What bespoke beam restoration means
No two beams are treated the same. What "bespoke" means for heritage renovation and restoration — and why a standard process can't deliver it.
Read the guide →From the Workshop
Field notes on oak beam restoration, period property care, and the finishes we've developed over 30 years — from the team behind three appearances on George Clarke's Old House New Home.
No two beams are treated the same. What "bespoke" means for heritage renovation and restoration — and why a standard process can't deliver it.
Read the guide →
From a 16th-century Surrey pub to a Marlborough bakery — six real places where you can see our restoration work with your own eyes.
Read the guide →
Chamfered edges usually mean Tudor. Large, rough-hewn timber blackened with soot usually means medieval. A guide to dating a beam by eye.
Read the guide →
Roman numerals cut into a joint aren't graffiti — they're assembly instructions from carpenters who built the frame off-site. Daisy wheels near a hearth are older still.
Read the guide →
There's no generic price list, because no two ceilings are the same. Here's what actually drives the cost — and how to get a real number.
Read the guide →
A ceiling that's been painted or stained black can make a good-sized room feel low and closed-in. Here's how the tone comes back — without sandblasting or chemicals.
Read the guide →
Thick gloss paint or old bitumastic stain can hide centuries of carpenter's marks. What to check before anything gets scraped, sanded, or stripped.
Read the guide →
Not every exposed beam is oak. Douglas fir, pine and other softwoods found in self-builds and 1970s–90s timber frames need a gentler approach.
Read the guide →
A leak or old flood staining leaves a beam patchy and uneven, not evenly black. What has to happen before any cosmetic work starts.
Read the guide →
Second generation, hundreds of ceilings, and the same lesson relearned on nearly every one.
Read the guide →
Peak District, Buckinghamshire, and Hove — what earned the repeat invitation across three different houses.
Read the guide →Before you call
We take few projects at a time, because each one is worked personally rather than scheduled around. That means an honest answer costs you nothing and saves us both a wasted visit.