I need to get a man in ........

nickyhutch

.... but what kind of man?

Hope someone can help. I live in a 3 storey stone cottage, which is quite old (1871). When it rains, water is coming in on the ground floor and soaking the carpets. It seems to come in at 2 points, one corner and the door. I know I need to get someone in and see what the problem is, but what sort of handyperson do I need to look for in the yellow pages? Builder? Surveyor?

Thanks for reading :j

pboae

If it's 18C stone built it is probably lime plastered and lime mortared. I'd look for a lime plasterer first and ask them to come and check the pointing. Be warned, they are neither easy to find nor cheap. But if you go for a regular builder/handyman who is only familiar with modern plasters they can potentially make things a lot worse. And if anyone starts trying to sell you a damp proof course run a mile, it's one of the worst things you can do to a fairly sound stone and lime building.

If it's not the pointing they should be able to put you in touch with a stone mason or carpenter, depending what the problem is.