Our Happy Customers

They really are the absolute experts in this

We’ve used Dude and Arnette to repair and maintain our Oast House cowl for many years now. They really are the absolute experts in this, do excellent work, and are a very friendly and highly professional team.

they clearly know their stuff

Darren and his team did a great job replacing our cowl - they clearly know their stuff and the work done was of excellent quality. Darren is easy to deal with and we would highly recommend using him.

Darren, his son Brandon, and their carpentry team did a stellar restoration of our Oast cowl.

The cowl was rotten as it had not been well maintained: the rotting wood could be seen from the ground.

The repair work took about 3 weeks - perfectly reasonable for the various coats of paint that go on top of new timber.
We are very happy with the results and will be using D&A for future maintenance.

It was astonishing to see them at work removing and refitting: fearless at such a height.

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.

This is gold standard craftsmanship

Many thanks to Darren, Brandon and all the team for their most efficient and professional work in replacing our cowl . This is gold standard craftsmanship, using traditional methods and practices; their knowledge and expertise stands testimony to the exceptional and courteous approach displayed by each and every member of the team.

Just a pleasure to deal with a company and people like this and would recommend them to anyone

We had a cowl on our house which had been largely untouched for over 20 years and the vane just sheared off with the wind and rain we had. Darren came up to have a look and sent Brandon and his colleagues up to take it down Repair process took about a month and it just got refitted today. The whole approach was excellent and it looks amazing - in fact it is so white and clean it almost looks out of place!

D&A are the THE specialists to use for oast houses.

The latest work for me includes refurbishment of the cowl, a new top plate and re-coating of the roof; all of which was carried out to the highest standards. What is more, they are great to deal with and nothing is too much trouble. Genuinely good to know and fun to work with.

The best bunch of guys who do the most amazing job!

We used them to redo our entire roof and they were a pleasure to have around. They're a great team, really respectful of your property, really knowledgeable, they love eating cake if you make it for them!

This summer they took an old cowl and restored it into a rotating chair/reading nook/drinking/getting away from everyone place!
It's amazing! The craftmanship is just brilliant and it's my most favourite thing in the whole garden.

Thank you to Darren, Brandon and all the guys at Dude and Arnette

As ever, Darren and his team were great -- a very professional, knowledgeable & friendly service

accompanied with good advice/views/opinions. Rare today to find a team who turn up when they say they will and then undertake the said work to a high standard -- strongly recommended.

Darren, Brandon and team came and restored the kent peg roof on our listed building. They don’t just do oast cowls - they are specialists in all types of roofing.

They also stripped and repainted all our weatherboarding. Darren did a great job in organising everything and the guys worked quickly and proficiently whilst here. I could not fault them at all! Attention to detail was massive and the whole site was left cleaner than when they turned up. The price was also on point. Wouldn’t use anyone else!

I just wanted to thank you for all your fantastic work.

I was so impressed with you and your guys - and it was such a pleasure to deal with you - good old fashioned honest craftsmanship, with no hidden extras - even though it was probably more work than you had bargained for, all done on a handshake... I will, and have, recommended you to all my Oast house owning friends, and will be getting you back when it needs its next overhaul.... Meantime, thank you again, you've been great.

Absolutely brilliant from start to finish

So professional and yet made it all look so easy whilst dismantling and installing a new cowl to our Oast and it looks fabulous! Thank you Darren and team!

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.

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.

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.

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.

Efficient and friendly service

I thoroughly recommend DUDE & ARNETTE for the recent refurbishment and painting works on my cowls, together with associated roofing repairs and lead work. This follows many years of excellent workmanship with an efficient and friendly service.

Henden Farm fresh Oast Cowls

Dude and Arnette built and replaced two existing fibreglass cowls on the oast house on our farm at Henden. Darren Hole carried out some detailed research to ensure that cowls of original design were installed. This was lovely work. The construction and installation went well and today they are in pride of place, enhancing the house itself. Thank you, Darren and your family and team. Much appreciated.

Out with the Old in with the New!

