Old Timber Frame Buildings: Repair and Maintenance

sloper black and white timber house
(Image credit: Jeremy Phillips)

Taking on the renovation of an old home can be an incredibly rewarding experience. When it comes to period timber frame homes, like this beautifully renovated 16th-century cottage (pictured above), the frame itself requires its own suite of repairs and remedial actions.

For those timber frame homes which have not been clad with brick or lime render, the exposed timber has likely taken some battering from the elements over the centuries — and in recent years, may have been covered by inappropriate modern materials. These timbers may, therefore, be in need of some repair.

Claire Lloyd

Claire is Editor in Chief of Homebuilding & Renovating website and magazine. She became Editor of Homebuilding & Renovating in 2016 and has been a member of the team for 15 years. An experienced homes journalist, her work has also appeared in titles such as Real Homes and Period Living.


She has a particular interest in green homes and sustainability, and interior design is a passion too; she has undertaken qualifications in this area. 


After finishing a major renovation of a period cottage, she is now onto her next project: overhauling a 1930s property in the Shropshire countryside.