How it works cowl repairs

No Obligations, specialist support

Oast Cowl Repairs

1

a no-obligation visit

We always meet our customers in person to discuss cowl repairs, it’s part of our dedication to quality and service. The initial visit will be a brief and informal chat with our director Darren Hole to understand exactly what you need. It will also help us to check access for removing the cowl – to see if it’s best to use a crane or scaffolding. Shortly after this visit, we will post you a written quotation with a breakdown of costs.

2

removing the cowl

Depending on your access, we will remove the cowl using scaffolding or a crane. This will be fast and hassle-free. For example, crane cowl removal typically takes around 1 hour and causes very little disruption. We will then cap the building securely to protect against weather and any would-be nesting wildlife.

3

specialist refurbishment

Once we have transported the cowl to our workshop, we will sand it completely to remove the existing layers of old paint.

We then place the cowl in a special drying room to remove any moisture from the wood before we begin repair work. Depending on the cowl’s condition, this may include replacing boards, heads, main frame repairs or curb repairs, which is the main structure of the cowl. During this stage we re-treat and weatherproof any cut timber.

Once the wood is restored, we begin the paintwork to return the cowl to its former glory. Most clients prefer a traditional white finish, but we can use other colours if you prefer. For optimum appearance and weatherproofing, we give each cowl five coats of paint – a primer with two undercoats and two finishes.

Once we’re done, our team will replace the oast cowl at a time of your convenience with minimum fuss.

“

Excellent servicing of the cowls of our oast house.

Darren, Brandon and the team manually removed all three cowls (we have no access for a cherry picker/crane), meticulously restored them to their full glory, then reinstalled them using just manpower and ropes. Very impressive to watch and amazing to have such a friendly team of guys still skilled in the Victorian methods of cowl lifting and removal! Excellent new animal motifs as well.

Anna Carmichael

How long does it take?

From start to finish, a standard cowl refurbishment typically takes around four weeks. (If you have an urgent order, please see our FAQ page for more details.)

Constructing new cowls

In some cases, where the cowls have been severely damaged, it may be more cost-effective to build a new traditional wooden cowl rather than carry out all of the repairs needed. New cowls typically take two weeks to construct and then 1 week to paint. We use Russian/Scandinavian white wood, which is treated to be weather resistant and durable. If we feel that this is best, we will always advise clients in advance and discuss the options.