About Guardian waterproofing
Life was different back in 1977. We still had David Bowie. Punk rubbed shoulders with the Queen’s Silver Jubilee celebrations, the Ford Fiesta launched as the M5 motorway opened between Birmingham and Devon, and Star Wars made its British cinema debut.
At the time, Chris Herbert, founding father of what was to become Guardian Preservation was living in Cheltenham with his childhood sweetheart, Jane. He was working for one of the UK’s biggest pest control and preservation companies. Always keen to do a good job and treat people well, Chris was becoming increasingly frustrated with his company – and in fact pretty much the entire industry – for being more interested in profits and exploiting people than giving them a good service when it came to property care.
Feeling exasperated he quit ... and started a new company.
Guardian Preservation would:
- be committed to doing the job right
- strive to be experts in our field, by gaining continuous training and achieving the highest qualifications
- treat customers well and put them at the heart of everything we do
- give people 100% accurate advice
Despite Guardian's growth and success, the 1990’s recession came as a shock. Luckily help was at hand when Chris' s wife Jane joined Guardian and set to work. Giving things a good shake up, she fine-tuned our practices and ultimately shaped Guardian Preservation into the company it is today.
Jane and Chris’s son Tim, who is now our Senior Partner, has never known life without Guardian Preservation, his involvement spanning over three decades. Tim became a qualified Surveyor in 2007 and gained the highest marks nationwide, being recognised as the Top Student by the PCA. Through his love for the industry and commitment to designing bespoke systems for each property, he was invited to join the Waterproofing Design Specialist Register. His wife Hannah joined the company in 2013 and together they are keeping our founding values alive and steering the company forward into the 21st Century.
The business has been recognised for its hard work and for being leaders in the industry. In 2009, we were given the pretigious Innovation of the Year award by the PCA. In 2015, we won a number of awards - highly commended for Small Business of the Year in the Gloucestershire Business Awards 2015, Project of the Year by the PCA, and one of our Technicians won Employee of the Year.
With head offices in the heart of Cheltenham, a growing team of employees and an award-winning reputation we enjoy working with homeowners, surveyors, contractors, architects, landlords, tenants, estate agents, management companies and project managers – to name a few. Over the last 40 years we have surveyed over 8,000 properties across the country and tripled the size of our surveying team.
MEET OUR TEAM
Tim
Senior Partner /
Surveyor
CSSW/CSRT
Tim has been with Guardian as man and boy. Starting out as a labourer during the summer holidays – followed by a brief stint abroad – he soon began to climb the Guardian ladder.
He was made a partner in 2013 and is now our Senior Partner. Tim says: ‘I enjoy providing a consistent service to our clients throughout the county and being surrounded by a great workforce.’
When he’s not at work you’ll find Tim hiking, snowboarding, kitesurfing and spending time with his family.
Hannah
Partner /
Business Development
Hannah joined us in 2013 and three years later we made her a partner. Following a career in Business Development Management, she has drawn on her previous experience to implement many practices here that have benefitted us greatly.
Hannah says: ‘I enjoy ‘spreading the word’ about Guardian and maintaining our wonderful reputation and working with a fantastic team.’
Hannah loves spending time with her family, yoga, skiing, travel and dark chocolate.
Chris
Surveyor
CSSW/CSRT
Chris is our founding father, setting up Guardian in 1977 and developing us into a strong local business with a great reputation. Chris recently stepped down as a Partner, but remains a surveyor.
Chris says: ‘I like giving people honest, sound advice and providing solutions to help solve the issues they encounter in their properties.’
Chris loves being with his grandchildren. He enjoys travelling and rugby. And now that he has more time on his hands, he intends to do more walking and fishing.
Jane
Office Operations & Training
Jane joined us as a partner in 2003. Bringing her vast business experience, she soon got to work streamlining the company and injecting a strong sense of professionalism throughout all that we do.
Having recently stepped down as a partner, Jane still provides training and assistance. She says: ‘I love hearing the positive feedback we receive from happy clients.’
Jane enjoys spoiling her grandchildren, family gatherings, exploring the world, meals with friends and walking her dogs.
AMBER
OFFICE MANAGER
Amber is usually the first person you’ll speak to when you call us. Amber joined us in 2021 and has already had a wonderful impact on the business!
Amber says: ‘The best things about working at Guardian are people (staff and clients), the variety of things going on and the fact that the days fly by as there’s so much to do!’
Amber loves the theatre, the festivals, dining out, friendships and spin class.
COULD THIS BE YOU?
Job Vacancies
If you're interested in the work we do and would like to have a chat with us about any future opportunities that may be available we'd be more than happy to hear from you.
We hire sub-contractors to work on some of our larger projects, so if you think you can enhance our team, please get in touch.
Matt
SENIOR TECHNICIAN NVQ 2
Matt has been with Guardian for nearly 10 years. During this time,
he’s learnt about all aspects of damp proofing, basement and structural waterproofing, timber and rot treatments, and flood remedy and prevention work. He’s a real favourite with our customers and always has something cheerful to
say.
Matt’s favourite things about working at Guardian – ‘Working with such a great team and really nice clients.’
Matt loves spending time with his young family.
Robert
MULTI SKILLED TECHNICIAN NVQ 2
Robert is a truly valued member of the team. Skilled in all areas, he can turn his hand to all of our customers’ requirements. The real funny-man of the team, Robert keeps us all thoroughly entertained! He’s been with Guardian since 2013.
Robert’s favourite things about working at Guardian – ‘Constantly meeting new people and working on such a wide range of properties.’
Robert likes spending time with his family, going fishing and on holidays.
Dariusz
TECHNICIAN NVQ 2
‘Darek’ as he likes to be known, joined us 2014. His positive, can-do attitude means he’s always willing and eager to learn new skills. Darek won a national award in 2015 as ‘Employee of the Year’ through the Property Care Association (PCA). He's a real asset to the team.
The things he loves about working here are: ‘Learning new skills, dealing with such a variety of jobs and working with a great team.’
Darek loves his holidays, spending time with his girls and DIY.
NICK
CONTRACT SUPERVISOR
Nick has learnt about the business from the bottom up. He succesfully finished his apprenticeship and has now joined the management team.
Nick says his favourite things about Guardian are: 'Working with all the staff, the variety of jobs and locations, and the opportunity to develop new skills.’
Nick likes rugby, watching sports, dreaming up future travels and having a laugh.
