I’m looking for advice on the best option to proceed with the following;
I have an old stone cottage, which has modern (block cavity wall) extensions built either side in the 1970’s. The whole place is in need of a complete renovation.
The rear portion of the house, both the old stone building and the 1970’s extension, are coated in roughcast /wet cast (I’m unsure of the correct term) which has also been painted.
The front of the house is pointed stonework.
The rear of the house is exposed and gets the worst of the weather, which is pretty wet and windy here in Snowdonia, North Wales and, I imagine, is the reason that the rear has been rendered in roughcast.
The house suffers from a strong smell of damp/ mildew but there are no obvious signs of water penetration.
I have read that it is better for old stone buildings to be rendered with Lime rather than cement and so I wish to hack off the roughcast on the stone portion of the property and re-render with Lime.
Additionally, I would prefer to have a smooth finished render. However, this would then mean that the walls will not match if I don’t re-render the extension walls with a smooth finish also.
Hacking off the rough cast appears to be a difficult and time consuming job so I’m wondering if it’s possible to simply put a smooth coat of render over the rough cast? (on the cavity block extension walls only)
Obviously, for the stone walls I will still have to hack off, so would also appreciate some suggestions on the easiest method for hacking off without damaging the stone walls.
One final question, will rendering the stone walls in lime provide an effective weather barrier? Are there better options that still provide breathability to the stone walls?
Thanks for any advice and suggestions!
I have an old stone cottage, which has modern (block cavity wall) extensions built either side in the 1970’s. The whole place is in need of a complete renovation.
The rear portion of the house, both the old stone building and the 1970’s extension, are coated in roughcast /wet cast (I’m unsure of the correct term) which has also been painted.
The front of the house is pointed stonework.
The rear of the house is exposed and gets the worst of the weather, which is pretty wet and windy here in Snowdonia, North Wales and, I imagine, is the reason that the rear has been rendered in roughcast.
The house suffers from a strong smell of damp/ mildew but there are no obvious signs of water penetration.
I have read that it is better for old stone buildings to be rendered with Lime rather than cement and so I wish to hack off the roughcast on the stone portion of the property and re-render with Lime.
Additionally, I would prefer to have a smooth finished render. However, this would then mean that the walls will not match if I don’t re-render the extension walls with a smooth finish also.
Hacking off the rough cast appears to be a difficult and time consuming job so I’m wondering if it’s possible to simply put a smooth coat of render over the rough cast? (on the cavity block extension walls only)
Obviously, for the stone walls I will still have to hack off, so would also appreciate some suggestions on the easiest method for hacking off without damaging the stone walls.
One final question, will rendering the stone walls in lime provide an effective weather barrier? Are there better options that still provide breathability to the stone walls?
Thanks for any advice and suggestions!
