House repairs - what first?

lookstraightahead

I'm still trying to work this out after seeing a couple of tradespeople I still don't know what I'm doing.
so, my 1860s house has:

spalling brickwork
rotting soffits and fascias
Some old guttering but some replaced 5 years ago
some damp inside. One wall (a new wall)  is half underground so that is probably penetrating damp that we can't do anything about, the rest of the damp 'we think' is historic from leaks which have been rectified by the new guttering. There is also some damp from condensation.

We've had a quote for internal ventilation and also have seen a guy who suggests cork render (although I think building regs required for this).

what order should we do all this in, I mean, surely spalling bricks should be mended first before applying render? 

There's also the wrong paint flaking off.

neilmcl

If bricks are spalling then your render guys should sort this as part of their job. They won't replace the bricks but merely remove any loose surface before covering in render. Is the house currently rendered and, if so, how much of the house are you re-rendering?

The house of that age is likely to be of a solid wall construction and therefore would require a lime render.

lookstraightahead

neilmcl said:

If bricks are spalling then your render guys should sort this as part of their job. They won't replace the bricks but merely remove any loose surface before covering in render. Is the house currently rendered and, if so, how much of the house are you re-rendering?

The house of that age is likely to be of a solid wall construction and therefore would require a lime render.

Thank you. The house is long and narrow, with the narrow being the front and back. The front is a newish wall that has concrete render (about 20% of the house). The rest is a solid wall, with no render. The spalling is on the back of the house (the other narrow side) so has no render at all. The rendering guy has suggested removing the cement on the front, and then using cork for the whole house (with the usual planning permission). 

I'm thinking ... leave the front wall as concrete, get the spalling done on the back, but then what? Leave it well alone or maybe lime render? I suppose what I'm trying to do is protect the brickwork in the right way to allow it to breathe and prevent any more damp.

neilmcl

If it were me I'd just repair/replace the damaged brickwork and leave the rest of the rear alone. I must admit I've never heard of cork renders before, I assume it was recommended by your guy as it's quite easy to apply, ie, it get's sprayed on. Personally I wouldn't bother with any render is there's none there already.

lookstraightahead

neilmcl said:

If it were me I'd just repair/replace the damaged brickwork and leave the rest of the rear alone. I must admit I've never heard of cork renders before, I assume it was recommended by your guy as it's quite easy to apply, ie, it get's sprayed on. Personally I wouldn't bother with any render is there's none there already.

Yes maybe I'm making a mountain out of a molehill. The cork render is an eco alternative which is breathable (learning all the time!) but in my head I'm thinking I have to have render to protect the property, because of damp etc. Maybe just get the brickwork sorted. 

FreeBear

External render & insulation will generally require planning permission if the walls are currently plain brick/stone. Using cork, there are two different systems - One is to fix cork boards to the wall and then render over. The second is a lime mortar with cork granules mixed in. The first method would be quicker and is not much different from EWI using conventional materials. The second, much more labour intensive and will need a very thick layer to attain a u-value to satisfy building regs.. Some info about cork here - https://www.mikewye.co.uk/product-category/natural-insulation/cork-insulation/

If you are fitting EWI, the spalled bricks can have a parging coat of lime mortar over the top. Or else the bricks can be cut out and reclaims carefully mortared back in.

As for the half buried damp wall, there is something that could be done to reduce the problem... Dig a trench along the wall (say 300mm wide) as deep as you can. Put a damp proof material up against the wall and line the rest of the trench with a geotextile. Back fill with 20mm gravel to within ~75mm of the surface, and fold the geotextile over the top. Cap the trench with 40mm cobbles or decorative gravel. If your soil is heavy clay, you would want to fit a perforated pipe at the bottom of the trench and route it to a soakaway well away from the building.

lookstraightahead

FreeBear said:

External render & insulation will generally require planning permission if the walls are currently plain brick/stone. Using cork, there are two different systems - One is to fix cork boards to the wall and then render over. The second is a lime mortar with cork granules mixed in. The first method would be quicker and is not much different from EWI using conventional materials. The second, much more labour intensive and will need a very thick layer to attain a u-value to satisfy building regs.. Some info about cork here - https://www.mikewye.co.uk/product-category/natural-insulation/cork-insulation/

If you are fitting EWI, the spalled bricks can have a parging coat of lime mortar over the top. Or else the bricks can be cut out and reclaims carefully mortared back in.

As for the half buried damp wall, there is something that could be done to reduce the problem... Dig a trench along the wall (say 300mm wide) as deep as you can. Put a damp proof material up against the wall and line the rest of the trench with a geotextile. Back fill with 20mm gravel to within ~75mm of the surface, and fold the geotextile over the top. Cap the trench with 40mm cobbles or decorative gravel. If your soil is heavy clay, you would want to fit a perforated pipe at the bottom of the trench and route it to a soakaway well away from the building.

Thank you so much for this, it's really helpful. I'm thinking I might just get the brickwork properly dealt with. The front wall is on the pavement which makes the whole damp issue more difficult. I don't have to have render it was just something I thought would help, but it sounds quite difficult to sort out.

stuart45

The bricks might be spalling if they have been repointed with a strong cement mortar.