joe_thomas
Member
- Messages
- 11
- Location
- Warminster
Bit of a long one this maybe, first time poster, long time reader!
We moved into our 1850's(ish) cottage a couple years ago now. It's a rubble-stone with some brick construction. Not listed, no covenants or restrictions.
As soon as we moved in, we started trying to undo a lot of past wrongs: gyspum plaster, plastic sheeting behind stud walls on more gypsum plaster, concrete screen and plastic carpet on old floor bricks.
One side of the house, the external ground levels ramp up along the wall. This is due to a poor 2000's development that neighbours our house. The drive and footpath butts up to our wall, above ground level. The footpath is linked to our wall with a concrete gully/trough that slopes towards out wall. The gully was full of gravel, which was full of mud, so that wet mud was just sitting against the wall of our house - internally this was/is the most soggy wall.
We really wanted to strip the modern masonry paint off the outside, repoint with lime and leave like that. However, after lots of tests with various tools (DOFF etc) it was determined (after speaking with SPAB also) that removing the paint would cause more damage than was worth. Friable brick, lots of layers of paint that wouldn't come off etc. So, we're re-painted the house outside, at least now it's actually weather-tight. We'll continue to make the inside as breathable/happy as possible.
We now have lime paster on the worst walls downstairs, which have improved dramatically. The original floor bricks under the concrete screed look great, but aren't in good condition, however they are good at dissipating moisture (damp to the touch especially on one side of the house).
The plan which changes every day is as follows:
- Replace floor with limecrete/glasscrete throughout (might do this at the same time as re-building a larger extension off one gable end, then run UFH throughout the entire downstairs) Is NHL5 actually any more breathable than Concrete? I've seen some recent research that suggests it's not. What I don't want to do is replace the original floor bricks with a "better" solution, only to find it forces any moisture to find another way out - ie into the base of the walls?
- Lower the ground level on the wall with the driveway/path. Advise sought here is where to start. I won't want to undermine foundations or use heavy machinery, but the concrete gully is rock solid and up agains the wall. Logically I assume I need to dig down below ground level, lay a membrane, fill it with grave, and/or lay a french drain.
I've attached various photos of the work we've done, and the issues around the ground level. A couple showing the re-painted exterior, and finished painted plaster internally. Any advice/comments welcome, we're all here to learn!
Joe
We moved into our 1850's(ish) cottage a couple years ago now. It's a rubble-stone with some brick construction. Not listed, no covenants or restrictions.
As soon as we moved in, we started trying to undo a lot of past wrongs: gyspum plaster, plastic sheeting behind stud walls on more gypsum plaster, concrete screen and plastic carpet on old floor bricks.
One side of the house, the external ground levels ramp up along the wall. This is due to a poor 2000's development that neighbours our house. The drive and footpath butts up to our wall, above ground level. The footpath is linked to our wall with a concrete gully/trough that slopes towards out wall. The gully was full of gravel, which was full of mud, so that wet mud was just sitting against the wall of our house - internally this was/is the most soggy wall.
We really wanted to strip the modern masonry paint off the outside, repoint with lime and leave like that. However, after lots of tests with various tools (DOFF etc) it was determined (after speaking with SPAB also) that removing the paint would cause more damage than was worth. Friable brick, lots of layers of paint that wouldn't come off etc. So, we're re-painted the house outside, at least now it's actually weather-tight. We'll continue to make the inside as breathable/happy as possible.
We now have lime paster on the worst walls downstairs, which have improved dramatically. The original floor bricks under the concrete screed look great, but aren't in good condition, however they are good at dissipating moisture (damp to the touch especially on one side of the house).
The plan which changes every day is as follows:
- Replace floor with limecrete/glasscrete throughout (might do this at the same time as re-building a larger extension off one gable end, then run UFH throughout the entire downstairs) Is NHL5 actually any more breathable than Concrete? I've seen some recent research that suggests it's not. What I don't want to do is replace the original floor bricks with a "better" solution, only to find it forces any moisture to find another way out - ie into the base of the walls?
- Lower the ground level on the wall with the driveway/path. Advise sought here is where to start. I won't want to undermine foundations or use heavy machinery, but the concrete gully is rock solid and up agains the wall. Logically I assume I need to dig down below ground level, lay a membrane, fill it with grave, and/or lay a french drain.
I've attached various photos of the work we've done, and the issues around the ground level. A couple showing the re-painted exterior, and finished painted plaster internally. Any advice/comments welcome, we're all here to learn!
Joe