Having been active in this area for many decades, the material presented was familiar, but the elucidation of the context and the underlying principles was welcome.
The knowledge provided and the techniques clearly explained are as essential a part of the tradesperson’s toolbox as the saw, the blowlamp or the trowel, if our ambition is to improve the primitive conditions endured by British people in their homes, and the associated discomfort, disease and destitution. The disastrous environmental impact of our houses will likewise be impossible to reduce without the application of the knowledge which this course expertly imparts.
Bitter experience indicates that when operatives without these skills are employed on a site where the aim is to create comfortable, economical, and sustainable buildings, they will quickly do more harm than good, causing damage costing time and money to repair.
To those specifying, designing or managing buildings and their maintenance, the course is similarly essential, as it provides the knowledge needed to do this effectively at a time when energy has never been more costly, environmental and health impacts of poor accommodation more obvious, and the climate more erratic.