1 London Road, Alderley Edge, Cheshire, SK9 7JU info@kiif.co.uk01625 830714 HomeAboutServicesBuilding ContractorsOne contract for the whole buildNew BuildBespoke homes and developmentsRenovationWhole-house renovation programmesRefurbishment & RestorationPeriod buildings brought up to dateLandscapingExternal works and hard landscapingPlasteringSkimming, rendering and lime workJoineryStructural carpentry and fitted joineryRoofingNew roofs, re-roofing and repairsGroundworksFoundations, drainage and site works View all services Areas We CoverCounties & Regions - Alderley EdgeOur home village: office and yard on London Road. - CheshireCounty-wide building work from our Alderley Edge base. - ManchesterPeriod refurbishment and commercial fit-out in South Manchester. - LancashireNew builds and conversions north of the Cheshire border. - YorkshireStone-built property and rural schemes across the county. - MerseysideCommercial conversions and coastal refurbishment work. Towns - WilmslowTwo miles from base: extensions, refurbishment and conversions. - KnutsfordTown centre period property and rural barn conversions. - MacclesfieldStone terraces, hillside sites and retaining structures. - PrestburyHigh-specification homes delivered discreetly. - StockportResidential, commercial and industrial work across the borough. - BramhallSuburban extensions and remodelling on close-packed plots. View all areas we cover Our WorkReviewsContact01625 830714Request an Estimate - Home - Services - Refurbishment & RestorationRefurbishment & restoration # Period Restoration AndRefurbishment AcrossCheshire An older house can be brought up to modern comfort without stripping out what made it worth buying. We restore and modernise existing and period buildings with our own joiners, bricklayers and plasterers, protecting the character and integrity of the property while the fabric, services and layout are brought into this century. Request an Estimate01625 830714 Family-run in Alderley Edge with more than 40 years in construction, working on residential, commercial and period buildings. 40+ years Working on existing and period buildings as well as new construction. Directly employed Joiners, bricklayers and plasterers who do restoration detail themselves. In-house support Estimating, procurement and client liaison handled by our own office team. Family-run Keep It In Family, David Cain on delivery, Victoria Kennedy on project management and design. The service ## Restoration, modernisation and remodelling of existing buildings Refurbishment is the discipline of working with what is already there. Unlike a new build, you cannot fully specify the starting point: walls are not plumb, floors are not level, timbers have moved, and previous owners have made decisions you now have to work around. Progress therefore depends on investigation and judgement, not just on labour. KIIF carries out sympathetic restoration, modernisation and remodelling of existing and period buildings. That covers the visible craft, lime plaster, traditional joinery, brick and stone repair, sash windows, cornices and staircases, and the invisible engineering that determines whether the building is comfortable: insulation appropriate to a solid-wall construction, ventilation, heating, rewiring and drainage. The distinction we hold to is between restoring and replacing. Original joinery repaired is almost always better than modern joinery installed, and it is frequently cheaper across the life of the building. Where a component is genuinely beyond repair, it is replaced to match in profile, material and detail rather than to whatever the merchant stocks. We work alongside conservation professionals, structural engineers and architects where the building is listed or in a conservation area, and we sequence works so that investigation happens before commitments are made. Opening up a small area first is how you avoid pricing a job on hope. ### Who this is for - Owners of period and character properties in Cheshire needing sensitive upgrade rather than replacement - Buyers of a house that needs full refurbishment before they can move in - Clients whose building is cold, damp or poorly laid out but structurally sound - Owners of listed or conservation-area buildings who need work done to the correct standards - Landlords and commercial owners refurbishing premises between occupancies What poor delivery costs ## How the wrong refurbishment damages a building Refurbishment done badly does not simply look poor, it actively shortens the life of the fabric. These are the failures that are expensive precisely because they were carried out with good intentions. ### Trapping moisture in solid walls Cement render, gypsum plaster and impermeable paint on a solid-wall building stop it breathing. Moisture is then held in the masonry, salts crystallise, plaster blows and timbers in contact with the wall begin to rot. ### Insulating without ventilating Sealing an older house without a ventilation strategy moves condensation to the coldest surfaces. Mould appears in corners, behind wardrobes and around reveals, and the occupants are blamed for drying washing indoors. ### Stripping out irreplaceable detail Original doors, cornices, staircases, floorboards and sash windows removed for speed cannot be bought back. Both the character and a substantial part of the market value leave in the skip. ### Ignoring water before finishes Redecorating over a failed gutter, cracked haunching or defective flashing means the same wall is redecorated every eighteen months. Water always has to be resolved at the source first. ### Rewiring and plumbing without a plan Chasing services through historic plaster and structural timbers to reach a socket position nobody thought about causes permanent damage for the sake of an afternoon's convenience. ### Pricing without opening up Quoting a full refurbishment without investigating the roof structure, floors and hidden fabric produces a low figure and a stream of variations. Investigating first produces a realistic figure and far fewer surprises. Our process ## A fixed sequence, so you always know what happens next - Step 1 ### Survey and investigation We inspect the