The lintel of laths

[CarolineTheChemist]

I thought some of you may be interested/entertained/bemused/not at all surprised by a super “feature” we’ve discovered in our chimney breast! Last week I posted about our gravity defying hearth, this week’s topic is our fireplace lintel made from laths.

How it started:

Just a little crack in the plaster on the chimney breast…


What could be under there?

Let’s remove some bricks to take a look…





I know builders from the previous centuries made some dubious choices, but surely this is up there with the most questionable of all the building decisions. I know that wood going into chimneys isn’t that unusual in old houses. But laths?! Really?! I snap them over my knee and use them for kindling!!!

My absolute favourite thing about these photos are the sooty scorch marks.



Tonight I will be studying my home insurance docs just to make sure we’re absolutely, definitely, surely, totally, wholly covered in case of a fire. I really wanted some extra anxiety as a Christmas present.

Y’know if I ever wrote a blog (unlikely) about the adventure of restoring this old house, I think I’d call it The Lintel of Laths. Can’t wait to see what other treats await us!

Merry Christmas one and all

 

[Toby Newell]

Technically speaking multiple layers of wood is stronger than a single thickness as cracks cannot propagate all the way through... but still, interesting choice! I do wood conservation for a living and it is rare, on a big job, if I do not see something new and, er interesting. I am constantly remarking upon the particular level of 'stupid' I find, I see myself as less of a conservator and more of a Feng Shui expert, reducing the level of 'stupid' in any property I work on... hopefully it brings good luck.

The comforting thing is, the more of this stupid I find, the more I am amazed and realise how strong and durable old buildings actually are, if you were to show me half the things I have seen at the start of my career I would of bet money that they would of led to catastrophic failure, it seems that old buildings were built with a sprinkling of magic.

 

[Lacan07]

I thought some of you may be interested/entertained/bemused/not at all surprised by a super “feature” we’ve discovered in our chimney breast! Last week I posted about our gravity defying hearth, this week’s topic is our fireplace lintel made from laths.

How it started:
View attachment 12061
Just a little crack in the plaster on the chimney breast…

View attachment 12062
What could be under there?
View attachment 12063
Let’s remove some bricks to take a look…

View attachment 12065
View attachment 12064
View attachment 12066View attachment 12067

I know builders from the previous centuries made some dubious choices, but surely this is up there with the most questionable of all the building decisions. I know that wood going into chimneys isn’t that unusual in old houses. But laths?! Really?! I snap them over my knee and use them for kindling!!!

My absolute favourite thing about these photos are the sooty scorch marks.

View attachment 12068

Tonight I will be studying my home insurance docs just to make sure we’re absolutely, definitely, surely, totally, wholly covered in case of a fire. I really wanted some extra anxiety as a Christmas present.

Y’know if I ever wrote a blog (unlikely) about the adventure of restoring this old house, I think I’d call it The Lintel of Laths. Can’t wait to see what other treats await us!

Merry Christmas one and all

My house has multiple wooden plates that span the walls at varying intervals for some reason, when I removed the chimney in my kitchen / bathroom the plates were scorched black!


Writing a blog is the done thing these days, personally i don't have the mindfulness to pick my phone and take a photo of anything, let alone a building site.