Cement render stripping

[angrybird]

well im 2 thirds through removing the cement render from 1 wall! and I cant believe how much the wall has dried out since removing it,Ive also removed the plaster board from inside. I even found a toad behind it ! (damp what damp?) :shock: you can almost hear the poor old house give a sigh of relief. The house still has a whiff of damp but i'm trying to convince myself its the new Chanel :lol:

 

[tobydog]

Angrybird - that looks very satisfying and it's coming off pretty well.

A quick question (after a bit of an explanation). The outside of the front plinth is still covered in cement. Loads of it. It's not coming off anytime soon because it's a big lump that's 8" deep at the base and blending in with the main wall render at the top. Stupid but that's what I've got. I've stripped the inside and it needs rebuilding under the sole plate. I can see all the cement on the other side :shock: . If I was to rebuild the plinth and point using non-hydraulic lime with a mixture of soft and sharp sand (as suggested by Andrew) how long would I need to leave this to set before I could render it given that it only has the new render side to dry from?. I know non-hydraulic needs air to set properly and I'm thinking that if I used natural hydraulic lime that sets in the presence of moisture I could get onto it far sooner. Also, as this could remain a slightly damp plinth even after I've done the work, wouldn't NHL be a better choice for rebuilding and render anyway?

Would appreciate your thoughts. Thanks