy it, do let us know.

00:00 - Intro to James

04:28 - How do you take the lessons from studying grand buildings into smaller historic buildings?

09:46 - Dendrochronology

19:58 - How do you deal with something that’s covered up?

26:04 - When to involve a building archeologist

29:09 - Buildings archaeology isn’t very expensive in the grand scheme of things

31:46 - Investigation techniques and technology

43:35 - When changes occur to buildings and changes of ownership

53:20 - Reusing of building materials

57:54 - Where do you start with trying to understand your own building?

1:02:24 - Resources homeowners can use to research their building’s history

1:13:49 - The myth of reused ship’s timbers

1:22:09 - James favourite books

1:24:39 - James’ favourite building

1:29:04 - How to contact James

Links:

James' website: https://triskeleheritage.triskelepublishing.com/

James' Historic Building Mythbusting: https://amzn.to/3OvF4Q5

Linda Hall's Period House Fixtures & Fittings: https://amzn.to/4i980el

The books of Ronald Brunskill: https://amzn.to/4fOuIHb

Knole House: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/kent/knole

Please note that as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases

#talkingconservation #mythbusting #heritageconservation

#podcast #conservation #buildingconservation #buildingsarchaeologist #historicbuildingmyths #shipstimbers #knolehouse #architecturalresearch #triskeleheritage

#heritagepreservation #historicbuildings #traditionalbuilding #architecturalconservation #architecture #architects #surveyors #buildingsurveyors #engineers #archaeologists #architecturaltechnologist #planning #planner #conservationofficer #heritageskills

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In this episode, we interview the directors of the National Retrofit Hub - Rachel Owens and Sara Edmonds.

00:00 Introduction

00:52 What is NRH?

02:02 Rachel’s background

04:12 Sara’s background

08:40 About the NRH, who is involved and getting the message across

14:25 Reasons for, and benefits of, retrofit

15:27 Retrofit for homeowners, builders and builders’ merchants

20:50 Community involvement

24:17 Getting the message out

27:17 Aims of NRH

30:15 The NRH directory and looking for examples and exemplars

31:50 Getting the next generations involved

33:15 The bigger picture and meeting the challenge

34:55 Scientific research regarding traditional buildings and technical issues

40:10 Funding for research

44:20 EPCs and concerns regarding tenants

50:20 Home buying and selling and log books

53:54 Global cooperation and coordination

57:52 Archetyping by age

1:00:30 Longer term aims and aspirations

1:04:40 Sustainability

1:05:10 How to contact NRH and how to get involved

1:06:27 Rich and Stephen sum up

Links

Built Environment Smarter Transformation - BEST: www.be-st.build

Home Energy Action Lab: https://www.instagram.com/home_energy_action_lab/ 

Architects Action Network - ACAN: www.architectscan.org

National Home Improvement Council - NHIC: https://nhic.org.uk/ 

Retrofit Reimagined - film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8m2hSkCZ_zE 

Canopy Housing (Leeds): https://www.canopyhousing.org/ 

Timber Fest: https://timberfestival.org.uk/

Civic Square: https://civicsquare.cc/ 

Centre for Moisture in Buildings: https://ukcmb.org/

SEDA - Scottish Ecological Design Association: https://www.seda.uk.net/ 

Ecological Building Systems: https://www.ecologicalbuildingsystems.com/ 

Impact on Urban Health: https://urbanhealth.org.uk/ 

Home Buying and Selling Council https://homebuyingsellingcouncil.co.uk/ 

REScoop - https://www.rescoop.eu/ 

UKERC - https://ukerc.ac.uk/

SME - Small medium enterprise

RMI - Repair maintenance and improvement

BSI - British Standards institute

DESNZ - Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

DLUHC - Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities

UKGBC - UK Green Building Council

SHDF - Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund

EPC - Energy Performance Certificate

MEES - Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards

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In this episode we chat with Ben Kerslake of CarringtonLIME. Rich visited him at his premises in the Forest of Dean. We discuss Ben winning a Blue Peter competition, getting his neighbours to work on his house, and painting a room for 50p! On a more serious note, we talk about lime, hot lime, Naturally Hydraulic Lime, training, and innovation. Ben is keen to help train the next generation of plasterers, but also homeowners wanting to have a go themselves, and professionals wanting to understand the use of lime better.

