Durie Heritage - Building SurveyorsRecensioni 

We needed specialist heritage building damp surveyors and very pleased that John and Alison could do this work for us. Having moved from a 1960's house to a cottage over 200yrs old, it has been a steep learning curve for us. They imparted valuable information on the day to increase our understanding. What is really appreciated is the generous offer of answering any ongoing questions following the survey and report.

We instructed Durie Heritage for an extensive survey on a listed building in Aberdeen, which had been empty for some time, with a number of issues identified in the seller's report. We needed to know if it was worth purchasing the house, and investing in it, or whether it would turn out to be a money-pit. From the outset, John was extremely helpful and professional, providing much useful free advice before we had even commissioned the survey, and sending us a sample survey so we could see the level of detail covered. He was able to undertake the survey within a few weeks, and the report was highly detailed and very comprehensive, giving us all the information we needed to take the purchase forward, as well as clear prioritisation of works required.
From the first point of contact, the quality of service from John and Alison was exemplary. Their ongoing advice continues to be very useful, I would have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending Durie Heritage for any historic building survey work.

My husband and I let out a Grade 2 listed flat in Herefordshire. When our EPC was not the required grade E needed for letting, due to the age of the building, we approached John Durie to apply for an exemption for us. He wrote an excellent report enabling us to gain our exemption. We would definitely recommend this company.

John and Alison undertook a survey at our grade II listed townhouse in Ludlow, Shropshire to provide us with a damp report. They were so lovely to deal with, incredibly knowledgeable, very professional and so helpful. What’s so refreshing is that they are very honest about what needs to be done (or what doesn’t need to be done)! The report they produced was extremely clear with constructive guidance and informed recommendations. They are very trustworthy and I felt immediately that I was in safe hands with getting them on board with my project. I am so glad I found John and Alison to help me - their report and continued assistance is absolutely invaluable. Thank you so much John and Alison!

I instructed John and Alison to carry out a specialist damp and timber report on a house we are buying in Birmingham following a recommendation that further enquiries were needed from a full building survey. I wish I had found John and Alison sooner as I now know they could have done both surveys. From the first email they were responsive and so helpful. They carried out the inspection quickly and I met them on site to talk me through any questions I had. The report was clear and detailed. They are patient and have answered quickly a number of questions since and have confirmed they will do so once we move in and we start to work through what they recommended in their report. I would certainly recommend Durie Heritage. Thank you John and Alison.

John and Alison are great, they understand old and complex properties and provide an in depth report on their survey findings. They carried out a Building Survey for me near Malvern in Worcestershire. There's not the usual deferring to other specialist surveyors ie: damp proofing specialists, which many surveyors tend to do. Instead they highlight the problem, grade it on level of importance and speed of action required and suggest ways to solve or mitigate the issue. I had some further questions off the back of the report and they were quick to respond and provide the information I needed. They are also quick to return the report once the survey has been carried out. I can highly recommend them.

John and Alison came to do a damp survey on my old cottage. Luckily I was only down the road, so they turned up the next week and got stuck into the whole building. They took the time on the day to explain the history of the building, diagnosing the issues and giving me real confidence in what to do next. The final report was very clearly structure with prioritisation of issues and plenty of practical advice.

Definitely worth getting their expert advice.

Durie Heritage responded promptly to any enquiries. When we met on site their knowledge and experience were evident. They came prepared to do a thorough analysis of the building and made useful and practical recommendations. Would recommend highly.

We had a timber framed property surveyed for potential purchase by Durie Heritage, they found quite considerable damp issues and then spent quite a while carefully walking us through the steps that would be needed to resolve the problem correctly. Unfortunately, the vendor wouldn't move on price, so we were forced to pull out of the sale.
We have now had an offer accepted on another house and didn't hesitate to call Durie Heritage in again. The second survey is every bit as detailed and useful as the first. This time all the faults discovered are relatively minor and not enough prevent the sale going through at the agreed price.
A big thankyou to John and Alison for all their hard work, it is greatly appreciated by us.

John and Alison are both incredibly knowledgeable in their field and have provided us with specific advice for our house. Definitely recommend getting in touch with them!

Having had a recommendation by a previous damp specialist to completely gut the downstairs of our listed property, we got cold feet and contacted John and Alison. Thank goodness we did! They were professional and friendly from the first email. They carefully went through their findings with me, explaining what they were doing. Their thorough report was provided within a few days of visiting our house, providing recommendations for improvements. I really felt I could trust them with our 'forever' home. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend to others.

