Hove Heritage Specialists Safe-Bricks Crowned Best in East Sussex
Brighton & Hove's period-property restoration firm Safe-Bricks has scooped a major industry award for its breathable, bungaroosh-friendly approach to restoring the city's Georgian and Victorian homes.
A Brighton-based construction specialist is being hailed as one of the most important names in period-property restoration on the South Coast after taking home the title of Best Heritage Construction Specialists 2026 — East Sussex at this year's Home Builder Awards.
Safe-Bricks Limited, based at 91 Western Road in Brighton, has built its reputation on something the rest of the industry has quietly struggled with for decades: how to properly care for the city's distinctive bungaroosh walls without accelerating their decay. The award recognises the firm's uncompromising commitment to traditional, breathable lime methods — and to the hundreds of Brighton & Hove homeowners who have trusted them with their Georgian and Victorian properties.
A Quiet Crisis in Brighton's Walls
If you live in a period property between Kemptown and Portslade, there's a very good chance your home is held together by bungaroosh — the uniquely Brighton mix of flint, brick, chalk, lime and whatever else the Regency builders had to hand. It's part of the city's architectural DNA, but it has one important rule: it needs to breathe.
For years, well-meaning builders have patched failing bungaroosh walls with modern cement. Cement traps moisture, and trapped moisture rots bungaroosh from the inside out. What looks like a quick fix becomes a slow, expensive disaster — one that thousands of Brighton homes are still paying for.
Safe-Bricks was founded in 2021 with a single, stubborn mission: stop this from happening. The firm specialises in diagnosing damp and structural issues in period properties, then repairing them using the lime-based techniques the buildings were originally designed for. Breathable renders. Hot-lime mortars. Traditional plastering. Work that lasts centuries, not years.
"Building, Restoring and Future-Proofing Brighton & Hove Homes"
That's the tagline on the Safe-Bricks website — and speaking to the team, it's more than marketing. Director Rupert De La Mare has grown the company from a small local outfit into one of the most specialised heritage contractors on the South Coast, with a client list that now spans Brighton, Hove, Portslade, Kemptown, Fiveways, Patcham, Rottingdean and Saltdean.
The firm's service list is deliberately narrow. Bungaroosh repairs. Lime rendering and lime plastering. Breathable damp-proofing. Sympathetic kitchen and bathroom installations for period homes. General contracting for renovations and extensions. What you won't find is the scattergun, jack-of-all-trades pitch that defines much of the local construction market — and that focus is precisely what the judges at the Home Builder Awards recognised.
Transparent Pricing, Trusted Reputation
Safe-Bricks is known locally for two other things that set it apart: itemised, transparent quotes — so homeowners can see exactly where their money is going — and an endorsement from Brighton's Crime Response Team, a rare nod for a construction firm. The company also works strictly to HSE Construction guidelines and the 2025 building regulations, which matters when you're cutting into a 200-year-old wall.
The YouTube channel — @safe-bricks — has quietly become a small education resource in its own right, with explainers on how to spot bungaroosh damage, why lime matters, and what to ask a contractor before you let them anywhere near your home.
Why This Matters for Brighton & Hove
Brighton's period housing stock is under pressure from every angle: rising damp, climate change, rogue traders, and the steady erosion of specialist skills as older tradespeople retire. Firms like Safe-Bricks aren't just building businesses — they're preserving a corner of the city's architectural heritage that would otherwise be quietly lost.
At a time when "local builder" can mean almost anything, Safe-Bricks has chosen to be deeply specialist, unambiguously local, and honest about what period homes actually need. The Home Builder Awards recognition only confirms what many Brighton & Hove residents already knew: if you own a period home in this city, these are the people you want on the end of the phone.
Get in Touch
Safe-Bricks covers Brighton, Hove and the wider South Coast. You can reach them on 07459 174692, at info@safe-bricks.com, or via safe-bricks.com. The office is at 91 Western Road, Brighton, BN1 2NW.