Restoration and
heritage work
Historic fabric forgives no approximation. Whatever is replaced has to look like what was there - and last longer.
A focus for decades
Historic furniture, windows, doors and kitchens are our passion, and restoration is one of the mainstays of the business. Over the years that has produced a way of working which begins before any tool is picked up: look, measure, understand what is there. Only then is it decided what will be kept, what made good and what reproduced.
Among the buildings we have worked on are Hambach Castle and Heidelberg Castle, wineries such as von Winning, Reichsrat von Buhl and Weingut am Nil, and houses such as the Ketschauer Hof and the Kaisergarten in Deidesheim. Alongside these are numerous individual listed buildings that nobody puts a sign on.
Keeping takes priority over replacing
The principle of heritage conservation is simple and inconvenient in daily practice: whatever still carries, stays. A sash whose drip bar has rotted is not replaced but given a new drip bar. A door panel with a split is closed, not exchanged. That takes more work than building new - and it is why the component afterwards is still the original.
Where fabric is lost, we reproduce: from the surviving counterpart, from a historic drawing, or from a cast of the moulding. For the windows of the Villa Koebling in Speyer that meant faithful new manufacture where nothing could be saved, and restoration everywhere the old windows were worth keeping.
Native timber for historic houses
On historic properties we use native timbers from the surrounding area wherever possible and sensible. That is not romanticism but has a practical reason: grain, colour and behaviour then match what is already built into the house, and after a few years the new component no longer stands out.
Out of regard for our building heritage we support the German Foundation for Monument Protection with an annual donation.
Working with the heritage authority
Heritage work requires consent, and the authority decides on profile, material, colour and detailing. We agree the execution in advance and supply the documents needed for consent - drawings, section profiles, samples. That costs time at the front and saves demolition at the back.
If you are at the start of a project and do not yet know what is permitted, talk to us before the design is fixed. That is the moment when most can still be saved.
Components of the building
Windows, shutters, doors, staircases and interiors: kept, made good, reproduced to pattern.
Historic furniture
Overhaul and repair of old pieces - making good veneer, releasing and re-gluing joints, building up finishes.
Reproduction to pattern
Where nothing can be saved: faithful new manufacture from the counterpart, a drawing or a cast moulding.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. The restoration of historic furniture, windows, doors and kitchens has been part of our core business for decades. Bring your piece in or send us photographs, and we will assess what can be done and roughly what it involves.
The relevant heritage authority decides case by case. As a rule the aim is that the external appearance and the fabric worth preserving are maintained - profile, bar division, material and colour are the main concerns. That does not exclude modern technology; it simply has to be installed correctly. We agree the execution with the authority before work starts.
Not always in purely financial terms, frequently obligatory under heritage law, and almost always worthwhile in substance. Restoration takes more working hours than new manufacture but preserves the original component and with it the value of the house. We will tell you frankly when a piece cannot be saved - even when the repair would be the larger job.
Regularly. On larger projects the architect, conservator, heritage authority and trades are round the same table anyway. We supply drawings, section profiles and samples and agree the execution so there are no surprises on site.
Get in touch
Have a project in mind? We look forward to hearing from you.