HISTORICAL
Buildings and their construction have changed with the passing of time with old properties often built from materials that were readily to hand. There was no standardisation for historic properties, but now, in our modern world, with mortgages and the requirements for old buildings to meet new standards, historical structures need improvements and strengthening.
Ellis Structures endeavour to understand an existing building through surveying the conditions of the existing members, then preparing strengthening works where needed to keep the building in use. In some cases, we upgrade the structure to meet modern requirements using either both old techniques and/or modern techniques in a sympathetic way. When dealing with listed buildings we strongly recommend that any changes are first agreed with the conservation officer. When a specific historic repair is required we will seek assistance from other specialists in this field, such as The Weald and Downland Open Air Museum, which has extensive knowledge on all aspects of historic buildings.
We are frequently asked to design repairs for historic roofs and timber frames, which need to be strengthened due to rot or similar age-related defects. These projects have previously included churches, barns and heritage buildings.