building in detail, roof, rainwater goods, walls, floors, timbers, services and drainage, and open up small trial areas where the construction cannot be read from the surface. - Step 2 ### Diagnosis and priorities We identify what is actively damaging the building and separate it from what is merely tired. Water ingress, structural movement and rot are dealt with before a single decorative decision is made. - Step 3 ### Scope, estimate and approvals In-house estimators price the work in stages so you can phase it if you prefer. Where the building is listed or in a conservation area, we coordinate with conservation officers and your design team. - Step 4 ### Fabric repairs and enabling works Roof, rainwater goods, masonry, timber repair and damp resolution, along with structural works, temporary protection of retained finishes, and careful removal and storage of anything to be reinstated. - Step 5 ### Services, insulation and finishes Rewiring, plumbing, heating and ventilation coordinated with breathable insulation upgrades, then lime or gypsum plastering as appropriate, joinery repair and reinstatement, tiling and decoration. - Step 6 ### Verification, reinstatement and handover Services tested and commissioned, retained features reinstated, moisture-sensitive finishes given proper drying time, snagging closed out and the building handed back with a record of what was done. What you get ## The practical difference a directly employed team makes ### Character kept, comfort gained You end up with an older building that holds its heat and its detail, rather than a modernised interior that could be anywhere. ### Repairs that address the cause Diagnosing water, movement and ventilation before finishes means you decorate once instead of repeatedly treating the same symptom. ### Fabric that lasts Breathable materials on solid-wall construction, correct flashings and functioning rainwater goods extend the life of masonry and timber by decades. ### Lower running costs Appropriate insulation, draught-proofing, ventilation and modern heating controls cut consumption without sealing the building shut. ### Craft done in-house Our own joiners repair and match original joinery, and our own plasterers work to existing profiles, this is skilled work that suffers when it is bought in at the lowest price. ### Phased where you need it Priced in stages so essential fabric work can proceed now and cosmetic phases can follow, without redoing anything. Detail ## Restoration materials, methods and building types Refurbishment covers a wide span of buildings and interventions. This is the detail of what we repair, how we repair it, and how approaches differ by building type. ### Masonry, render and pointing Brick and stone repair covers cutting out and replacing spalled and frost-damaged units to match, rebuilding sections of wall, resetting stone cills and heads, replacing decayed lintels, and repairing arches. Repointing is the intervention most often carried out wrongly: hard cement mortar on soft historic brick forces moisture and salt movement through the brick face rather than the joint, and the brick spalls as a result. Lime mortar matched in strength, colour and joint profile is what the wall was built to work with. External renders on older buildings are best repaired in lime, allowing the wall to dry outwards. Where a previous cement render is already failing and trapping moisture, removing it is often the single most effective repair available to the building. - Lime mortar repointing and matched brick replacement - Stone repair, resetting and replacement cills - Lime render repair and cement render removal - Chimney rebuilding, flaunching and lead flashings - Structural crack repair and helical tying - Damp-proofing appropriate to solid-wall construction ### Timber, joinery and internal detail Timber repair is a diagnosis job before it is a carpentry job: wet rot in a joist end or a window sill is a symptom of water arriving somewhere, and replacing the timber without stopping the water simply resets the clock. Our joiners undertake splicing and scarfing of structural timbers, repair of floor structures, staircase repair, and repair or matched replacement of doors, sash windows, skirtings, architraves and panelling. Internally, we repair and reinstate cornices, ceiling roses, picture rails and panelling, refurbish and draught-proof original sash windows, including reglazing and reinstating cords, weights and parting beads, and repair or reinstate original floors rather than covering them. - Structural timber splicing and joist end repair - Sash window refurbishment and draught-proofing - Matched replacement doors, skirtings and architraves - Staircase and balustrade repair - Cornice, ceiling rose and plaster mould repair - Original floor repair, lifting and reinstatement ### Roofs, rainwater goods and water management Almost every damp problem in an older building starts above head height. We recover and repair slate and tile roofs with matched materials, repair and replace leadwork at valleys, abutments and parapets, rebuild and reflaunch chimneys, and replace failed rainwater goods with correctly sized and properly falling gutters and downpipes. At ground level, blocked or collapsed drains, raised external levels above the damp-proof course, and impermeable paving hard against a wall all push moisture into the fabric. Resolving external levels and drainage is unglamorous, cheap by comparison, and frequently fixes what three coats of internal treatment could not. ### Modernisation: services, insulation and layout Modernisation typically means full rewiring, new plumbing and heating, upgraded bathrooms and kitchens, and improved thermal performance. On older buildings, insulation must be chosen for the construction: breathable insulation and wood-fibre boards suit solid walls, while loft and suspended-floor insulation are usually straightforward gains. Ventilation is designed alongside, not left to chance. Remodelling frequently accompanies refurbishment, reworking service rooms and circulation, adding en suites and utilities, and opening cellular layouts where structure permits. In a period building, this is where restraint