What We Do
Family owned & operated since 1937
Cleaning, painting, specialist repair, Roofing & more
We’ve been refurbishing oast cowls since 1937, which has given us plenty of time to hone our skills in many areas of repair. From cleaning and painting to specialist wood repair, we’re a handy bunch to have on hand when jobs need to get done quickly and efficiently.
Regular servicing is one of the most effective ways to protect the lifespan of your oast cowl and prevent more expensive repair work in the future. At Dude & Arnette, we provide specialist oast cowl servicing across Kent, Sussex and throughout the UK, helping homeowners keep their cowls safe, weatherproof and fully operational.
Our specialist team can construct bespoke wooden oast cowls that blend seamlessly into their environment and last for generations. We also offer a specialist refurbishment package for fibreglass oast cowls but do not recommend or install these from new.
In our humble opinion, there’s nothing more pleasing than a freshly painted oast cowl against a bright blue sky. Call us romantic but if you wish to keep your oast cowls in top condition then we can be of service, ensuring each cowl is taken down carefully, sanded and dried out. They are then given five coats of paint to ensure maximum durability against the elements.
If your cowls have seen better days then we’re here to assist! Whether they’ve been weather-beaten, rotted or simply need a spruce, our team will assess the situation and chat you through what we can do to restore them to ship-shape condition.
By investing in a regular cleaning routine, you can extend the life of your oast house and owls, ensuring any potential problems are identified before expensive work is needed and restore them to their former glory.
Kiln roofs need regular maintenance to avoid collapse, our team use traditional methods (perfected over 4 generations) to weatherproof and protect your roof, including stripping and replacing missing tiles. If you have Kent peg tiles we are also able to maintain these.
As experts in all things oast related, our team are able to take on a wide range of carpentry and joinery jobs too. Every build is different, and our bespoke approach allows us to tackle a wide range of carpentry challenges. From soft to hard woods, our expert team can pitch brand new roofs, repair existing ones or install wooden fascias and soffits.
Fancy giving your oast cowl that extra pizzazz? Our experts can craft and fit new support arms, arms, motifs and fingers for GRP cowls – perfecting the look and structure of your cowl.
Whether restoring or maintaining your property, it is important to preserve the integrity and the original aesthetics. Dude & Arnette, as Oast roof specialists and experts, believe that Tudor Roof Tiles offer the best handmade peg tiles.
Roof build, repair, tiles &more
Did you know we also specialise in building and repairing roofs? As a family business, we’ve restored and built different types of roofs across the country for over 75 years.
Need some roof work? Apart from being the UK’s leading restorer and repairer of traditional Kent oast cowls, we also build all kinds of pitched roofing, from flat fibreglass roofs to oak and timber frame builds. We use traditional methods including Kent peg tiles which have been used since the 13th century.
Kent peg tiles are the original and traditional tiles used on a variety of buildings in Kent and Sussex, with some dating as far back as the 13th century. Made from clay and brick earth, each tile is hung by two wooden pegs, and is smaller in size than standard peg tiles.
And the list goes on!
Replacing ironwork and lead work for kiln tops · Weather-proofing brick kiln roofs · Building traditional wooden kiln roofs, both round and square · GRP valleys · Painting and decorating
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.
Kate Ky
Oldest in the UK
Why choose us?
The longest-running oast cowl company in the UK, Dude and Arnette has been restoring and maintaining cowls for over seven decades. Still a family business today, our specialists retain the knowledge, skill and experience required to faithfully maintain and restore traditional oast cowls. And we make a damn good cuppa – which is, of course, an Englishman’s finest quality.