Independent pathology surveys, repair specifications, and published field notes on pre-1919 timber-framed and solid-wall buildings.

Gideon Mercer is an independent historic building advisor based in Shrewsbury, preparing conflict-free condition surveys, damp diagnostics, and traditional repair specifications across the Welsh Marches. This personal practice page is free of third-party advertising and algorithmic feed-ranking, shows no follower counts, and keeps all writing, projects, and technical notes exportable and portable to the practitioner's own domain.

ExpertiseOak frame pathology, lime mortars, and solid-wall moisture diagnostics
IndependenceFee-only advice; no contractor commissions or chemical damp-proofing ties
Writing & archiveOpen-access technical field notes and specification monographs
Publishing & portabilityAd-free, no feed-ranking or follower counts; full archive portable to gideonmercer.example.com

Advisory services, technical writing & published monographs

All surveys are conducted personally on site using non-destructive capacitance and carbide-meter moisture profiling, borescope inspection, and mortar analysis. Published field papers are available to read or request without registration.

Pre-Purchase Historic Fabric & Timber Survey£680

Full day on site + written reportFull day on-site inspection of sole plates, cruck or box-frame joints, roof trusses, and solid masonry, followed by a prioritised repair schedule
Solid-Wall Damp & Breathability Investigation£420

Half-day site survey + lab notesDiagnostic separation of rainwater defects, bridging cement renders, and condensation, with specification for hot-mixed lime replacement
Oak-Frame Repair Specification & Carpenter Schedule£850

2–3 weeks preparationJoint-by-joint measured drawings and scarf-joint specifications so specialist carpenters price against the same conservation scope
Writing — Field Note No. 14: Sole-Plate Decay Behind Cement Plinths£0

Published monograph · 202628-page illustrated technical paper documenting moisture accumulation in 17th-century Shropshire box-frames (PDF & print monograph)
Writing — Field Note No. 11: Hot-Mixed Quicklime Mortar Proportions for Local Red Sandstone£0

Published monograph · 2025Practical site guide to aggregate grading, slaking temperatures, and frost protection for builders and custodians

Fixed fees are confirmed in writing once floor plans and listing descriptions are reviewed. Mileage within 35 miles of Shrewsbury is included.

Send a project enquiry or request a field note

Describe the building age, construction type, and the question you need answered. Gideon replies directly within two working days.

Nature of enquiry

Building type, approximate date & listing status

e.g. 17th-century Grade II box-frame cottage, unlisted Victorian solid-brick farmhouse

Town or postcode

Defect summary, project scope, or writing request

Outline any visible timber decay, damp concerns, mortgage conditions, or planned repair timescale.

Your name

Email address

Used only to respond to your enquiry and send requested monographs.

Telephone (optional)

Photo to come · Architect's oak desk with measured hand-drawn timber-frame elevation drawings, callipers, and lime mortar samples

Who you'll see

Gideon MercerHistoric building conservation advisor (Credentials & background)
Twenty-two years inspecting and specifying repairs for vernacular timber-framed houses, parish rooms, and agricultural barns across Shropshire, Herefordshire, and Powys. Former site carpenter and post-graduate researcher in traditional lime mortars; verified academic and project credentials are provided directly on written terms of engagement.

House rules

Published writing & open technical notes: Rather than posting short fragments on third-party social networks, Gideon publishes complete technical field notes on oak carpentry repairs, lime renders, and moisture monitoring that custodians, architects, and builders can cite and download directly.
Free of third-party advertising and feed-ranking: This practice site contains no third-party advertising, no algorithmic feed-ranking, and no follower counts or artificial endorsement badges. Articles and project notes appear in chronological order.
Portable domain & plain-text longevity: All essays, project case notes, drawings, and enquiry forms are authored in clean, structured files that remain wholly exportable and portable to the practitioner's own domain for long-term archival stability.
Strict independence from remedial contractors: The practice sells only inspection time, diagnostics, and specifications. We never take referral fees from damp-proofing companies, timber-treatment contractors, or material suppliers.

Photo to come · Close-up of a traditional green-oak scarf joint pegged with cleft oak draw-pegs in a historic wall frame

Photo to come · Field notebook open beside a brass lens and graded sand aggregate jars on a workbench

Selected projects & how an instruction proceeds

Project record — 16th-Century Jettied Townhouse, Ludlow (Sole-plate & infill repair) Specified the careful jacking and green-oak scarf repair of a decayed corner post and replacement of cracked cement panels with haired lime daub over riven oak laths.
Project record — Former Maltings Barn, Bishop's Castle (Roof truss & sandstone gable) Prepared structural carpenter drawings and hot-mixed lime pointing trials to stabilise wind-shaken queen-post trusses without introducing concealed steel flitch plates.
Step 1 — Initial desk review & scope agreement Send photographs, postcode, and any existing survey extracts. Gideon confirms whether a targeted defect visit or full fabric survey is appropriate and issues a fixed-fee letter.
Step 2 — Site inspection, written report & follow-up call Following the site inspection, you receive an illustrated plain-English report with repair priorities, mortar mixes, and a 45-minute telephone walkthrough.

Practice area across the Welsh Marches

Operating from St Mary's Street in Shrewsbury, covering historic buildings within roughly one hour's travel:

Shrewsbury, Ludlow & Much Wenlock (Shropshire)
Leominster, Kington & North Herefordshire
Montgomery, Welshpool & Eastern Powys
Chester & the Dee Valley (by arrangement)

Find us

14a St Mary's Street, Shrewsbury SY1 1EQ

Opening hours
Monday – Wednesday	Site inspections across Shropshire & the Marches
Thursday – Friday	09:00 – 17:30 (Shrewsbury study & telephone enquiries)
Saturday & Sunday	Closed

gideon@mercerconservation.example.com

Photo to come · Black-and-white timber-framed buildings along a quiet street in Shrewsbury in morning light

Asked at the counter

Why does this practice publish long-form field notes on its own domain instead of social platforms?

Technical conservation guidance needs stable URLs, clear diagrams, and zero interference from third-party advertising or algorithmic feed-ranking. Hosting on an owned, portable domain means clients and contractors can reference our notes without logins or follower counts.

Can I export or cite the published field notes?

Yes. Every field note and project summary is kept in a portable, standards-compliant format on our own domain and may be shared with your architect, conservation officer, or site carpenter.

How do you verify credentials without displaying generic badges?

We do not use unverifiable web badges. Full details of academic qualifications, professional indemnity cover, and relevant historic-building project references are included in our written terms of engagement before you instruct us.

A mortgage valuer has asked for a chemical damp-proof course in a timber-framed cottage. Can you help?

Yes. We carry out gravimetric and capacitance moisture profiling to identify the actual moisture source—often high external ground levels or cement pointing—and provide an evidence-backed report suitable for lenders and insurers.