matters: the objective is a plan that works today while the rooms still read as the rooms they were. ### Listed buildings, conservation areas and commercial refurbishment Listed buildings and properties in conservation areas require consent for work that would be permitted elsewhere, and materials and methods are subject to scrutiny. We coordinate with conservation officers, heritage consultants and your architect, and price for the specified traditional methods rather than the quickest available equivalent. Commercial refurbishment runs to different constraints: void periods, lease obligations, fire strategy, statutory compliance and the need to hand back space that is immediately lettable. KIIF works across residential, commercial and industrial sectors, including projects such as the conversion of a former bank building at Birkdale for Expansive Horizons Ltd, delivered in approximately ten weeks. Recent work ## Refurbishment and period restoration we have delivered Questions clients ask ## Before you commit to the work How much does refurbishing a period property cost?Refurbishment cost depends on what investigation reveals, which is why we survey and open up trial areas before pricing. We then price in stages, fabric repairs, services, insulation, finishes, so you can see what is essential, what is optional, and what can wait. A single figure quoted without investigation is the most reliable sign of variations to come. How long does a full refurbishment take?A whole-house refurbishment involving rewiring, replumbing, plastering and joinery is a project of months rather than weeks, and traditional finishes such as lime plaster need drying time that cannot be compressed. You receive a staged programme with your estimate so you can see when the building is habitable again. Do you work on listed buildings and in conservation areas?Yes. We carry out sympathetic restoration of period buildings and coordinate with conservation officers, heritage consultants and your architect where consent is required, working to specified traditional materials and methods. Can you fix damp in an old house?In most older buildings, damp is a water management and breathability problem rather than a case for injected chemical treatment. We look first at roof coverings, flashings, gutters, external ground levels, drainage and impermeable finishes, then correct the fabric so the wall can dry. That sequence is what makes the repair permanent. Will you repair original windows or replace them?Repair wherever the timber allows. Our joiners refurbish sash windows, splicing sills and sections, reglazing, reinstating cords, weights and beads, and draught-proofing, which usually outperforms a modern replacement in both longevity and appearance. Where a unit is beyond repair, we replace it to match the original profile. Can I improve energy efficiency without damaging the building?Yes, with the right materials and a ventilation strategy. Loft and suspended-floor insulation, draught-proofing, breathable insulation to solid walls and modern heating controls make a substantial difference. Sealing a solid-wall building with impermeable materials and no ventilation is what causes condensation and decay. Do you refurbish commercial premises as well as homes?Yes. We work across residential, commercial and industrial sectors, including refurbishment and change-of-use projects such as our conversion of a former bank building into a bar at Birkdale, completed in approximately ten weeks. How long will the repairs last?Correctly executed traditional repairs are long-life: lime pointing, matched masonry, properly detailed leadwork and repaired joinery are measured in decades. Their lifespan depends on maintenance, clear gutters and sound flashings are what keep them performing, which is why many clients move onto planned maintenance with us afterwards. Can the work be phased?Yes, and often it should be. We price in stages so essential fabric and water-management repairs can be done now, with services, insulation and cosmetic phases following later, sequenced so nothing has to be undone. Which areas do you cover?We are based at 1 London Road, Alderley Edge and work throughout Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Yorkshire and Merseyside, including Wilmslow, Knutsford, Macclesfield, Prestbury, Stockport and Bramhall. Related work ## Often delivered alongside this ### Conversions Change of use for barns, commercial buildings and mixed-use schemes. View service ### Extensions & Remodelling Adding space and reworking layouts alongside fabric repairs. View service ### Maintenance & Reactive Works Roofing, gutter and brickwork maintenance that protects the repairs. View service We deliver this service across Alderley Edge, Prestbury, Knutsford, Wilmslow and the wider North West. See recent projects, read about the family behind KIIF or return to the homepage. ## Get an older buildingsurveyed properly first Before any refurbishment is priced, the building needs reading. We will inspect the roof, fabric, timbers, services and drainage, tell you what is actively damaging it, and price the work in stages you can act on. 01625 830714Request an Estimate - Family-run, over 40 years in construction - Directly employed joiners, bricklayers and groundworkers - In-house estimating and procurement - Site visit with the team who will build it ### Tell us about your project Send the details and we will arrange a site visit at a time that suits you. Keep It In Family. A family-run building contractor in Alderley Edge with over 40 years' experience across residential, commercial and industrial construction. ### Services - Building Contractors - New Build - Renovation - Refurbishment & Restoration - Landscaping - Plastering - Joinery - Roofing - Groundworks ### Areas We Cover - Alderley Edge - Cheshire - Manchester - Lancashire - Yorkshire - Merseyside - Wilmslow - Knutsford - Macclesfield - Prestbury - Stockport - Bramhall ### Get In Touch KIIF Limited1 London Road, Alderley EdgeCheshire, SK9 7JU 01625 830714 info@kiif.co.uk Request an Estimate © 2026 KIIF Limited. All rights reserved. ReviewsCookie PolicyPrivacy PolicyTerms & Conditions Call UsGet Estimate