Hi everyone, new joiner here. Been very helpful reading up on lime in these threads, something we're having a quick education in right now.
Myself and the OH have recently got the keys to a Victorian mid terrace in Brighton (part bungaroosh, part masonry with solid walls, circa 1880).
We knew heading into this the rear facade was likely caked in cement render which had developed cracks letting in damp, and adjusted the price to compensate, allowing us to sort removal and new render in lime. Trouble is, we'd hoped to get in by the summer to sort the work (we offered at the start of the year), but the chain was horribly slow.
We'd lined up a couple of specialists who now rightly say the weather has turned and we can't sort the external work until the spring. The fascia is rotten and gutters need replacing soon and we'd hoped to use the scaffold for the rendering to get those sorted (three storeys up).
Internally we've had to remove some of the woodchip and lining paper which had lost its footing, and have revealed some skims which look to have been applied to cover up the damp. Mostly grey concrete/cement, with patching of various stuff over the lime, probably some lime putty, some Easyfill, some expanding foam etc etc.
Question we're weighing up is, do we knock off those skims now and attempt our own repairs in lime on the internal walls, while that might open us up to more ingress in the winter, or wait until we've sorted the external walls next year and put up with it during the colder months? Is there anything we can do to manage the damp in the meantime (patch repairs or sorting the guttering/fascia on its own, which would cost more?)
We also think a gypsum skim has been recently applied throughout a first floor room to make it good, where there is currently no damp readings. Have read horror stories and reassurances about gypsum skim over lime plaster in different forums (stop Googling, I know!), so we're wondering whether to take a chance on it staying dry for the forseeable, save the money, and decorate, or bring the lot down and start again.
Any advice would be great, every plasterer we've had round seems to want to Easyfill or gypsum skim "it'll be fine been doing it for years" and every damp proofer says slapping tanking on the inside and K-rend on the outside would do the job cheaper. But makes sense they would upsell the easy stuff....?
We're new to this and easy to panic over the build up of repairs which need doing, so would love to be told I'm worrying too much and to sit tight. Just want to do the right thing by the house and avoid too much damage until we can make it good.
Attached pics of rear facade and lime/cement internal examples
TIA!
Myself and the OH have recently got the keys to a Victorian mid terrace in Brighton (part bungaroosh, part masonry with solid walls, circa 1880).
We knew heading into this the rear facade was likely caked in cement render which had developed cracks letting in damp, and adjusted the price to compensate, allowing us to sort removal and new render in lime. Trouble is, we'd hoped to get in by the summer to sort the work (we offered at the start of the year), but the chain was horribly slow.
We'd lined up a couple of specialists who now rightly say the weather has turned and we can't sort the external work until the spring. The fascia is rotten and gutters need replacing soon and we'd hoped to use the scaffold for the rendering to get those sorted (three storeys up).
Internally we've had to remove some of the woodchip and lining paper which had lost its footing, and have revealed some skims which look to have been applied to cover up the damp. Mostly grey concrete/cement, with patching of various stuff over the lime, probably some lime putty, some Easyfill, some expanding foam etc etc.
Question we're weighing up is, do we knock off those skims now and attempt our own repairs in lime on the internal walls, while that might open us up to more ingress in the winter, or wait until we've sorted the external walls next year and put up with it during the colder months? Is there anything we can do to manage the damp in the meantime (patch repairs or sorting the guttering/fascia on its own, which would cost more?)
We also think a gypsum skim has been recently applied throughout a first floor room to make it good, where there is currently no damp readings. Have read horror stories and reassurances about gypsum skim over lime plaster in different forums (stop Googling, I know!), so we're wondering whether to take a chance on it staying dry for the forseeable, save the money, and decorate, or bring the lot down and start again.
Any advice would be great, every plasterer we've had round seems to want to Easyfill or gypsum skim "it'll be fine been doing it for years" and every damp proofer says slapping tanking on the inside and K-rend on the outside would do the job cheaper. But makes sense they would upsell the easy stuff....?
We're new to this and easy to panic over the build up of repairs which need doing, so would love to be told I'm worrying too much and to sit tight. Just want to do the right thing by the house and avoid too much damage until we can make it good.
Attached pics of rear facade and lime/cement internal examples
TIA!
