
Ask our Agony Uncles ...
You can write to our panel of experts free of charge on any subject, providing it's got something to do with Period Properties.
Our experts are all specialists in matters directly involved with older properties. So, if you have a problem with an older building - or if you think you might have a problem - ask an Agony Uncle...
o | Leaky chimney drives us to tears. | Jane Smith (Yorkshire) |
o | Re-instate internal render to hide & protect flaky bricks. | Caroline Richardson (Essex) |
o | Trampolining kids cause ceiling problems | William O'Brien (Norfolk) |
o | Cellar conversion advice | David Ilbert (Cheshire) |
o | Advice needed to build doorway in cob cottage. | Kim Chadwick (Cornwall) |
o | Clicking noises in friends' house leads to concerns. | Lilibet Taylor (Kent) |
o | Cement render on rubble walls leads to damp problems | Tony McNicholl (Gwynedd County) |
o | Should disused chimney flues be vented? | Ross Easton (Central Scotland) |
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SUBJECT: Re-instate
internal render to hide & protect flaky bricks Caroline Richardson The fact that some of the bricks are flaking suggests that there is moisture trapped within the wall (or penetrating through somehow) and because the pointing is too dense the moisture can only escape through the brick faces, hence causing the damage. My first suggestion is that the cement pointing should be raked out. I doubt if the wall was originally intended to be exposed and although raking out the cement mortar could cause damage to the brickwork, because it will be covered by plaster in due course I would not regard this as too much of a problem. Once the cement has been removed the wall should begin to dry out. There are many other answers to agony uncle questions and postings on the discussion forum regarding dampness generally in walls. I would refer you to these. The wall should be re-pointed using a lime mortar so that it can breathe properly. Once this has been dealt with you can then decide how to finish the wall. If you wish to leave the bricks exposed but have them coated in some way then using a lime wash is a possible solution to the problem. However, I suspect that the wall was originally intended to be plastered in which case I would suggest that you use a traditional lime plaster system. If there is a build up of salt within the wall the plaster system might have to be regarded as sacrificial for the first year or so until salts have come out of the wall and the lime plaster should then have a normal effective life. I would not recommend applying any sealing solution on the bricks as this could accelerate the problem. Period Property UK would like to thank Stephen Boniface, Tony Redman and other partners at the The Whitworth Co-Partnership with Boniface Associates for responding to this question.
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SUBJECT: Trampolining
kids cause ceiling problems William O'Brien My first suggestion is that you provide a trampoline somewhere on the ground floor of the building to discourage them from using the bedrooms. How a lath and plaster ceiling is repaired will depend upon precisely what damage has occurred. It is quite likely that you have a combination of problems and you might need to combine not only screwing the plaster back through to joists (using long threaded screws and metal mesh washers) but also reinforcing the ceiling from above by reforming the key above the laths. You have correctly heard that a method is to use hessian and plaster of paris. The method is detailed in the English Heritage books "practical building conservation" specifically volume 3. Quite simply it involves installing hessian secured to the joists either side of the area being repaired to form a reinforcing layer. Once the upper surface of the ceiling has been cleaned and prepared Plaster-of-Paris is carefully poured over the area. Once set any propping etc can be removed and the ceiling should then stay in place. The method is long established and has been proven successful in some instances but there is no guarantee that it will always be successful. Other methods have involved the use of resins and different materials. However, I would be reluctant to use anything other than a traditional material. Nonetheless, the principal remains that to reinstate the ceiling does involve trying to secure the back of the original ceiling up and over the laths to reform the key. If the ceiling is without any ornament and is relatively flat and not in itself of particular aesthetic or other historic merit you could consider over boarding with plasterboard. This would involve screwing plasterboard through the existing plaster to the joists above and then skimming over. It does not have the same finished appearance as traditional lath and plaster and I tend to use it only on relatively plain and "unimportant" Victorian or later buildings. A thought occurs to me that it might be possible to secure expanded metal lath across the ceiling using long screws to hold it through to the joists above and then to skim over with a lime plaster. This is probably more sympathetic than using plasterboard but the same principal applies in that you are creating a new surface secured through the existing ceiling. If there are any areas of the lath and plaster that have deteriorated so badly that they need to be reformed I would recommend using traditional materials etc. However, when removing the old plaster it is necessary to carefully cut around the area to be removed, in order to avoid loosening otherwise sound sections beyond the damaged area. Period Property UK would like to thank Stephen Boniface, Tony Redman and other partners at the The Whitworth Co-Partnership with Boniface Associates for responding to this question.
