Testimonials

Read Reviews from Our Clients

  • The Keystone Heritage team have just completed a very successful major re-roofing project on our listed 18th century cottage. Perfect lead, slate and brick work. They are extremely competent and engaging, with a complete range of skills to manage work on older properties. I cannot praise them highly enough.

    Piers Wilson, Hampshire

  • Jamie and the Keystone team are incredible. We have a c100 year old brick built house, the team have helped us with several issues, such as repairing and restoring stone work around windows and also importantly helping us get to the root cause of a damp issue. Everything they did and advised made sense and was done to an excellent standard. The team are all friendly, professional and really know their stuff. They are also tidy, impressive as some of the jobs have been messy.

    Andy Cripps, Swindon

  • Having observed the good work Keystone undertook on my neighbour's property I asked them to begin work on my (also Victorian) property, phase one is complete. The attention to detail is evident, and I was impressed by the work ethic. Also a point to note, Keystone respect your garden and other outside spaces. I look forward to phase two.

    Suzanne Ferris, Bristol

  • If there is a more talented, thoughtful, interested Heritage builder than Jamie Bransden of Keystone, I would be amazed. If you are fortunate enough to engage Jamie you will be thrilled with the results and become friends for life. I have read the reviews posted reference Jamie (Keystone) and I can honestly say I could have written all of them. Outstanding! He actually cares... Luke Robinson, thank you for finding him for us ! We are absolutely thrilled with it Jamie, fantastic job and we can’t thank you and your team enough.

    Alan Hale and Catherine Hannan, The Coach House, Shinfield

  • We can thoroughly recommend Keystone as skilled, dedicated, trustworthy workers, and all-round lovely people! Keystone restored our damp, slightly shaky old Victorian house back into a beautiful stone building, with replacement lintels, expertly rebuilt and repaired brick arches and chimneys, and beautifully repointed with lime mortar. Internally, they removed crumbling original plasterwork and replaced it with carefully applied horsehair and lime plaster, which has now completely blended in with the surrounding remaining original plaster. Thoroughly professional attitude , considerate and good communications...they even fed the cat for us when we were away! Highly recommended! Thank you from Sarah and Justin.

    Sarah Spicer & Justin Pachebat, Caerwedros

  • Keystone are very conscientious workers. They take great care to ensure a quality job is provided. I am delighted and so much happier now that the front of my cottage has been renovated and restored to the correct lime-wash and she can now breath properly again. I am also happier knowing I have an improved drainage system and the repointing is perfect too. All work looks fabulous. Jamie's enthusiasm for doing quality work using the old methods appropriate for my cottage comes out in his work. The team are very reliable, friendly, trustworthy and professional builders. I would not hesitate in enlisting them again if needed.

    Alison Poulton, Walnut Cottage, Northchapel

  • Keystone have a holistic understanding of buildings and are able to to calmly and efficiently work out and advise the best course of action, which they communicate clearly. Jamie and the team have many practical skills; a good knowledge of materials, work hard and have a sensitive aesthetic. You can trust that they want to achieve the best for you and your building.

    Judith Rowe. Hastings, East Sussex

  • Keystone have been fantastic builders on our recent barn conversion. They are well organised, quick, and do a really good job. They do things properly , are good to communicate with and have a great deal of experience in old buildings, lime plaster and roofing. Keystone really is a great find and I wouldn’t hesitate to have them back for our next project and would be willing to wait until they are available.

    Amanda Edwards, Nantgwynfaen Farm

  • Jamie and Toby are superb craftsmen. You can rely on them to come up with good ideas, and carry out to a high standard whatever they undertake. We recommend them very highly.

    Gillian Paschkes-Bell and Andrew Rivett, Bryn Glas, Llandysul

  • Jamie’s first job for us was in 2012, which involved completely renovating/restoring our stone 2 storey coach house & roof in South West Wales. We were so pleased & impressed with the quality of his work that we invited him back subsequently to restore the stone workshop, middle barn & house roof & exterior, these projects ran from 2013 to 2014. Jamie is an extremely conscientious & versatile worker, thinking through all aspects of his work, taking great care & ensuring a quality job is provided. Jamie is a very reliable, professional & friendly builder; we would certainly not hesitate in appointing him again if needed.

    Mr AP & Mrs S Long, Crymych

Shackleford and Peper Harow War Memorial stands opposite St Mary's Church at the cross roads of Shackleford Road and Elstead Road. In early September 2019, inspection of the Bargate stone base of the Memorial showed considerable deterioration of the pointing work leaving stone work loose and step edges dangerous. Working with Shackleford Parish Council Jamie Bransden of Keystone Building and Conservation was approached along with three other specialist companies to inspect, report and recommend an approach for repair and reinstatement. Keystone were clear in their recommendations and the proposal for relaying using a lime mortar was the most economic quotation received. After agreeing a lime mortar colour with Keystone the work proceeded within a week of receiving formal instructions. Under the direct control of Jamie Bransden his team worked very efficiently and showed their experience of working with the lime mortar, especially in recognising the time necessary for curing and ensuring the work was well protected until they were certain the mortar could be “finished” and left open to the elements. At all times Jamie kept us well informed and ensured that the work was completed in time for the Remembrance Service which was well attended and the new base of the Memorial admired. The work was completed to a high standard, in budget and with the minimum of disturbance, bearing in mind that no electricity was available on site. We would recommend Jamie's Company, not only for the expertise but for the interest he showed in the project and open approach to his clients.

– Richard Hazeu & Quintus Van Koetsveld. Residents of Shackleford, responsible for the project

The Keystone team have worked on our 17th century cottage over the last two years or so. With great care and attention to detail Jamie helped us to work out the best way to restore the cottage which was suffering from damp, decaying timbers and structural issues. The team painstakingly removed cement render and plasters, replacing with lime, using traditional methods of preparation and application. They carried out repairs to our timber beams and brickwork, as well as extensive repairs to both chimney stacks, including some superb leadwork. Ground work was also undertaken, along with multiple other jobs internally and externally. Whenever we encountered a challenge Jamie would research the best traditional methods to achieve the right outcome. Owning an older property can be a labour of love but with the Keystone team at our side we have felt able to tackle everything. In fact, we feel so lucky to have found Keystone to work on our heritage property, when other firms really didn’t want to or didn’t have the right expertise. Keystone are an absolutely brilliant team who work hard, are competitively priced, tidy and just love what they do; I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them!

– Cathy Spratt, Beech Hill