restoration man

[formerly known as]

Good morning,

I had the misfortune to watch restoration man last night.

If you heard me shouting at the television, I apologise.

The presenter would appear to know nothing about historic building conservation / adaptive reuse.

It beats me why the producers of such programmes don't use people that are suitably qualified / experienced to do so.

FKA.

 

[MatthewC]

Actually, often they do know but they just hardly ever offer such advice. If it was young George Thingy you saw, he knows his stuff but he just never advises people that what they are doing is not good for the longevity of the building - he stands there and says "wonderful" while I (like you) am shouting at him!

 

[plasticpigeon]

Everything is beautiful. He has redefined the word.

 

[88v8]

There are reasons why I don't have a television.

Ivor

 

[plasticpigeon]

I flicked through the channels last night and I realised that many of the programs are fly on the wall programs about rich people. Made in Chelsea, Britains flashiest families, housewives of wherever, any house program, basically rich ***** pissing about. This can only fuel envy.

 

[formerly known as]

there is a Hawksmoor quote regarding 'unskilled knavish labour' ................ equally applicable today as it was then.

 

[malcolm]

I don't think they would be able to make any programmes if they had to find people who were going to do things properly. Making houses last by making them breathable and flexible is not mainstream. It is far more common to find people underpinning and using cement despite it being a more expensive, less robust, and less maintainable option.

My favourite is a recent Grand Designs where an architect built his own house using fashionable and expensive glue laminated beams, stuck a sweaty tin roof on top, then spray foam insulated the roof just to make sure it wouldn't last more than 10 years.

I quite like George. The thing that worries me is if a new season of George has started it must be winter, but I've still not started my rendering.

 

[formerly known as]

don't start it now.

 

[malcolm]

don't start it now.

We've got a thread on that - http://www.periodproperty.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=15256

 

[Penners]

I quite like George.

I haven't watched this programme for fear of it raising my blood pressure, but if you're talking about George Clarke, I do watch his "Amazing Spaces" and thoroughly enjoy it. It's about nothing more nor less than glorified sheds of all kinds, and features some incredibly quirky structures, mostly built by quirky people. It's just fun.

 

[formerly known as]

Malcolm - I still wouldn't start it now. I ceased external lime work in early September (and that was on a warm south face)

Penners - 'amazing spaces' are one thing, ensuring the on-going preservation of an irreplaceable heritage asset is something else. Wholesale replacement of repairable fabric, the use of unsuitable modern materials, poor workmanship and the conjectural installation of fairy-tale whimsy is not what historic building conservation should be about - people see this sort of thing on t.v and think that it is acceptable because a) - it is on t.v, and b) - because an ill informed presenter says that it is all good.

 

[Penners]

No argument from me, FKA. As I said, I haven't watched 'Restoration Man' for fear of witnessing the horrors you describe.

 

[formerly known as]

Penners - apologies if I came over as being argumentative .... not intended!

 

[Penners]

Nothing better than a good argument, FKA, (not that this qualified as one in any way)!

 

[Zebra]

I love this forum and its politesse. Elsewhere on the internet you'd have been calling each other all sorts by now.

 

[formerly known as]

Agreed. I hate keyboard warrior shaped verbal abuse.

 

[Penners]

I love this forum and its politesse. Elsewhere on the internet you'd have been calling each other all sorts by now.

You should have been here a few years ago. There was blood on the walls....!

 

[formerly known as]

I love this forum and its politesse. Elsewhere on the internet you'd have been calling each other all sorts by now.

You should have been here a few years ago. There was blood on the walls....!

Evelyn!

 

[LadyArowana]

I love this forum and its politesse. Elsewhere on the internet you'd have been calling each other all sorts by now.

You should have been here a few years ago. There was blood on the walls....!

Evelyn!

Some people are just not happy bunnies, the internet gives them an opportunity to generate attention and controversy in relative anonymity.