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SUBJECT: Cellar
conversion advice David Ilbert I am not sure why you think that the pump will be a battery driven unit. In my experience the pump would be served by mains power and can even have an alarm should failure occur etc. I do not have figures for the likely running costs but I am sure that pump manufacturers can provide this. Your second point is about removing some of the earth to create a gap between the basement and the surrounding garden. What you would need to do is to build a retaining wall. There are many different methods of building retaining walls including stone, brickwork, timber, concrete or even steel sheets. It would be sensible to get a local engineer to discuss this with you and design the retaining wall itself. Whatever form the wall takes it should have drainage so that moisture getting into the soil can drain through the retaining wall. It would mean that the area formed by the basement within itself would have to be drained, probably by a soak away. Period Property UK would like to thank Stephen Boniface, Tony Redman and other partners at the The Whitworth Co-Partnership with Boniface Associates for responding to this question.
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SUBJECT: Advice
needed to build doorway in cob cottage. Kim Chadwick I note that the property you refer to is 200 years old and if it is listed you will need to obtain listed buildings consent for any new openings or alterations to the structure. Assuming that consent is properly obtained it should be relatively straight forward to form an opening in a cob wall. The first thing to do would be to carefully cut through and install a lintel at the head of the new opening position. The lintel should be at least 100mm wider to each side with a bearing of at least 100mm. The size of the lintel, its depth etc will be determined by the opening itself and what lies above the opening. You might need to seek advice from the engineer on the precise nature of the lintel etc. Once the lintel has been installed the opening below can be carefully cut out and the cob removed to form the opening itself whereupon the frame linings etc for the window or door can be inserted. For further advice I would refer you to the following website where information can be obtained on such matters www.mikewye.co.uk/cobrepairs.htm. You could also look at www.ihbc.org.uk and follow the link to guidance where there is a paper on earth structures. Period Property UK would like to thank Stephen Boniface, Tony Redman and other partners at the The Whitworth Co-Partnership with Boniface Associates for responding to this question. |
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SUBJECT: Clicking
noises in friends' house leads to concerns. Lilibet Taylor Assuming that the frame you refer to is of Oak or a hardwood the noise you refer to is probably deathwatch beetle. Quite often the infestation will be in sections of the building that are difficult to access. The beetle will usually be found in the sapwood of oak or in areas where the oak has started to rot. It can sometimes be very difficult to find the precise location of the infestation. However, it is imperative that the site of the infestation be found in order to ensure that any treatment is fully effective. Simple generalised surface treatment is unlikely to have much effect if any at all. The treatment should be targeted. The recently published guide by the Building Research Establishment suggests that appropriate treatment would involve organic solvent, micro emulsion or paste to those timbers and areas affected. However, it makes it quite clear that it is imperative that measures be taken to reduce dampness as most infestations will usually be associated with a damp problem. With deathwatch beetle there is a possibility that the core of the timber will be hollowed out and therefore where possible the centre of a beam or timber member should be checked and also treated where possible. If you refer to the discussion forum of this site there are a number of other queries and pieces of information relating to deathwatch beetle infestation and treatment. Period Property UK would like to thank Stephen Boniface, Tony Redman and other partners at the The Whitworth Co-Partnership with Boniface Associates for responding to this question.
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SUBJECT: Cement
render on rubble walls leads to damp problems Tony McNicholl The hard cementitous render of the faces of the wall will simply serve to trap any moisture within the building. Until this is removed and moisture trapped within the building is released it will be difficult to know whether you have a genuine rising damp or other problem. It is quite possible that the building was always intended to be rendered, but traditionally this would have been a lime render. It is the cementitous render and its impermeable nature that generally causes the problem of dampness in this type of property. I therefore suggest that you do not need to consult any specialist at present until such time as the render has been removed (by a careful builder who understands this type of building and problem) and perhaps the walls re-rendered with a lime render. Over time the walls should dry out and some of your problems disappear. If they do not disappear entirely further investigation might be necessary. You will note that on the website discussion forum there are a number of postings from Graham Coleman of Remedial Technical Services. I suggest you look at his website www.buildingpreservation.com. I believe he is an independent consultant who could give the advice you require or he may know of someone more local to you who can advise appropriately.
Period Property UK would like to thank Stephen Boniface, Tony Redman and other partners at the The Whitworth Co-Partnership with Boniface Associates for responding to this question.
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SUBJECT: Should
disused chimney flues be vented? Ross Easton My general advice is always that disused chimney flues ought to be vented. Behind boarded or blocked up fireplaces there is often a build up of debris, soot, etc. Over time this could become damp either through condensation or perhaps even by direct water penetration from above (rain) and in due course damp problems could occur. It is for these reasons that I always favour ventilating disused chimney flues. However, it does occur to me that you could actually remove the bricking up and re-establish the fireplaces either to bring them back into use or simply to have them as aesthetic features in the rooms. It is possible to obtain something called a chimney balloon that can be put up into the base of the flue void (just above the visible fireplace opening) that can be pumped up to inflate and therefore reduce the number of drafts etc through the fireplace whilst at the same time allowing some ventilation. It can easily be deflated if the fire is to be used or in the summer when you might want the fresh air and draught flowing through. Period Property UK would like to thank Stephen Boniface, Tony Redman and other partners at the The Whitworth Co-Partnership with Boniface Associates for responding to this question. |
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