00:00 - Intro

01:02 - About Ben

04:10 - Where it started

06:11 - The courses CarringtonLIME run

08:06 - How can we narrow the skills gap?

09:12 - Advice on coating plasters and paints

11:36 - Making your own paints and plasters

16:10 - Subscribe to channel

17:10 - “Hot” lime

21:28 - Hydrated Lime

24:02 - Using lime now very different to historic mixes

26:16 - Specifying mixes

31:19 - Bought Lime quality can be too pure for buildings applications

35:01 - Over-prescriptive specifications

36:28 - Understanding materials

39:07 - “One size DOESN’T fit all”

39:58 - Experimenting with materials and mixes

44:52 - Lath and plaster ceilings

52:02 - Insulating plaster mixes

55:06 - Overview of CarringtonLIME courses

58:23 - Favourite Book

60:04 - Favourite Building

CarringtonLime: https://www.carringtonlime.co.uk/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carringtonlime

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carringtonlime

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In this episode we talk with Jonathan Taylor, exploring his beginnings in Architecture and then as a Conservation Officer, before the founding of the Building Conservation Directory. We discuss its success and some of the challenges Jonathan faces in publishing, as well as issues that are close to Jonathan's heart relating to conservation and his concern that conservation is about more than just the buildings.

Chapters

00:00 - Intro

00:26 - Jonathan Taylor biography

02:06 - What made Jonathan change from Architecture to conservation

05:47 - Not just the building but the whole social side too

08:52 - How did the Building Conservation Directory come about?

12:21 - How the BCD directory is funded

15:45 - How did you select where the BCD copies were sent? 

18:35 - Did the internet change the BCD and it’s reach?

20:43 - Not really any trade secrets in conservation

22:24 - What about people wanting to write or advertise things that aren’t appropriate?

25:24 - The directory is the start of the specification process

26:05 - “People have asked for an accredited only publication…”

27:58 - Homeowners do phone in 

31:37 - How do you keep articles up to date?

33:56 - The challenge of retrofit 

37:27 - The debate on what is right or wrong

38:08 - Has conservation gone too far, and prevented evolution of buildings?

41:17 - How much, as a society, are we prepared to lose?

42:00 - How many buildings are of ‘traditional’ construction and how many listed?

42:51 - The other publications and articles that BCD cover

46:39 - New website looking exclusively at retrofit and sustainability 

48:43 - Dr. Robyn Pender on a fresh way to look at historic buildings 

50:54 - Global reach of the website

52:43 - “We will never abandon print”

53:18 - Jonathan’s recommended books 

55:09 - Jonathan’s favourite buildings and why 

59:21 - Training is one of the main subjects on the website too

59:53 - How to get in touch with Jonathan and the website

Links: 

Building Conservation Directory:

https://www.buildingconservation.com

Joint Position Statement: https://historicengland.org.uk/advice/technical-advice/buildings/damp-in-historic-buildings/investigation-of-moisture-and-its-effects-on-traditional-buildings/

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An introduction to this podcast. Find out a bit about Stephen and Rich, what their motivations are, and what this podcast is about.

Chapters:

0:44 Introduction to Stephen

7:24 Introduction to Rich

13:08 How and why we’ve got together

15:26 Why we’re doing this podcast

16:12 What we mean by “Conservation”

19:18 Misinformation online / media (print/TV etc)

21:02 Dispelling myths 

22:08 The need for homeowners to understand technical matters. 

24:13 Minimal education in trades / professions / apprenticeships don’t teach old buildings 

28:24 Technicals concepts simplified 

29:42 Understanding buildings and their evolution

30:44 Interviews with those involved conservation 

31:42 Project storyline / following long term projects 

32:40 News / Case law updates

34:47 Favourite building and why

37:20 Favourite books

42:42 Summary

44:55 How to get in touch

For Rich's platform go to:

https://expertible.com/

For Stephen's community go to:

https://beconservation.com/heritage-conservation-community

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