After capping off our kiln and taking off the old cowl, we could see there was no saving it! Darren and his team did a fantastic job, capping off and then totally rebuilding our cowl, using wood and paint, which looks so much more alive than the old fibreglassed version. It is so nice to see a family business protecting a huge part of Kents heritage. Professional, quick and such a fantastically priced job. I would recommend Darren and his team to anyone.

Replacing oast cowls on a shared property

I am very happy to recommend Dude and Arnette. They dealt with the replacement of our oast cowls with great efficiency and expertise. The end result is magnificent. Our tenants were barely disturbed, and the price seemed very fair. Throughout they were a pleasure to deal with, and always prompt to answer queries.

Repairing storm damaged Oast Cowls

Having had storm damage to one of our two cowls I called Darren to ask his help and he came the next day and offered a verbal quote to remove the cowl, make safe and watertight. Two days later he arrived with his team and a crane and removed the cowls and took them away. I was impressed with their professionalism and quality of workmanship and would highly recommend Dude and Arnette.

Refurbishing a well worn cowl

The team were excellent to work with from start to finish, they were very competent and easy going. The end result was a beautiful gleaming white, smoothly rotating cowl. Our neighbours cowls now look even more derelict!

We have them lined up for maintenance work for the next time the cowl needs a service in 5 or so years!

Refurbishing a well worn cowl

From agreement of work to be done to completion of works, everything went to plan including price, timing, quality of workmanship and was carried out by a cheerful, competent and professional team. We have no hesitation in recommend D & A. LH, Hever

Great service restoring cowls and associated work. Dude and Arnette were very flexible on timing, scheduling the work and visits to fit around various timing constraints on my side, and completed the work remarkably quickly. I particularly appreciated the personal attention and responsiveness of Darren (the Director) throughout the process.

Refurbishing a well worn cowl

We had been having problems with our Oast Cowl for some time and decided we needed a professional and experienced team to find the solution. Darren and team inspected our cowl and decided the only option was to remove it for repair at their workshops. We highly recommend Dude & Arnette, Darren and his team were professional and easy-going throughout the whole operation.

Refurbishing a well worn cowl

Dude and Arnette are efficient, workmanlike, knowledgeable and courteous. They are an essential resource for all owners of Oast Houses with cowls.

Refurbishing a well worn cowl

We have owned a triple oast since 1979 and had maintenance on the white Cowls worked on by several different companies.
After having Dude and Arnette renovate the cowls during a complete renovation of the roundels and make new fingers for them from polycarbonate, they have looked good for several years. Their service, fees, quality of paintwork and timeframe was top class and we are very happy. I highly recommend Darren Hole and Dude and Arnette for any Oast maintenance, repair and painting.

Refurbishing a well worn cowl

This is the first time I’ve used Dude and Arnette to renovate the Oast Cowls that have not been looked at for over 10 years.  All the team at Dude and Arnette were friendly and helpful and would recommend them to anyone. We were so pleased with the work carried out we would like an agreement for annual maintenance and every so many years a refresh from Dude and Arnette. Thank you very much!

How we brought this cowl back to life

The customer service offered by Darren and his team is second to none. Darren is very friendly and personable and nothing is ever too much trouble for him. He clearly loves what he does, takes great pride in his work and it shows in the outstanding quality of their product. His company really is a pleasure to do business with. They are professional, dedicated and reliable and we can't speak highly enough of them. We would recommend them without hesitation.

Refurbishing a well worn cowl

This is the second time I’ve used Dude and Arnette to maintain the cowls at our Faversham design office. Darren and his team provide an exceptional, professional service, with no fuss, superb communication and importantly they do what they say, when they say they are going to do it. There were no nasty surprises, and even addressed another issue we had while they were there. I can’t fault their service and would have no hesitation recommending them.

Refurbishing a well worn cowl

Really pleased with the renovation of two cowls. They were in a sorry state and now look great. Dude & Arnette were responsive and got on with the job. Fair price and easy to deal with. Would definitely use again and happy to recommend.

