Welcome, my name’s Richard Roberts and I offer piano restoration, repair and tuning services in the London area. I specialise in home visits to old pianos that have been neglected for many years.
I also care for all types of acoustic (not electronic) pianos in any condition and in any setting, not just the home. I’ve been maintaining pianos in London for over ten years, and previously in Oxford and Portsmouth for ten years before that.
About Me
I have no home but I’m normally in Central London. I cycle everywhere and areas I cover include Greater London, the Thames Valley and Oxfordshire.
I learnt my trade from my father Marcus Roberts in Oxford, who specialises in the sale and restoration of the finest pianos in the world – you can browse his stock at www.robertspianos.com. His father was a music teacher, his grandfather was a piano tuner, and I’m grateful that in turn he also taught me how to work with pianos from a very early age.
Since early 2011 I’ve been conducting an interesting lifestyle experiment: I’m homeless. This means that I just go to sleep wherever I happen to be at the end of the day, and involves sleeping rough by default but occasionally staying over with friends or family. I’m doing this for practical, environmental and economical reasons and I’m thoroughly enjoying it – you can read more about my lifestyle on my Homelessness page.
Please note that I do shower everyday, I don’t have any dogs, I don’t smoke, and I’m not addicted to anything except English breakfast tea and my mum’s home-made fruitcake.
Rates & Bookings
I charge £50 per hour all inclusive so the total will depend on the current condition of your piano and your requirements. Typical ongoing maintenance is £100 for a two hour session once a year. But if your piano has not been tuned and serviced for several years it could take much longer to put right.
When I arrive at a piano that I’ve never seen before I inspect it thoroughly then provide a quote. There’s no charge for the initial inspection, and if you’re satisfied I’ll stay on and complete the work in the same visit (please allow enough time for this).
Although I am classified by the state as homeless, my visit is no different from a piano tuner that has a home except that I might hang my sleeping bag on a chair to dry if it’s damp before attending to your piano. I might also charge my mobile phone.
To arrange an appointment please fill in the form below providing as much information as possible so that I can estimate roughly how much work is involved.