Houlton Building Consultants

Houlton Building Consultants Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Houlton Building Consultants, Surveyor, 3 Daisy Way, Louth.

An established independent Chartered Building Surveyor providing structural reports and other building consultancy services to residential and commercial clients throughout Lincolnshire and beyond.

BUILDING SURVEYS: IT’S NOT ALWAYS ABOUT THE BUILDING…One of the things I enjoy about being a building surveyor is the va...
17/08/2026

BUILDING SURVEYS: IT’S NOT ALWAYS ABOUT THE BUILDING…

One of the things I enjoy about being a building surveyor is the variety.

Every property has its own story, its own quirks and occasionally its own animal inhabitants.

Cats seem to be the most common and curious animal that I have come across. Some are blatantly checking you out and keeping guard of their territory while others are a bit more sly and sneaky…

Now, the cats didn’t form part of the scope of my inspection so sadly they didn’t make the final reports but they all had varying opinions about me and my inspection.

It’s easy to think of surveying as simply identifying defects and producing a report. In reality, being on site means constantly observing, investigating and adapting to whatever you find.

Sometimes that means a hidden defect.
Sometimes it means an unexpected conversation with a client or neighbour.
And occasionally, it means a cat deciding that your survey equipment is far more interesting than the building itself!
Just make sure you don’t let the furry friends distract you and take your eye off the real reason you’re there on site!!

What is your favourite furry friend out of this selection and have you encountered any memorable “residents” while working on a property?

I’d love to hear your stories in the comments.

More animal encounters to come in the next few weeks!

We have received our 💯th instruction! As a thank you to our loyal clients, contacts and referral partners, we are hostin...
15/06/2026

We have received our 💯th instruction! As a thank you to our loyal clients, contacts and referral partners, we are hosting a giveaway. One lucky person will win a £100 Amazon Voucher.

To be in with a chance of winning the voucher, do the following:
1️⃣ Make sure you are following our page
2️⃣ Like this post
3️⃣ Tag a friend in the comments section, to help spread the word

Competition closes 2 weeks from today (6pm on 29th June 2026), after which point, the lucky winner will be picked at random and contacted by this page and account, via Facebook Messenger.

🚨 Ts & Cs 🚨 We will only contact you from this page – please be wary of any scams / impersonations.
Exclusions: UK only winners, aged 18+.
This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook.

You don't have to work in the built environment to appreciate the beauty, craftsmanship and engineering behind St Paul's...
12/06/2026

You don't have to work in the built environment to appreciate the beauty, craftsmanship and engineering behind St Paul's Cathedral.

My wife often rolls her eyes when we're out and about and I start pointing out building defects, discussing interesting design features, or trying to figure out what construction work is taking place. On our recent trip to London, though, it was great to simply stand back and admire this incredible building together.

As an added bonus, a wedding was taking place during our visit. The singing and acoustics were truly spectacular.

St Paul's Cathedral was completed in 1710, which makes the scale of the engineering and construction achievement even more remarkable.

One detail I had never appreciated before is that the famous dome dominating the London skyline is actually a "triple dome" design.

The outer dome that everyone sees is supported by a concealed middle brick cone. A third, inner dome sits beneath it, serving a decorative purpose. It hides the structural cone from view while providing a canvas for the ornate paintings and murals inside.

After doing some further reading, I discovered this fascinating detail about the middle brick cone:

"Hidden completely from sight between the inner and outer layers is a massive, 18-inch-thick brick cone. This is the actual powerhouse of the structure. Christopher Wren [who designed St. Paul’s] used the equation of an inverted catenary arch (the natural shape a hanging chain makes under its own weight), which is mathematically the most stable shape for supporting downward load. This hidden cone bears the crushing weight of the 850-tonne stone lantern at the very top."

It's an incredible example of engineering ingenuity hidden in plain sight.

Throughout the cathedral there are numerous arches, domes and circular structural details present. They not only play a critical role in supporting the building, but also create beautiful architectural lines.

So what makes arches so strong?
Arches are used in construction because they efficiently span wide openings while supporting massive loads. Their curved shape directs gravity and other loads outward and downward into the supporting structures, converting all vertical pressure into compression force.

This is important because materials such as stone, brick and concrete perform exceptionally well under compression but are much weaker under tension. The geometry of an arch allows these materials to support enormous loads without bending or cracking.

What struck me most during the visit was how seamlessly engineering and architecture come together. Features such as arches and domes aren't just visually impressive, they are fundamental to the structural integrity of the building.

I recently attended a webinar on Listed buildings which discussed the need to be cautious when reviewing and using const...
27/05/2026

I recently attended a webinar on Listed buildings which discussed the need to be cautious when reviewing and using construction dates included on a property's Official Listing.

The speaker explained the method and speed at which a large volume of buildings were observed and recorded during a time where there was a rush to demolish buildings with special architectural or historic interest but which at the time were not Listed.

The Town and Country Planning Act 1968 addressed previous deficiencies which formerly did not protect from the demolition of historically/architecturally significant structures. This updated Act established a formal definition and protection of 'Listed Buildings', making it a criminal offence to demolish a Listed building without consent and introducing the formal 'Listed building consent' process to manage works to Listed properties.

The above Act triggered a surge of additional property listings to protect further properties of historical interest which weren't at the time Listed and therefore not covered by the Act. Inspections tended to be external only and the speed at which some were completed means that some properties may have been inadvertently mis-dated.

The webinar spoke about studies which have used dendrochronology (the scientific method of analysing and dating growth rings in trees to exact calendar years) from the sampling and testing of accessible oak timbers within a property. These studies have found that the accuracy of the construction dates included in the Listing can be inaccurate and as such, a surveyor should take a holistic view of a Listed property, using other indicators such as construction styles (including potential timber framing for example) to consider a property's likely age, particularly internal parts of the structure that may not have been available for inspection when the property was initially Listed.

I was out completing a survey in Horncastle last month opposite this lovely Listed warehouse with ornate ironwork detailing a date of 1890 (which understandably was included on the Listing as the construction date). While I wasn't surveying this property, it made me think back to this webinar and so out of my own interest I checked back on historic maps which did appear to corroborate with the date shown on this occasion.

As a surveyor you should never take anything for granted or jump to conclusions as construction dates and associated construction methodologies of the time can impact the assessment of a property and what conclusions and recommendations that may be included in a report.

Note: There are over 370,000 entries for listed buildings on the National Heritage List for England.

I passed this property earlier in the week (it wasn't the property I was actually surveying but it caught my eye) and it...
17/04/2026

I passed this property earlier in the week (it wasn't the property I was actually surveying but it caught my eye) and it made me think of this quote I'd heard previously:

Albert Einstein: "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."

But the question is, who has been advising this poor home owner who is relying on so called 'experts' to provide reasoned and evidenced recommendations???

So perhaps Einstein's definition of insanity doesn't fully apply here to owners who have probably acted in good faith on 'advice' given to them...

An evidence-led approach should always be applied to any damp survey, undertaking a structured, diagnostic method designed to identify the exact cause of moisture rather than assuming a cause based on surface symptoms or even jumping to conclusions.

Considering construction type, building materials, and the history of a property to understand how a structure 'behaves' is often as important as carrying out investigations to understand the source of moisture and moisture mapping & profiling.

That moment when you accidentally click selfie mode instead of capture when on site carrying out a survey! 😱🙈
10/04/2026

That moment when you accidentally click selfie mode instead of capture when on site carrying out a survey! 😱🙈

Address

3 Daisy Way
Louth
LN110FS

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 7pm
Thursday 9am - 7pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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