Refurbishing a well worn cowl

We have employed Dude and Arnette to carry out repair works to a double kiln oast in Biddenden and a single kiln oast in Bearsted. We have been most impressed with their service and expertise and have always received prompt
attention and professional care. We are fortunate to have a local and long established family business to carry out these specialist works and would definitely recommend Darren and his team.

Refurbishing a well worn cowl

From the first enquiry Darren and all the team at “Dude and Arnette” were extremely professional. Following storm damage we required a completely new cowl for one of our eighteenth century Oast buildings Frasers at Coldharbour Farm. As we are a diversified farm business, the repairs had to be executed in a tight timeframe. Darren liaised with my roofer and the works were subsequently carried out within the required timescale and to an extremely high standard. I would not hesitate to recommend the team , I am extremely happy with out new cowl, thank-you!

How we brought this cowl back to life

After moving into our Oast house in April, we felt it just missed having its top hat on! Whilst searching the internet for information I came across the Dude and Arnette website, its was really informative and after speaking with them they came and viewed received a quotation, When the team arrived to fix the cross bow they were friendly, knowledgeable and hardworking with a passion for what they do, then the following week there it is in all its glory! - it just completes the house, so pleased and would recommend to any Oast House owner in the country!

How we brought this cowl back to life

Dude and Arnette are one of the most professional businesses that I have worked with. Darren and his team worked tirelessly to achieve the deadline that we required the work to be finished by. I would not hesitate to recommend their business on top of that they are a cracking bunch of blokes!

How we brought this cowl back to life

Dude and Arnette were a joy to deal with They were punctual friendly and very knowledgeable. A thoroughly professional team I would highly recommend at a very competitive price.

How we brought this cowl back to life

When Storm 'Katie' damaged our Oast Cowl and left it looking somewhat precarious I called on Dude and Arnette for help. Darren turned up the following morning to take a look and reassured us that it wasn't about to come down. We were then supplied a quote (which was less than I was expecting it to be) and upon agreement promptly arranged for the work to be started. The guys turned up with a crane removed the cowl, repaired it and returned for the refit all in just a shade over 2 weeks.

What a fantastic job they have done, our cowl which was previously looking pretty dirty and a tad sorry for itself now looks like brand new. Darren and his team are reliable, friendly and always available to answer any questions you may have. I have no hesitation in recommending Dude and Arnette, their standard of work is so good it's a shame we only have the one cowl!

How we brought this cowl back to life

We recently contacted Dude and Arnette to refurbish our two cowls. The previous owner had used Dude and Arnette and we can now understand why. Following our enquiry, Darren very promptly got back to us, we received a quote and everything happened quickly once this was accepted.

We recently contacted Dude and Arnette to refurbish our two cowls. The previous owner had used Dude and Arnette and we can now understand why. Following our enquiry, Darren very promptly got back to us, we received a quote and everything happened quickly once this was accepted. Darren turned up when he said he would and the job was done to a very high standard, it was actually better than what we were anticipating. We certainly would recommend Dude and Arnette and look to use them later in the year for a job that needs to be done during the summer months. Great job, well done.

Saving another cowl!

These guys rock - my Oast cowl was looking and sounding very dodge - they appeared at 09:30 on saturday morning climbed up - tweaked and sorted - 5hr round trip for a 20 minute job - goddamn I love them.

Refurbishing a well worn cowl

I was really delighted with the speed and efficiency with which Darren and his team managed the whole process of refurbishing two cowls that were badly in need of help. They look fantastic now and I recommend Dude & Arnette for the professionalism of their approach and the service we got from them.

Working on the Darling Buds of May farm

I approached Darren just before Christmas and set him a challenge; we needed a Oast cowl redesigned to meet our specific needs and all to a very tight deadline.

