Period property in Transition

[biffvernon]

Here's an article by my friend Rob Hopkins about dealing with a very old house in the new paradigm, which I think may be of interest. If not, at least there are some very nice pictures to look at.

http://transitionculture.org/2011/09/23/back-to-the-old-house-meetings-with-remarkable-walls/

 

[Penners]

That is certainly interesting. But to return to a point which Rob dismisses very early in the article, is it not actually the case that cob walls which are not protected by a lime render will very slowly erode, due to rain, wind and sunshine?

Forgive me, alternative builders, for I know not of what I speak.

 

[biffvernon]

That is certainly interesting. But to return to a point which Rob dismisses very early in the article, is it not actually the case that cob walls which are not protected by a lime render will very slowly erode, due to rain, wind and sunshine?

Yes, but slowly. The trick is to have a large roof overhang so that the wall doesn't get very much direct heavy rain. I have a piece of earthen wall that is just slightly sheltered by an overhanging brick arch and it is as sound as the when built some six years ago. Of course damage, should it occur, is very easily repaired.

 

[robgil]

So where does repairing clay/daub render sit with building regs? My cottage has a daub render ,Or at least had a daub render that has been badly patched over with cement however a lot if the daub render still exists. Would I choose daub over lime when it comes time to remove the cement? Daub would be nicer aesthetically, more within keeping to the original render and cheaper and easier, but lime would obviously be favourable for durability and longevity without maintenance and I can render with lime over the original daub.
Any thoughts?

This , I think shows the daub render in a bad state (or it could be just a deteriorated exterior paint job, it's hard to tell).

 

[Flyfisher]

The trick is to have a large roof overhang so that the wall doesn't get very much direct heavy rain.

I'm a big fan of overhanging roofs. They seem, to me, to be a far better design concept than most standard roof designs (in the UK at least) where the roof ends just far enough away from the wall to accomodate a gutter. Extending the roof to 3, 4, 5 feet beyond the walls means that walls rarely become soaking wet during rainfall and that the ground surrounding the building also remains fairly dry. This must surely significantly reduce any likelihood of damp within the building. Doors and windows are also protected from the worst of the elements and would thus last far longer. Furthermore, if (when?) the gutters become blocked or otherwise fail, the overflowing water is not deposited into the top of the walls, it merely falls to the ground a few feet away from the walls.

On a rainy day, a hat is certainly a useful thing to wear, but an umbrella is far more effective.

 

[biffvernon]

I think shows the daub render in a bad state (or it could be just a deteriorated exterior paint job, it's hard to tell).

My guess is that the gable end has been limewashed several years earlier and it's about time it was done again.

 

[Nigel Watts]

This is from Svedenstierna's diary (he was a Swedish industrial spy who toured England in 1802-3):

Between [Preston] and Liverpool one passes several fine estates ...The cottages usually consist of a little house with kitchen and bedroom ... and are all built of wattle daubing with or without timbering. The former are considered to be more durable, if they are erected at a suitable time of year, properly plastered, and kept in repair... the walls are made 21 inches thick at the foot and 12 to 13 at the roof. A Mr Bourne, a businessman in Liverpool, who had substantial estates here and in Cheshire, assured me me that he had in both places mud houses which stood for 60 to 70 years, without noticeable damage. He added that this method of construction has been tried out on a large scale in several places, which however, was not a success, because the thick walls which were found necessary for a larger building could not be dried in the first summer.

 

[Penners]

On a rainy day, a hat is certainly a useful thing to wear, but an umbrella is far more effective.

An excellent analogy, FF. In the Alps they know a thing or two about roofs.

 

[robgil]

I think shows the daub render in a bad state (or it could be just a deteriorated exterior paint job, it's hard to tell).

My guess is that the gable end has been limewashed several years earlier and it's about time it was done again.

Thats what I initially thought Biff but if you look closely under the window you can see the exposed wall plate. and to the left I think that is some brick from the chimney.
This is quite an exposed gable and the wind , from the time I have lived here always seems to blow towards the house hitting this gable first, well at least everytime I need to burn garden waste it is..