Anyone on here specialise on very old houses and what you can do and cant do 🤔

[Jamouk]

Bought a 400 year old ruins and am now learning about doffing machines and breathable paints and finishes ( no I'd never heard of one either and been a contractor for 25 years ) if anyone is experienced and fancys earning a couple of quid ... please make contact

 

[enfieldspares]

The only useful suggestion I can make is take advice on what mix of sand, cement and likely lime, you use in your mortar if repointing.

 

[wytonpjs]

The only useful suggestion I can make is take advice on what mix of sand, cement and likely lime, you use in your mortar if repointing.

Not cement - lime!

Finally sold our 1661 grade 2 listed yeoman’s farmer cottage last year and, after 20 odd years, I’m glad I’ve handed the custodian battle on to someone else. It was a money pit and I don’t care the Oliver Cromwell probably rode past it when it was in its prime.

 

[Deermanagement]

3 years into the renovation of a stone farmhouse, limecrete floors, all stone, internal or external, pointed or lime rendered whilst all lathe and plaster internatls removed and rebuilt with block walls and hardwall plaster. Roof replaced, chimney work done and the whole place including the cellar sat on recycled foamed glass insulation.

Any specific questions and I can maybe help or even advise although I'm not a builder but probably know more about this type of place than the average builder

 

[takbok]

Bought a 400 year old ruins and am now learning about doffing machines and breathable paints and finishes ( no I'd never heard of one either and been a contractor for 25 years ) if anyone is experienced and fancys earning a couple of quid ... please make contact

I've used a very knowledgeable guy a couple of times - he did very comprehensive reports on 2 old houses that we were considering buying.

It's worthwhile even just having a look at the website.

Building Surveyors and Damp Specialists - Heritage And Design

Durie Heritage, independent listed & historic building surveyors, damp specialists. Call for advice: building surveys, timber and damp surveys

www.heritageanddesign.co.uk

 

[Martiniblack577]

The only useful suggestion I can make is take advice on what mix of sand, cement and likely lime, you use in your mortar if repointing.

How about don’t use sand and cement in the beginning

 

[willie_gunn]

Is it listed? If so, what grade?

Old houses can - as @wytonpjs says - end up being a money pit, requiring what seems like constant upkeep.

Trust that yours is not thatched.....

 

[Martiniblack577]

Bought a 400 year old ruins and am now learning about doffing machines and breathable paints and finishes ( no I'd never heard of one either and been a contractor for 25 years ) if anyone is experienced and fancys earning a couple of quid ... please make contact

As per other poster welcome to the world of breathable buildings. Any modern materials added to it over the years will upset the building’s homeostasis and need removing. Lime products are your new friend. And finding a person happy to use the products as you will run into resistance with some who say they can’t render/point with it. I have no idea why this happens as lime products are no big deal. Key underpinning principle is the building must be able to breathe. If you keep to that mantra it will stand for another 400 years.

 

[Jamouk]

Is it listed? If so, what grade?

Old houses can - as @wytonpjs says - end up being a money pit, requiring what seems like constant upkeep.

Trust that yours is not thatched.....

Luckily not listed ! Used to be thatched but has been changed to tiled in the last 40 years , wouldn't have bought it otherwise ! If it had been done up I wouldn't have been able to afford it in the first place so was fully aware what I was walking into , wife walking in and falling thru the floor on the first day was interesting

 

[Demetrius]

My house was built in 1936, and it looks like lime mortar was used......you can scrape the sandy yellow stuff out with a fingernail, and an attempt to remove some bathroom tiles resulted in 4 loose bricks in the interior wall.
The pointing is much harder and grey in colour, so probably cement.

D.

 

[archiebald98]

Hi I’m based in north Devon and we do loads of this type of work!

First thing is just don’t even consider cement

NHL lime is better but still not properly breathable

You want lime putty based mortar. I know you’re a long way from Devon but take a look on Mike wyes website under the “lime mortar” section. That’s the stuff you want along with paints etc. The website also has lots of free information

Their lime skim is lovely stuff, easier to use than bog standard multi finish and it breathes

 

[charlie222]

I work in lots of old houses, I'm no expert regarding the materials or techniques in keeping them original. What I would say is,just because it's old it doesn't need to be drafty, damp and cold to keep its character. Think hard about getting as much insulation in as possible or your going to pay a fortune in heating bills.

 

[archiebald98]

insulation is a minefield in regards to breath-ability. Roof insulation at the truss level is normally fine

Pir board on the walls is absolutely not breathable and could cause damp problems. If you stud off to insulate then you need to be careful to maintain airflow behind the insulation

I would suggest consulting someone before you do any major insulating work as you could cause more problems than you solve

 

[Jamouk]

I've used a very knowledgeable guy a couple of times - he did very comprehensive reports on 2 old houses that we were considering buying.

It's worthwhile even just having a look at the website.

Building Surveyors and Damp Specialists - Heritage And Design

Durie Heritage, independent listed & historic building surveyors, damp specialists. Call for advice: building surveys, timber and damp surveys

www.heritageanddesign.co.uk

Thanks was a bit far for them but they have recommended someone more local

 

[AJC]

i bought a 150 year old house 6 years ago, whilst it was a beautiful house, it was ruined and beyond repair. wasn't listed so down it came and built a new one in its place. which ironically i have just put up for sale

 

[Mike1979]

Spent 6 odd years renovating an old property made of stone and badly knocked about so the same as some of the earlier posts...floor up, Limecrete slabs, lime render, rotten timbers ...the list goes on. Finally stripped the cement based render off a month or 2 back...repaired all the loose areas of stone with lime mortar and then got the plasterer to give the house a new lime render.

 

[eggy74]

Do yourself a big favour and buy a copy of "The warm dry home" it is by a specialist conservation builder named Peter Ward. You can find all the information you need in the book.

 

[takbok]

Thanks was a bit far for them but they have recommended someone more local

No problem, best wishes with the house!

 

[timbrayford]

Luckily not listed ! Used to be thatched but has been changed to tiled in the last 40 years , wouldn't have bought it otherwise ! If it had been done up I wouldn't have been able to afford it in the first place so was fully aware what I was walking into , wife walking in and falling thru the floor on the first day was interesting

took the asbestos slates off my roof and replaced with thatch, house is now significantly warmer less traffic noise too

 

[Jamouk]

took the asbestos slates off my roof and replaced with thatch, house is now significantly warmer less traffic noise too

Not as fire proof though now