for People with a Passion for Period Property

Stephen Boniface - Stephen Boniface specialises in building conservation providing multi-disciplinary consulting services. He is Chairman of the Building Surveying Faculty and member of the Residential faculty. He serves on the RICS Building Conservation Forum Board and is the 'Agony Uncle' on the Period Property UK website (www.periodproperty.co.uk).

Ask our Agony Uncles ...

You can write to our panel of experts free of charge on any subject, providing it's got something to do with Period Properties.

Our experts are all specialists in matters directly involved with older properties. So, if you have a problem with an older building - or if you think you might have a problem - ask an Agony Uncle...

December 2011
CCTV provides possible answer to drain query	James Crook (Hertfordshire)
How do I deal with damp patches on external plaster?	June Buckle (Somerset)
How do we deal with salts and brown mould on walls?	Chris Burvill-Crane (Hampshire)
Which window locks meet insurers & listed building consent requirements?	Lynda Levick (Yorkshire)
Builders withdraw support on cob property in Hungary	Linda Hardy (Yorkshire)
Shower advice for cottage with exposed internal flint wall	Rebecca Marchand (Norfolk)
Loss of plaster key results in collapsed ceiling	Alice Carey (Greater London)
Is an injected damp proof course suitable for a clay lump property?	Geoff Taylor (Norfolk)
Chimney experts provide conflicting advice	Frances Morgan (Cornwall)
Agony uncle provides on the spot advice concerning potential soleplate damage & damp	Debbie Tarling (Hertfordshire)
Local research required in to design to provide suitable replacement for plastic windows	Charles Le Brun (Somerset)

September 2011
Help required to clean flagstones	Charlotte Shakespeare (Somerset)
Seaside house needs help with damp	Diana Holmes (Norfolk)
Old house deemed not suitable for mortgage	James Newman (Staffordshire)
Advice needed on chimney breast removal	Fiona Barker (Berkshire)
Does the Party Wall Act provide retrospective protection?	Claire Robinson (West Midlands)
Hairline cracks in pebbledash render make me nervous	Eira Blowers (Greater London)
Can we finish lime render with Tyrolean?	David Parry (Cheshire)
How do we remove masonry paint from limestone and brick infill?	Alan Gray (Buckinghamshire)
How do I sell a Grade I scheduled monument?	David Penn (West Midlands)

June 2011
Proposed wind farm leads us to withdraw from house purchase	Iain McTaggart (Northamptonshire)
How can I reduce dampness in basement of listed property?	Carol Butler (Hampshire)
Conflicting advice leads to confusion over death watch beetle	Dette Barton (East Sussex)
How do we remove tanking?	Tristan Fry (Wiltshire)
High external ground level leads to damp	Glynn Willis (Nottinghamshire)
Limecrete provides breathable kitchen floor	Deborah Harrison (Norfolk)
We've purchased a listed property but didn't know it	Kate Stott (Nottinghamshire)
How can we 'lighten' the dark beams in our lounge?	Krissy Haston (Wiltshire)
How do we insulate a timber framed property with daub infill?	Jenny Barnard (Suffolk)
How long should I leave floor treated for wood worm before re-laying carpet?	Dawn Foulstone (Yorkshire)
Please advise on restoring reed flooring	Janet Tanfield (Cambridgeshire)
Council conservation officer calls on us to repair work undertaken by former district council who owned property	Christopher Blount (Cornwall)