First time owner of period property - where to start.

[ShepherdsLantern]

We are in the process of buying a semi detached property, dating between 1905 and 1910.

Before we move in and start making silly mistakes, can anyone suggest any starting points, YouTube channels, books or websites that would allow us to learn some essentials regarding repairs and maintenance and also processes and materials we should be using.

We are in Scotland and the surveyors home report suggested a small area of damp at the rear of the property in the ground floor utility area, which is a small room that sticks out the back of the building, and adjoins a small shower room. The report suggested it may be condensation due to the use of this area so we are going to monitor this.

Much of the upstairs appears wallpapered so we are preparing ourselves for what may be underneath. I have been reading up on lime plaster and how important it is to allow the house to breathe. Would it be assumed all old houses had lime plaster? Is there any need to test for this before using any materials on top?

I really want to learn how to make the most of it - there's a reason we chose this house over the many new builds for sale.

I will have a browse through the threads here but if anyone has suggestions for Month 1, I'd appreciate it.

 

[fernicarry]

For your damp at the back its possible it could be condensation. What's the construction? You can try improving the ventilation and extraction. Also check the usual suspects -- external ground levels aren't too high, rainwater goods are draining properly and the plumbing for leaks.

Other than that live in it for a bit and see what it throws up, especially over the course of a winter. If you do find problems then I'm sure the members of this forum will be happy to help.

 

[a twig]

As well as this lovely forum, The Old House Handbook is a great primer - lots of helpful images and pretty approachable in its style to cover the basics and set you up to dive further down any relevant rabbit holes as required

(Other more author friendly purveyors of books are of course available)

 

[DaveG]

For books I thoroughly recommend:

“The warm dry home” by Pete Ward. - Excellent description of how inappropriate use of modern building materials can cause havoc on the health of an old building.

“Old house Eco handbook” - very informative on conservation and insulation practices appropriate to older buildings

Hope you enjoy your new place. You’re right, they are FAR more interesting than a modern building

 

[DaveG]

As well as this lovely forum, The Old House Handbook is a great primer - lots of helpful images and pretty approachable in its style to cover the basics and set you up to dive further down any relevant rabbit holes as required

(Other more author friendly purveyors of books are of course available)

A word of warning from the retailer on the book. It’s not to be read near overhead power lines

 

[ShepherdsLantern]

For your damp at the back its possible it could be condensation. What's the construction? You can try improving the ventilation and extraction. Also check the usual suspects -- external ground levels aren't too high, rainwater goods are draining properly and the plumbing for leaks.

Other than that live in it for a bit and see what it throws up, especially over the course of a winter. If you do find problems then I'm sure the members of this forum will be happy to help.

The surveyor notes that the house is stone construction and this rear section is brick. It is just one storey and has some flattish metal roof, I'll give photos once I've moved in when I look at areas in closer detail.

Going by the aerial view from very old maps of the time, I can see that it's not been a later add on. Interesting and I'm enjoying learning what methods have gone into the build.

There is some external rendering to the outside upstairs only. Neighbours is the same, albeit we are the only two houses of this type in the street, with a mix of stone built terraced and huge detached ones otherwise. It is a conservation area so not sure I could even make changes to the rendering, although I do wonder why it was used and what it's made of.

 

[ShepherdsLantern]

As well as this lovely forum, The Old House Handbook is a great primer - lots of helpful images and pretty approachable in its style to cover the basics and set you up to dive further down any relevant rabbit holes as required

(Other more author friendly purveyors of books are of course available)

I will pick up a copy and seems a good place to start, thank you.

 

[ShepherdsLantern]

For books I thoroughly recommend:

“The warm dry home” by Pete Ward. - Excellent description of how inappropriate use of modern building materials can cause havoc on the health of an old building.

“Old house Eco handbook” - very informative on conservation and insulation practices appropriate to older buildings

Hope you enjoy your new place. You’re right, they are FAR more interesting than a modern building

We were talking last night about potential work that might need done but how glad we are to be buying "a proper, solid house" lol

I do wonder what the new builds will look like when they are 120 years old! It may be over time, with the increase of the cheapest materials being used that they eventually have a life expectancy, or at least a point at which they need ripping out and with only the option to replace with yet another cheap material.

'The Warm Dry Home' sounds a good one, as I don't want to be the perks who moves in and then paints the entire place in plastic paint and create problems for myself.

Another feature is a working fireplace in the living room. The neighbours chimney stacks have been removed so I assume theirs was out out of use some time ago.

But yes I will see how we get on with this and if it's introducing any problems, water, birds etc then we can have a rethink. The sellers have the chimney swept twice a year and said the chap is quite knowledgeable and with a good reputation for all things chimney so we can lean on him initially to learn a bit more.

 

[ShepherdsLantern]

A word of warning from the retailer on the book. It’s not to be read near overhead power lines

View attachment 16964

The book may 'spark' some creativity, in that case

 

[paulc]

We are in Scotland and the surveyors home report suggested a small area of damp at the rear of the property in the ground floor utility area, which is a small room that sticks out the back of the building, and adjoins a small shower room. The report suggested it may be condensation due to the use of this area so we are going to monitor this.

It could be that the shower tray or drain is leaking and is the root cause of the damp rather than condensation. Failing grout between tiles might be another source.

 

[ShepherdsLantern]

It could be that the shower tray or drain is leaking and is the root cause of the damp rather than condensation. Failing grout between tiles might be another source.

This shower room is the first thing we will be changing as it is really dated so I'd feel more comfortable going into the winter with this having had the work done and any underlying issues looked at.

This floorplan explains the area better, the utility area is separate but the report doesn't exactly pinpoint which wall had the moisture, just that it was 'lower wall in utility room'.

 

[fernicarry]

the house is stone construction and this rear section is brick

I thought it might be. The walls are probably thinner and therefore colder than the rest of the house which might promote condensation. But you should eliminate all other sources of water ingress just to be sure. If you can squeeze a bit of IWI in there when you refurbish that will increase the surface temperature of the wall so there will be less condensation. And a turbo-nutter extractor fan to dry it off after use. The fan in our bathroom is triggered by a flow switch on the pipework to make it "family proof".

I do wonder what the new builds will look like when they are 120 years old

I very much doubt if many of them will make it to that age. The tapes and membranes that they rely on have a design life of around 60 years.