Meet Dean Webster

I started in the preservation industry straight after leaving school, over 35 years ago now, and set up South East Timber & Damp in 2005. Since then I've surveyed thousands of homes and commercial buildings across Kent, South East London, and East Sussex.

The work varies hugely. I've dealt with a straightforward damp proof course failure in a Victorian terrace, and I've designed complex water management systems for below-ground vaults beneath five-star hotels in Central London.

That range is exactly why proper qualification matters, it means a genuine diagnosis rather than a guess, whatever the building and whatever's gone wrong with it.

Over the years I've also picked up plenty of specialist training beyond the core qualifications, including UKATA Asbestos Awareness, COSHH, and PASMA Working at Height, so I'm properly prepared whatever a property throws at me, not just qualified on paper.

What I specialise in

I particularly enjoy the more complex work, larger commercial contracts, and heritage preservation projects where I can put my experience to proper use protecting older, more delicate buildings.

Kent has a huge number of listed and historic properties, and I've built up real experience with the specific challenges they bring, planning consent, sympathetic materials, and treatments that don't damage original fabric. Not every damp specialist is willing or able to take these jobs on.

My approach starts the same way on every job, whatever the property: find the actual cause, not just the symptom. That's the difference between a treatment that lasts and one that comes back in two years.

As the CSTDB surveyor, Kent buyers and sellers often call in for a second opinion. I'm used to being asked to check someone else's findings, and more often than not, my report tells a different story to the first one they were given.

Qualifications and memberships

• CSTDB – Certificated Surveyor of Timber & Dampness in Buildings (formerly CSRT), awarded by the Property Care Association
• CSSW – Certificated Surveyor in Structural Waterproofing, Property Care Association
• ACABE – Associate member, Chartered Association of Building Engineers
• SPAB – Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings
• Ongoing specialist training, including UKATA Asbestos Awareness, COSHH, and PASMA Working at Height

Get in touch

Don't just take our word for it, take a look at some of the handwritten testimonials from customers that Dean has worked with directly, over on our reviews page

If you've got an older or unusual building with a damp, timber or waterproofing issue, particularly if it's listed or historic,

I'd genuinely like to hear about it. As a CSTDB surveyor, I'll always give you an honest diagnosis first and only recommend treatment where it's actually needed.

Book a survey or get in touch directly.