Mindful to Maintain

Home owners and prospective owners of pre-1919 historic buildings enjoyed a relaxed and informative evening of short talks and Q&A on maintaining and repairing historic buildings in Perth’s Civic Chamber on 13 November. This was the second free event of this kind to be offered by Perth Solicitor’s Property Centre (PSPC) and Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust this year and was well attended with around 45 people turning out to hear key guidance on maintaining the condition and value of historic properties.

Buildings constructed before 1919 are full of traditional features that make them great places to live. Such character also brings specific needs and requirements when it comes to their maintenance and repair which many home owners find challenging to address through lack of appropriate information and the costs involved. Industry professionals spoke to a packed room at the first property repair seminar in March demonstrating a clear need for accessible advice on historic building issues.

The evening was chaired by Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust and began with Annie Flint from Under One Roof who introduced the audience to a wealth of online accessible information on maintaining and repairing historic homes, especially those in multiple ownership such as tenements. Specialist talks followed from Graham Mitchell of @rchitects Scotland Ltd on the benefits of involving a conservation professional when undertaking repair projects, John McRitchie of Perth College UHI, on timber window maintenance, and Paul Higginson of Arc Architects Ltd on key repair issues that can be encountered.

The presentations were illustrated using examples of completed building repair projects in Perth City Centre offering the audience tangible evidence of the beneficial outcomes to arise from repairs employing best conservation practice. The evening was concluded by Sara Carruthers of Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust who introduced the Perth City Heritage Fund’s latest phase of grand assistance for home owners looking to repair their historic buildings which has become available this year.

For those who missed the seminar but would like to know more, the presentation slides can be downloaded from here. Historic Environment Scotland’s excellent series of Inform guides, Short guides and Technical advice notes can be downloaded from www.engineshed.scot, ordered in hard copy, or picked up for free from The Engine Shed in Stirling. More information on available funding for historic building repairs via the Perth City Heritage Fund, the Home Energy Efficiency Programme for Scotland (HEEPS) Equity Loan Scheme, or Perth and Kinross Council initiatives can be found at www.pkht.org.uk/pchf.