Richard Fairs: The Man Behind the Craft — Building, Preserving, and Living with Purpose
When you hear the name Richard Fairs, you might imagine a quiet professional working behind the scenes, the sort of person who doesn’t chase attention but somehow earns it through steady excellence. And that picture wouldn’t be far from the truth. Fairs isn’t a celebrity by nature — though his life took a slightly more public turn when he married one — but his career tells a story of discipline, craftsmanship, and a genuine respect for the buildings that shape our lives.
Let’s take a closer look at who Richard Fairs really is: his journey, his work, his values, and what makes him more than just another name in the property world.
From Foundation to Form: The Making of a Master Surveyor
Every expert begins somewhere humble. For Richard Fairs, that beginning was in the early 1980s, when the world of British architecture and building consultancy was very different from what it is today. Fresh out of college, he joined a local firm of surveyors in Watford in 1982 — not exactly a glamorous starting point, but it was a practical one.
That early experience grounded him in the fundamentals: how buildings age, how they fail, and how they can be saved. It’s the sort of hands-on exposure that no classroom can replicate. Fairs went on to earn his degree with commendation from Thames Polytechnic, a sign that even then, he wasn’t one to do things halfway.
In the years that followed, he climbed the professional ladder in the most traditional way possible — through skill, not shortcuts. He worked with well-established London firms, learning the trade from the ground up. Eventually, he became a chartered building surveyor in 1989, joining the ranks of those who not only understand structures but are trusted to evaluate, diagnose, and restore them with precision.
The early part of his career taught him not just how to survey a building, but how to listen to it — every creak, every damp patch, every crack in a wall has a story to tell. And for Richard Fairs, learning that language would become the foundation of his lifelong craft.
The Building Consultancy: A Practice with Personality
By the mid-1990s, Richard Fairs had moved to Bristol — a city with a rich architectural heritage and a growing need for skilled professionals who could bridge the gap between preservation and progress. That’s where his true professional identity took shape.
In 1997, he founded The Building Consultancy, a practice that embodied his philosophy: to keep things personal, responsive, and reliable. Rather than chasing the size and bureaucracy of corporate firms, he built something smaller but smarter — a consultancy where clients deal directly with the expert, not a rotating cast of middle managers.
His firm has since earned a reputation for its work in building surveys, refurbishment, and especially building conservation. That last one isn’t a casual line on a résumé — it’s a discipline that demands both technical knowledge and emotional intelligence. A conservation specialist needs to know the chemistry of lime mortar as well as the history of Georgian architecture. Richard Fairs, with his postgraduate diploma in Building Conservation, mastered both.
Clients come to him not just because he’s good with measurements and moisture readings, but because he understands how to balance tradition with modern practicality. Restoring an old manor or refurbishing a listed building isn’t just about following rules — it’s about respecting the story embedded in the walls.
Under his direction, The Building Consultancy built a reputation for that rare combination: technical excellence and human warmth. His approach isn’t flashy. It’s measured, precise, and grounded in decades of experience — and that’s what makes it powerful.
Balancing Heritage and Modern Demands
Every generation of builders faces its own dilemmas. For the Victorians, it was about expansion. For the post-war generation, it was about rebuilding. For people like Richard Fairs, it’s about balance — how to protect the past while making space for the present.
As a conservation professional, he has to make judgment calls that go beyond checklists. Should a 200-year-old beam be replaced, or can it be preserved with reinforcement? Should traditional materials be used even if modern ones might perform better? These aren’t just technical questions — they’re ethical ones.
Richard Fairs philosophy tends to lean toward preservation wherever possible, but he’s not a romantic idealist. He knows buildings must live, breathe, and adapt. His role is to find harmony — to ensure that the integrity of a historic structure survives, but its functionality keeps pace with modern life. That’s not easy, but then again, nothing worth doing ever is.
He often emphasizes responsiveness and practicality. To him, the best consultants are the ones who don’t just spot problems but help clients make sense of them. He’s been quoted as saying that the real value of a surveyor lies not in finding defects, but in giving clients the confidence to act wisely. That mindset has kept his consultancy relevant, even as the industry evolves with technology and environmental challenges.
A Private Man in a Public Story
Now, here’s where the plot thickens — because while Richard Fairs has spent most of his professional life out of the spotlight, life had other plans. In 2023, the quiet surveyor from Bristol found himself making national headlines after marrying none other than Miranda Hart, the beloved British comedian and actress known for her self-deprecating humor and enormous heart.
Their story sounds like something out of a romantic comedy — fitting, considering who she is. During the pandemic, Miranda reportedly hired Richard Fairs to inspect her London home for a persistent mould problem. What began as a routine professional visit turned into long chats over tea, shared jokes, and, eventually, a connection that blossomed into love.
They married in July 2023 in a small, joyful ceremony in Hampshire — Hawaiian shirts, steel drums, inflatable flamingos, and all. For two people who value authenticity, it was a perfectly offbeat way to say “I do.”
Before that, Richard Fairs had been married for over two decades and has two children from that previous marriage. His life, though touched by public curiosity since his wedding, remains grounded. He doesn’t seek fame — he simply continues to do what he’s always done: his work, quietly and well.
It’s rather poetic, really. The man who spends his days preserving old homes found a second chance at building a new one — this time, in his personal life.
A Reputation Built on Integrity and Experience
Ask anyone in the surveying or building conservation field, and they’ll tell you: reputation isn’t built overnight. It’s the result of hundreds of reports written with care, countless site visits in all weathers, and years of doing the right thing when no one’s watching.
That’s exactly the kind of foundation Richard Fairs has laid. His clients trust him because he doesn’t oversell or overpromise. He’s the sort who tells you the truth, even if it’s not what you want to hear — whether that means a renovation will cost more, take longer, or require more patience than expected.
It’s easy to underestimate how valuable that kind of honesty is in an industry where corners are sometimes cut. But for Fairs, reliability is the real brand. His long-standing career is a reminder that professionalism, once earned, never goes out of style.
Looking Ahead: The Quiet Legacy of Richard Fairs
When people think of legacies, they often picture grand monuments or famous names etched in stone. But Richard Fairs’ kind of legacy is quieter — it lives in the strength of a restored timber frame, in the smooth curve of a repaired arch, in the beauty of a Georgian façade that still stands because someone cared enough to do the job properly.
He may not be a household name, but his work quite literally shapes the houses people live in. And that’s its own kind of greatness.
There’s something deeply reassuring about professionals like him — the ones who prove that craftsmanship, patience, and integrity can still win out over flash and self-promotion. His story bridges the old and the new: traditional values, modern practice, and a personal journey that reminds us that good things — whether in buildings or in life — are built to last.
Final Thoughts
Richard Fairs isn’t the sort of man who seeks applause, but he certainly deserves it. His decades of dedication to building and conservation have left a quiet but meaningful mark. His career reminds us that there’s artistry in technical work, dignity in professionalism, and even a little romance in restoration — both of structures and, perhaps, of the human heart.