How we brought this cowl back to life

Dude and Arnette came recommended as the country’s top specialists on cowl restoration. Because of our oast’s difficult access Darren and his team had to use the traditional way of block and tackle to remove our cowl, and what a great job they did with it. It was delivered back to us a few weeks later like new. It was a pleasure to know that three generations were restoring our cowl and are keeping the tradition alive.
Thanks Dude! (and Arnette)

How we brought this cowl back to life

Last February during some stormy weather our oast cowl blew off and did extensive damage to the roof in the process. Darren and his team quickly came and made us weatherproof and provided a competitive detailed quote so that we could provide our insurers with the necessary detail for the repairs to progress without delay.

How we brought this cowl back to life

Darren and his team recently refurbished our two cowls. Service was delivered right on time and at the price quoted. Best of all, Darren is always quick to respond whenever questions arise about the work. So we were never left wondering what was going on.…and the cowls look great.

How we brought this cowl back to life

We are thrilled to bits with our new cowl! Our poor old cowl was looking the worse for wear after years of no maintenance. It is a landmark in our village, and neighbours use the finger to calculate wind direction before lighting their bonfires. However, we were starting to see daylight through the boards and signs of rot on the finger.

How we brought this cowl back to life

I am sitting in our new conservatory looking up at two beautiful kilns. The weather is autumnly awful: it's pouring with rain and the wind is playing with our cowls.

How we brought this cowl back to life

I would like to thank Darren and his team, including the crane man! For making the whole process painless from the quick removal of a badly weather-damaged poorly cowl to the beautiful, shiny restored one!

It is reassuring to know that there are still skilled craftsmen out there that are prepared to go ‘that extra mile’ to help. Efficient, professional likeable bunch. Many thanks again for a superb job. without delay.

How we brought this cowl back to life

We really couldn't have been happier with the service. After phoning, Darren arrived the next day and we immediately felt in competent, secure hands. A written quote arrived within two days. They stuck to their price totally - no hidden extras!

How we brought this cowl back to life

Having the cowls removed and treated by Dude and Arnette makes the house look like it has had a facelift. The removal process is fascinating to watch and the end result is beautiful clean, white, weatherproofed cowls.

How we brought this cowl back to life

Our Oast house had been without a cowl since the 1940’s and after an extensive refurbishment we finished the work getting a new cowl.

Darren visited us and custom built a new wooden cowl. This was fitted in a couple of hours and was an amazing thing to watch. We are very pleased with the end result. The cowl completes our house and I can highly recommend Darren and his company.

How we brought this cowl back to life

Darren and his team refurbished our oast roof and cowl. We are delighted with the result and moreover appreciative of their expert knowledge, attention to detail, and friendly, professional and impeccable customer service.

How we brought this cowl back to life

We first used Dude & Arnette last May to re-roof our Twin Oast house kilns. This was a large job and one we did not want to repeat any time soon - if ever!! As with everything, we found ourselves faced with many prospective companies - all of whom claimed to be the best at what they did. Where to start?

How we brought this cowl back to life

I recently engaged Dude and Arnette to repair two cowls on my property. They were in such a bad state of repair that two new cowls had to be made.

All the work was carried out within the time scale quoted and within the price quoted and to an extremely high standard. The cowls turned out to be beautiful works of craftmanship and Darren and his team were polite and professional at all times. I would thoroughly recommend them to any other potential customers.

How we brought this cowl back to life

Dude & Arnette helped us tremendously with our recent storm damage to our roundels. The night the storm hit - they arrived first thing the next morning to remove water, make us as water tight as possible and assessed quickly what was required to be undertaken.

They then wrote a very detailed document to our insurers, which enabled us to get a very quick turnaround for the works to start. They started our job very quickly and efficiently and ensured the works were carried out in a professional and thorough manner. They gave us clear and realistic time frames and kept us in the loop at all times. The end result is fantastic and not only is the storm damage repaired but roundels look fabulous!

How we brought this cowl back to life

The Cowl and Kiln roofs of our Grade 2 Listed Maltings development in the historical town of Ware were badly dilapidated and required total replacement. Dude and Arnotte were tasked with the job of rebuilding the same and Darren and his team worked tirelessly with a passion, with a result that delighted both ourselves and the Heritage department of the local council. We found Dude and Arnette to be efficient and professional at all times and would have no hesitation in recommending them to anyone.