The short answer
Heritage restoration in Kensington usually means careful repair of Victorian and Georgian stucco houses inside a conservation area, often with listed building consent from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Ushii carries out this work with directly employed trades, like for like materials and a full record of every repair.
What makes Kensington property different
Much of Kensington was built in the nineteenth century as stucco fronted terraces, villas and garden squares. A large share of the borough sits within conservation areas, and many individual houses are listed, so the front elevation, roofline, railings and often the interior are protected.
Stucco is a lime based render that needs to breathe. Years of cement patching and plastic paint are the most common causes of the cracking and damp we see on Kensington facades.
High end and heritage work we carry out in Kensington
Typical instructions include stucco and cornice repair, redecoration in breathable paints, sash window overhaul and draught proofing, roof and parapet repairs, and full internal refurbishment that keeps original plasterwork, joinery and fireplaces.
Where clients want modern living, we install new kitchens, bathrooms, heating and electrics in a way that avoids cutting into historic fabric, and we plan service routes before the design is fixed.
Consent, conservation and the people involved
Work to a listed building in Kensington needs listed building consent, and external changes in a conservation area are often controlled even when the house is not listed. We work alongside your architect or heritage consultant and the borough's conservation team so the method is agreed before work starts.
Party wall agreements, parking suspensions and scaffold licences are common on Kensington streets, so we build them into the programme from the outset.
How Ushii runs a heritage project
Every trade on an Ushii project is directly employed by us, from bricklayers and carpenters to roofers and lead workers. The person who prices the job is responsible for the people building it, and the same team stays from scaffold to handover.
We use like for like materials as standard on period fabric: lime mortar rather than cement, hand made clay tiles or natural slate, leadwork dressed by hand, and joinery copied from the original profiles. A recent example is our roof restoration at the Jamaican High Commission, a Grade II listed building in central London, where every tile, ridge and flashing was agreed in advance.
You get a written record at the end of what was done, where, and with what material. That matters for future consents, for insurers and for anyone who buys the house after you.
Planning work on a period home in Kensington?
The best time to talk to a builder is before anything is drawn. We can visit, look at the building with you, tell you honestly what consent is likely to involve and give you a realistic view of programme and cost. Get in touch through our contact page and a director will arrange a visit.