Cottage progress

[ricky146a]

I thought I would start a new thread charting the progress of my cottage on the North East coast.
As you may recall from my first thread, the cottage suffers from a large crack down the gable end wall.
This needs to be my first task.

I removed all the plasterboard from the internal studding and this revealed a VERY badly removed fireplace. The original would have been a large affair complete with bread ovens etc. None of the breast above the fireplace was supported as can be seen in the photo.

The breast itself was just single skin so not surprising that the wall cracked. Luckily they did not remove all the key stones or the whole wall would have collapsed.
Bricking and blocking was next, making sure to tie the new blocks to the outer wall where possible and then use a double wall further up. The key stones were carefully re-blended into the new structure.

The wall is now secure and I can begin to stitch the crack on the outside.
As suggested on by others on this forum, I have bought a kit of helibars and also the set of saw blades for removing the pointing (for reciprocating saw).

Back to the house tomorrow morning for another 4 days of graft!

Many thanks for all the advice you have given me and as always, comments or suggestions welcome.

 

[malcolm]

Oh 'eck - I wonder if the crack behind my removed fireplace is down to a similar reason. My plasterwork feature on the inside does look a bit odd in that it recesses into the wall. Must remove the plaster and have a look. Good on you for making the effort to strip out your stud wall to have a look rather than assuming the people who put the stud wall up in the first place knew what they were doing.

Are your water pipes running behind the studwork and any associated insulation? Not worried about freezing?

 

[ricky146a]

Insulation ? What is insulation??

The idiot that did this to the house just used foil backed plasterboard to stop the damp coming through but no sign of insulation anywhere in the house.
I was 'fortunate' in that there was a hole in the plasterboard when I viewed the house and this aroused my suspicions enough to rip it off after purchase.

As to your ripped out fireplace I do not really know what to suggest. If the crack that you have on the outside is fairly vertical and roughly where the flue would be then it is possible that the breast was not supported properly but you may need a structural engineer or surveyor to give you a definitive answer.

 

[malcolm]

I'm finding that the things done 100 years ago (that are still standing) were done to a reasonable standard if not necessarily to latest regs. My place was delightfully neglected so most things are still OK. It's the goons that messed around with it in the 1980s that messed everything they touched up. I guess there was a transition between the end of knowledgeable builders and the start of building regs inspectors. I've taken to ripping off the 80's coverings to see what is behind. Most times what is behind is frightening.

Well worth bunging a bit of insulation in when you finish. Gives you a nice cosy feeling.

 

[plasticpigeon]

Looks like the house is in safe hands now. So why did builders get so bad?

 

[ricky146a]

I blame Barry Bucknell. :roll:

 

[TheForge]

Nothing wrong with Barry!



Full of useful practical hints and tips...as long as it involves cement!

 

[philpjuk100]

"Bucknell`s house" my dads favorite telly programe, he cut all the spindles out of the banisters and replaced them with a bit of rope and covered all those nasty panelled doors with hardboard,

 

[88v8]

It was the Festival of Britain that really fuelled the rage for destroying Period features. Our previous house was 'modernised' in the 1950s by hardboarding the doors, stairs, but at least it preserved them.
The first and only owner/self-builder left a note in the banister casing, which alas I mislaid, but it said in that spidery Edwardian script;

'These banisters encased by Mr E T Lucas November 1957, greetings to whomsoever shall find this message.'

At least in those days builders could write proper.

Ivor

 

[SilverSaloon]

unfortunatly in the 60's our 1850's stone cottage was 'modernised' with hard board panelling galore. Its sad to say that pretty much all of the original features behind have either been removed and smashed up and used as packing-wood for the panelling or its become eaten by wood-worm behind all the panels! I'm currently in the process of ripping it all out and fixing it up.