Heritage Construction Specialists in Brighton & Hove
Safe-Bricks Limited is a Brighton-based construction company specialising in the repair and improvement of older properties.
We believe older buildings should be understood before they are treated
Led by Director and Project Manager Rupert DE LA MARE, we combine more than ten years of practical construction experience with specialist knowledge of the Regency, Victorian and Edwardian buildings found throughout Brighton & Hove.
Our work focuses on bungaroosh, lime render, lime plaster and the moisture-related problems affecting traditional solid-wall properties.
Many local homes were constructed using bungaroosh, flint, lime mortar, soft brick and mixed masonry. These materials behave differently from modern cavity-wall construction and can be damaged by inappropriate repairs.
Our role is to identify how the property was originally built, establish why deterioration is occurring and develop a repair approach that works with the existing building.
How Safe-Bricks developed its specialist approach
Safe-Bricks began with broad practical experience across residential construction, including structural alterations, plastering, rendering, kitchens, bathrooms, decorating and general property improvements.
Working on older Brighton & Hove properties repeatedly exposed a wider problem. Homes affected by damp, mould and failed finishes had often already received modern damp-proofing treatments. Walls had been chemically injected, tanked, covered in gypsum plaster, coated with cement render or sealed with non-breathable paint.
In many cases, the visible symptoms had returned because the underlying building had not been properly understood. The problem was not always a missing waterproof barrier. It was often a leaking roof, defective gutter, plumbing fault, condensation issue or traditional wall that could no longer release moisture effectively.
This experience shaped the way Safe-Bricks now approaches older properties. We do not begin with a predetermined damp-proofing product. We begin with the building.
Understanding Brighton & Hove's housing stock
Brighton and Hove contain an unusual concentration of traditional buildings. A rendered Regency façade may conceal bungaroosh, flint, chalk, brick fragments, rubble and timber. A Victorian terrace may contain solid brick and lime mortar but later cement and gypsum finishes. An Edwardian house may combine traditional materials with increasingly modern construction techniques.
Different areas of the same property may also have been built or altered using completely different materials. This means that a damp patch, crack or failed section of plaster cannot always be diagnosed from the visible surface alone.
As traditional building specialists in Brighton, we consider:
- The age and construction of the property
- Whether walls contain bungaroosh, flint, brick or mixed masonry
- The condition of roofs, gutters, chimneys and parapets
- Plumbing and drainage defects
- External ground levels
- Ventilation and condensation
- Previous damp treatments
- Internal and external finishes
- Whether the wall can manage and release moisture
- The condition of the underlying building fabric
Our recommendations are based on what is actually present within the building, not what is assumed to be behind the surface.
Our view of damp in older properties
Standard damp treatments may be unsuitable where the wall construction and moisture source have not first been properly identified. Chemical injections, waterproof tanking, dense cementitious systems and gypsum plaster may be appropriate in some modern locations. However, they can restrict drying when used on traditional solid walls that depend on vapour- and moisture-permeable materials.
For many heritage property repairs in Brighton, the correct sequence is:
- 1.Identify the construction
- 2.Establish the source of moisture
- 3.Repair active leaks or defects
- 4.Assess whether existing materials are restricting drying
- 5.Remove incompatible finishes where justified
- 6.Repair damaged bungaroosh or masonry
- 7.Reinstate suitable lime render or lime plaster
- 8.Allow appropriate curing and drying
- 9.Complete the work with compatible decoration
Lime is not used as a substitute for correcting an active leak. It forms part of a wider repair strategy that allows traditional walls to manage moisture more appropriately once the original defect has been addressed.
Practical experience, not product-led treatment
Safe-Bricks is a construction contractor, not a product-led damp-treatment company. Our approach is informed by practical work on properties where we have encountered:
- Cement render concealing weakened bungaroosh
- Plumbing leaks causing hidden wall deterioration
- Gypsum plaster failing on damp solid walls
- Salt contamination remaining after water damage
- Defective parapets and rainwater goods saturating masonry
- Hard cement repairs failing against softer materials
- Mould returning where walls remain cold, damp and sealed
- Modern coatings undermining lime-based repair systems
Wherever practical, we retain sound original material. Historic flints, bricks and sections of bungaroosh do not need to be replaced simply because they are irregular or different from modern construction. When rebuilding is required, defective areas are removed carefully and repaired in controlled stages using methods compatible with the surrounding wall.
How we manage projects
Rupert oversees the assessment, planning and management of Safe-Bricks projects. Our aim is to provide clients with a clear explanation of the problem, the proposed solution and the work included within the quotation.
Our working approach includes:
- Construction-led assessment
- Clear repair recommendations
- Itemised labour and material costs
- Fixed prices for the agreed scope
- Photographic records where required
- Coordination of related trades
- Direct communication throughout the work
- A ten-year workmanship warranty
Where unexpected concealed defects are discovered, they are documented and discussed before additional work proceeds.
Specialist and general property services
Our core specialist services focus on the repair and reinstatement of traditional solid-wall buildings. We also provide general property improvement services that benefit from the same understanding of older constructions.
Core specialist services
General property services
Our kitchen, bathroom and decorating services are separate from our heritage specialism, but they benefit from the same understanding of older buildings. A bathroom removal may expose weakened bungaroosh. A kitchen refurbishment may reveal historic leaks or failed plaster. Decorative coatings must also be chosen carefully where lime finishes are present.
How we approach every building
Understand Before Treating
We identify the construction and investigate the cause before recommending substantial work.
Correct the Moisture Source
Roofs, gutters, plumbing, ventilation and external defects must be considered before new finishes are applied.
Use Compatible Materials
Where traditional construction is present, we select repair materials suited to the existing wall.
Retain Sound Original Fabric
We avoid unnecessary removal and preserve stable historic materials wherever practical.
Explain the Work Clearly
Clients receive a defined scope and an itemised quotation for the agreed work.
TRAINING
The Safe-Bricks Heritage Construction Academy
Specialist repair work on traditional solid-wall buildings demands specialist knowledge. The Academy is our own internal training programme, covering how Brighton & Hove's historic housing was built, how bungaroosh, flint and lime materials behave, and how to investigate, report and repair them correctly.
Every member of our staff must complete and pass the course, with 100% correct answers required to pass. Training is completed module by module, in sequence, with practical competency signed off by management before an employee works unsupervised on heritage fabric.
Access the training portalContact heritage construction specialists in Brighton & Hove
Older properties should not be repeatedly injected, sealed or covered without understanding why damp or deterioration is occurring. For many Brighton & Hove homes, the lasting repair involves correcting the moisture source, removing unsuitable materials where necessary and reinstating appropriate lime render and lime plaster so the traditional wall can dry effectively.