Durie Heritage have been a real help on my listed building project. I needed advice that was technically sound, but also careful, proportionate and practical.

What I have appreciated most is that they have not treated the building as a paper exercise. They helped me understand the history, the constraints, and the right way to approach the work, while still recognising that the building needed to be brought back into active, useful condition. That balance was very reassuring.

Their support with the listed building and building standards position was particularly valuable. They helped me navigate what needed to be evidenced, what needed to be regularised, and how best to communicate with the Council. Most importantly, their guidance helped us reach a successful outcome, with the relevant consent and approvals secured.

They were responsive and straightforward to deal with throughout. They explained things properly, did not overcomplicate matters, and brought a level of care that gave confidence.

I would happily recommend Durie Heritage to anyone working with a listed building or heritage property, especially where you need advice that respects the building but also helps you move the project forward sensibly.

Fantastic service from start to finish. We were kept fully abreast throughout the process and then walked through the report on our property. The team also made themselves available for any questions we had, highly recommended.

We were really happy we contacted John to do a consultation on our victorian stone semi-detached in Perthshire. He and Alison were very thorough in their inspections and provided helpful and practical advice. We also really appreciated being given an option on whether we had a full report, or just a consultation which allowed us to get the expert advice we needed for our budget.

We first worked with Alison and John in February 2025 when we commissioned a damp survey on our flat as part of preparing it for sale. From the outset they were incredibly friendly, professional, and accommodating—especially given we had a young baby and a slightly feral dog in the mix! They took the time to explain everything clearly during the visit, and the report they produced was thorough, easy to understand, and gave us a clear, practical path to resolving the issues identified.

One thing that really stood out, even at this stage, was their depth of expertise with older properties (which both our flat and later house were). They clearly understand how to diagnose and resolve issues in a way that’s sympathetic to the character and construction of older buildings, rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach.

Based on that very positive experience, we didn’t hesitate to ask Alison and John to carry out a full survey on the house we were looking to purchase in June 2025. Once again, their service was excellent. The report was detailed, clear, and ultimately very reassuring as we moved forward with the purchase.

We completed on the house in October and have since been working through the recommendations in the report. What has really stood out is how accurate and reliable their findings were—there have been no surprises during renovations. In particular, their assessment of the extent of damp was impressively precise; once we removed plaster, it matched exactly what they had indicated. Following their straightforward advice, we’ve now fully resolved the issue.

John was also incredibly helpful beyond the formal survey itself—he was always happy to answer ad-hoc questions over email, and nothing ever felt like too much trouble. His responses were consistently clear, detailed, and reassuring.

We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Alison and John—their expertise, especially with older properties, combined with their clarity, professionalism, and willingness to go the extra mile, made a real difference at what could have been a stressful time.

Great inspection, guidance, and aftercare on a listed property establishing a low impact and cost approach to managing a heritage building.

John and Alison did a heritage survey for us on a grade 2 listed 15th century cottage. They very approachable, and open to questions and queries I had. They conducted the survey, and prepared the report within a timely fashion, and the report produced was to a thorough standard, with ample detail but clearly written and understandable. They gave me peace of mind with the information provided and helped me with decisions on the property purchase.

We are a charity owning seventeenth century almshouses in Herefordshire. John and Alison visited our buildings and talked us through all that they found as they went round; we asked for an informal condition survey and what they gave us was informative and comprehensive with written notes for us to draw on in the future. They were both really friendly and enthusiastic and clearly love their job.

Very happy with our general heritage consultation from Durie Heritage - an old stone farmhouse in west Wales comes with its challenges, but John and Alison were able to talk us through the issues, the priorities, and the best way to fix things. This helped save us thousands of pounds on things that our RICS survey suggested we should have fixed, but actually didn't need any work at all. Highly recommend for insight and peace of mind into your property!

We used Durie Heritage to undertake a dampness survey in Dunblane before we purchased a house. Damp had been flagged on the home report and we wanted to get a second opinion before making the purchase. The report we got was extensive and covered the whole property, not just the problem area, and came with recommendations and priorities. This gave us peace of mind when making the purchase and has also been useful in terms of giving us a focus for work in the house.
Our whole experience with John and Alison has been positive from start to finish - they managed to fit our inspection in quickly and turned the report around sooner than initially suggested, all whilst being professional and helpful throughout. Thank you!