House Doctor

IT MAY surprise you to hear that there is no such thing as a "building repair specialist". You might see this legend sign-written on builders' vans, and assume it denotes some kind of trained expertise in the care and maintenance of old buildings. It doesn't. It is more likely to mean that the driver is an ordinary bloke who has drifted into the building game, probably starting off with a bit of decorating and DIY on his brother- in-law's house.

He may be a perfectly nice guy, and may even turn up punctually and do a reasonable job of cleaning out your gutters, but the use of the word "specialist" in this context usually indicates little more than an assault on the English language. Heart transplant specialist? - yes. Contract law specialist? - certainly. But building repair specialist? - not really; it would be like your postman deciding to go freelance and describing himself as a picture-postcard delivery specialist.

You see, there are very few building trade skills that appertain solely to older properties - anyone trained in the arts of bricklaying, carpentry or plumbing should be able to apply their skills equally to the construction of a new office building or the renovation of a crumbling Edwardian tenement. The only difference would be in the choice and use of the most appropriate materials, and here there may perhaps be a case for declaring a specialism; but tradespeople who renovate historic buildings - lime plasterers, say, or thatchers - are more likely to refer to themselves as conservation or restoration experts, and will rarely have anything written on the sides of their vans. These people are in such demand that most of them are booked up until 2002, and the last thing they want is another potential customer jotting their phone number down at the traffic lights.

It is a shame that the blokes in the old gas board vans are not real specialists. Nothing would please me more than the idea of an army of eager building conservation experts touring the country re-pointing walls with lime mortar, rubbing candle wax on the sides of sliding sash windows and overhauling cast-iron rainwater systems. But the sad truth is that these chancers are more likely to destroy your brickwork with cement mortar and replace your original windows and gutters with ghastly modern plastic stuff.

So who should you turn to for advice on the repair and maintenance of an older building? Architects and chartered surveyors might be expected to have a competence in this area but, sadly, the level of their expertise depends upon the individual. Some will have a sympathy for historic buildings, but others will be quite likely to go along with the dodgy builders in specifying cement mortars and plastic windows; if you are thinking of engaging one of these professionals then you should interrogate them as firmly as you would a prospective child-minder - ask about qualifications, experience and references from previous clients.

A good free source of advice is your local authority building conservation officer - contactable in the building control or planning department. Conservation officers have a wretched time trying to stop the unscrupulous doing nasty things to old buildings, so they love it when they get approached by people wanting to do the right thing, and are often pleased to recommend good local professionals and tradesmen.

Jeff@doctoronthehouse.demon.co.uk