The UK’s market leaderOast cowl repair, construction & restoration

Dude and Arnette are a fourth generation family business. Our team specialises in oast cowl repair, construction and maintenance. Wherever you live in the UK, if you have a building with an oast cowl (the distinctive chimneys on the top of oast houses) then it’s almost certain it will have been serviced by one of our family at some point in its life. From royalty to business and regular homeowners, we have been the go-to oast house repair company for over seven decades.

We offer complete oast cowl servicing, whether that be fully refurbishing, painting, providing replacement parts and professional cleaning. Our servicing also includes expert roofing maintenance, from structural support to small tile repairs, we’ve got you covered!

Get in touch to find out how we can help you.

As Featured In

Traditionally built wooden oast cowls

As a family business, we place great stock in values such as trust and integrity. Constructing oast cowls takes great skill and precision, and our team are all highly trained craftsmen. We’re proud that we don’t use subcontractors – we would never risk compromising the quality of our work or our reputation.

Oast cowl repair and maintenance

The longevity of your oast cowl is a passion of ours, we will help maintain and repair any damage to extend its life and avoid more expensive work in the future. Despite our keen sense of tradition(yes we have a thing or two to say about fibreglass Oast cowls), but we’re a very modern business and are committed to delivering quality work while minimising cost for our clients.

Our Testimonials

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Richard H | April 2021

Would not hesitate to recommend to others

I would have to say this ‘traditional art’ remains alive and kicking with Dude and Arnette! Darren and his team are highly knowledgeable and extremely professional in their field.
Our refurbishment of three individual cowls has been undertaken to a very high standard, with the future-proofing in mind to prevent further leakage’s for the initial poor design.
Measurements were taken and a ‘bespoke’ surface created back in the workshop, prior to one site installation.

Richard H

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Rosemary | March 2021

We know we can rely on D&A to do what's needed in a professional and efficient way

We love living in our oast house, but it demands expert, tender loving care from time to time. Darren and his team have previously refurbished our cowls and the rendered coating on our cones. Now our appearance has been further improved by works to the black weatherboarding on the barn section of our home. We'll be in touch again when the next facelift is required as we know we can rely on D&A to do what's needed in a professional and efficient way -- Rosemary

Rosemary March 2021

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Paul | November 2020

Your pride in and enthusiasm for what you do shines through

We are delighted with the new cowl for our oast. From your first contact with us to the moment it was up, we have appreciated your sensible advice and efficient service. For us, it has been a real pleasure to employ a local family firm that is keeping traditional skills alive, building each new cowl in the way it has always been done. On top of that, we got the thrill of watching you work as the old cowl was lifted off, and then again as the new one was lifted up - even the neighbours stopped to watch that! Unlike the creaky old cowl, it replaced, our new cowl turns in the slightest breeze, and we look at it knowing that we have a piece of genuine craftsmanship that will last. Your pride in and enthusiasm for what you do shines through" -- Paul

Paul Nov 2020

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Barry | September 2020

Appreciation for Cowl Work

The cowl of our oast house has, over past two winter storms, developed a horrid noise. Just prior to Covid-19 lockdown, we sought quotes for investigation and repairs. Dude & Arnette (D&A) were not the cheapest, but we were impressed by the attitude of Darren Hole (MD).

Lockdown destroyed our planned schedule as D&A took a responsible approach towards their staff and clients. Our confidence was fully justified as almost like clockwork, work has this month proceeded speedily. Scaffolding by High Score was efficiently and pleasantly carried out, D&A team worked together so well with Darren Hole keeping a close eye. Work required was not so much cowl but support of centre post which rectified. Now with recent high winds no noise or leaks and cowl looking smart. Thank you Darren & Team.

Barry

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Sofia | August 2020

I recommend Darren and the team very highly

I suffered significant storm damage to my Oast cowl, the result of which was the cowl leaning horribly and flapping around dangerously, causing damage to the roof and looking like it could topple off with the slightest gust of wind. Darren popped round within hours of speaking to him, agreed that fast action was needed and had the cowl off and the roof weatherproofed within a couple of days. There was then a massive delay (due entirely to errors made by my home insurers) which must have caused issues for Darren, but he was patient and understanding throughout. Once the insurers sorted out their issues, Darren was back in a flash to repair the roof and replace the beautifully restored cowl to a very high standard. He even threw in one of their awesome t-shirts! I recommend Darren and the team very highly.

Sofia

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Rob Bird | April 2019

We would have no hesitation in recommending Dude and Arnette

Dude and Arnette did a great job re-roofing a significant portion of our house. Although we have no oast, we have an old peg tile roof with a complex structure and the elderly timbers were in very poor condition. We would have no hesitation in recommending Dude and Arnette.

Rob Bird

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