Impossible to save?

[Penners]

I bow to the depth of your knowledge and wisdom, O Great One! :wink:

Actually, I happen to be particularly familiar with the name "Dave", and I'm afraid it's no simpler. It's one of the most ancient of names, and there are versions of it in something like 50 languages - including Korean.

So Kim Jong Un may one day be succeeded by his son, Kim Jong Dave.

 

[CliffordPope]

Dried cats and witch bottles are also said to have been concealed within buildings..

Absolutely true. I found a cat skeleton buried in the wall of my cottage.

 

[Feltwell]

Kim Jong Dave.

:lol:

I quite like that.

My father-in-law was called Dave, and the business he ran with his wife employed a manager called Dave. At one point they had 6 engineers working for the business, I think 4 of them were called Dave.

We did propose changing the other 2 engineers', my mother-in-law's and the dog's name to Dave as well.

The business was based not far from Davenham in Cheshire. Clearly a move there would have been the next logical step.

 

[tobydog]

Our house extension plumber was called Dave. We didn't actually appoint him, however, he was so elusive after the works that I was convinced Dave was actually a pseudonym!!

 

[Zebra]

Dried cats and witch bottles are also said to have been concealed within buildings..

Absolutely true. I found a cat skeleton buried in the wall of my cottage.

What did you do with it?
I found a rat skeleton but I don't think that counts!!

 

[Zebra]

Please would anybody give their opinion on this plinth?
Just to recap, I've got permission to demolish and rebuild this part of the house, but in the meantime I'm just seeing whether perhaps I could repair it. What do you reckon about this plinth? Take it all out and rebuild reusing the same materials? Or just repoint on the surface? To me it looks in a pretty bad state, but I'm wondering whether some of you will say "mine was far worse than that, give it a dusting and away you go!" It's underground, as the ground levels are higher on the other side, and I will dig a French drain when I've got the structure more stable.
The sole plate is toast, and would need completely replacing.
Also, it goes no lower than where my finished floor level will be. Would you take it all out, rebuild, inserting a couple more courses lower down and a dpc?
Many thanks for any views!

 

[middi]

I have repaired far worse that that ( :wink: ).

In order to make a good job of it , the simple answer is " repair it if you are doing the job yourself" - or - " pay someone to repair it- at a prize."

As your building is not subject to listing restrictions ( I believe ?), it would be a better proposition to start from scratch , using modern materials with a design to complement any existing structure.

It is a question of personal choise and budget ----- Get quotes from builders, then decide-----

Middi

 

[tobydog]

Your sole plate actually looks in far better condition than ours (bit hard to tell from the photo though) and we were told by a reputable timber framer that ours is repairable. Is yours rotten all the way through? Having stripped off the cement below and scapped off the rotten outer wood, what is left is actually very strong despite looking rather thin in places. I'm currently letting the sole plate and plinth dry out until the summer and then I'll repair it. Several of the bricks in the upper course are lose. Should be a challenge with the top edge!. Will need one of those lime mortar pump gun things.

 

[Zebra]

In order to make a good job of it , the simple answer is " repair it if you are doing the job yourself" - or - " pay someone to repair it- at a prize."
As your building is not subject to listing restrictions ( I believe ?), it would be a better proposition to start from scratch , using modern materials with a design to complement any existing structure.
It is a question of personal choise and budget ----- Get quotes from builders, then decide-----

Thanks, as ever, for your views Middi. If I do repair it, I'd do it myself. Especially as it might be a completely bonkers plan. If I manage it as far as getting the plinths set up, then I have a carpenter lined up who'd be OK to rebuild the frame, on a day rate, with me taking full responsibility for the project!.....
You're not the only one to say I'd be better starting from scratch with modern materials and modern Building Regs. That is still the fall-back position! (You're right I'm not listed..) However, three builders have seen it so far and "declined to tender" for the work of rebuilding.....!

Is yours rotten all the way through?

Thanks Tobydog for your help. The sole plate is down to an inch thick in more than one place. There are other timbers which are definately salvageable, but I don't reckon this one is.

 

[Zebra]

Hi all,

Just thought I'd let you know the outcome of a decision which you were all kind enough to help with. The poor condition old side extension on my house, which possibly was once an animal shelter of some sort, with the leaning out back wall, the sagging roof, which I was agonising over whether to repair or rebuild - well it's gone......




A carpenter came round to see it, whom I'd asked to help repair it. He was very confident it could be done, with a new (reclaimed) oak frame, a new plinth on two sides, and no Building Control involvement. But after he'd gone I was left with the impression that the finished building would bear no more real resemblance to the original than if I started again from scratch, and in fact would even be a lie, a pretence.
Flyfisher was also kind enough to come and see it, and give his opinion, which was very helpful.
In the meantime the builder who I'd hoped all along would take it on, has agreed to do so.
So I demolished it carefully myself, in order to save all the bits that I wanted. I saved all the timbers that were worth saving, all numbered and stacked carefully. The plan is to reattach the old timber studs internally to the new wall, in their original positions, and lime plaster between them. They won't be doing a structural job, just a historical one. Whimsical perhaps, but I like it. I've also saved the brick plinth from the back wall. I might rebuild it there, or elsewhere.
In the meantime hopefully the builder will be starting soon, to dig foundations, and do whatever he has to do to construct a new building, fully compliant with Building Regs, which will be warmer, drier, stronger, and hopefully a good new chapter in the house's history.

 

[FamilyWiggs]

the sagging roof

Well that was quite an understatement! :lol:

Probably the best decision, all told.

 

[Feltwell]

Sometimes it's best to know when to move on and start afresh with dilapadated buildings. Your timber structure did much better than mine though - this was built in 1958.

 

[Penners]

Feltwell - you need to be careful of that building. It doesn't look very safe to me.

Expert advice - no charge.

 

[Feltwell]

Feltwell - you need to be careful of that building. It doesn't look very safe to me.

Expert advice - no charge.

The demolition method between pictures 1 and 2 was very technical:-

1) Attach an old lorry strap to one side
2) Give a decidely half-hearted tug on the strap.

 

[Penners]

Low tech, but high precision nonetheless!

 

[FamilyWiggs]

Low tech, but high precision nonetheless!

Not if he was aiming for that bin, it wasn't.

 

[Penners]

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Zebra]

Do you all remember that extension which I knocked down and had rebuilt? I saved its old timber frame. The plan was to reattach the old timber studs internally to the new wall, in their original positions, and lime plaster between them.
Well, here it is so far. I've cut the old timbers along their length, saving only the interior half, reattached them to the new wall, and put woodwool board between them, ready for lime plastering.
The purists amongst you might not like it, I am aware, because it is a fake - a new building masquerading as an old one. But to me it is better than doing nothing with it.
I saved all the bricks and flint from the old plinth, but am not sure now whether to try to do the same thing with it all, or just throw them away.

 

[Penners]

Well, after your horrible accident you are now definitely back to your old hippotigris self, aren't you? Well done!

As you say, purists might curl their lips a bit, but if you have recreated the look of the room that was there originally, personally I'm all for it. In fact, I used that half-stud trick myself in a small extension to the first building that I renovated, which was well before the advent of purism in such things. It was impossible to tell the phoney studwork from the genuine in the rest of the building.

Did you rip the studs in half yourself? If so, I hope you carefully denailed them first. I had to get my TCT sawblade retipped after I'd done the job without scrupulous denailing!

 

[Zebra]

Yes, I did it on a table saw. No, I couldn't denail it first, the nails were too rusty, but I reckon the job was worth a saw blade.