Restoring Victorian Buildings

[Darrell]

NEW leadwork all round is a must.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Well as you know it is always work from the top down,you property from victorian times would have had slate on the roof,or in places where I live clay tiles,if your roof has been fitted with concrete tiles in the 50's the main concern would be has the roof timbers been uprated to take the extra weight,also any chimney stacks may need repointing,also given the age of the property and fire places that might be used may well need sleaving,so that smoke from a wood burner or coal fies does not leak into rooms,these jobs are easily done with the scaffold up,on that topic you will find local builders will get a better rate for scaffold than you could,with the repointing of your property,most builders will use small kangoos to remove the old mortar,given that you have 400 sqm to be done I would expect the work to take three weeks.
At the moment getting materials to do any building work is getting difficult,but there are signs that people are now putting off work because of the financial situation in the UK,so my advice would be for the roof to possibly use the slate effect tiles that will give the property the look it had when it was built ,but whatever you choose make certain you have all the materials onsite,to complete the roof,and have the scaffold up before the roofers turn up.
Having done a number of properties over the years I well remember being under prepaired for the trades coming onsite,if you make someone in charge of the build make certain they know what they are doing.

There is only one chimney (as it wasn’t originally a house) and that’s led to a small leak, so it will need to be repointed and re flashed I suspect.

The damp around the windows might just be condensation through lack of ventilation. Don't do anything drastic yet. i rented out a Victorian terraced for a few years, main bedroom window reviel was black on my return, turned out the window was never opened. Get a dehumidifier in there and open the windows during the day,

Good advice

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

If only you were closer. I’ve been saying that to my wife since we’ve been eying up this property!

 

[oldguy57]

Yes he said 3 months. If doing the whole building then there is quite a lot of brickwork, my very quick estimate would be around 400 m2 after deducting windows - but even then 3 months still seems a very long time!.does that sound right?

3 months is ridiculous. He's having you on unless he only intends to do 2 hours a day! I'd be asking your surveyor what he thinks.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Wow, things changed quickly. A friend recommended a roofer today so I gave him a call. He was on his way to quote a job in the same village, so I hopped in the car. Incredibly we were stuck in the aftermath of the same accident on the way and arrived within minutes of each other!

He’s said exactly the same as the Surveyor said about the roof, except having been up there he said it’s probably closer to 25 years old, and has had new ridge tiles and EPS trays in the last 10 years, so generally worth repairing and not replacing.

He’s quoting me for multiple relatively small job, fresh lead where needed, pointing and flashing the chimney,!repairing some decay (which wasn’t as bad as it might have been), sorting some guttering and a few other bits and pieces.

He said it’s the sort of work he’ll do between big jobs or maybe even a weekend, so lead time won’t be too much of an issue either. Feeling relieved, assuming that he and the surveyor are right, and the other roofer was trying it on.

Brickwork next. I tried using white vinegar to work out what’s lime and what’s cement, but I couldn’t be conclusive. I have someone going to see the brickwork who has a long list of customers who he works for with similar properties - doing what’s needed to conserve every year or two.

Keeping fingers crossed the news is good there too

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

3 months is ridiculous. He's having you on unless he only intends to do 2 hours a day! I'd be asking your surveyor what he thinks.

I think he was either trying it on, or if I give him the benefit of the doubt making it a bigger job to make it worthwhile. I’ll wait until I see the quotes from the guy today - see last post for more on that

 

[ChrisEdu]

Regarding your window cills, assuming you're talking about the external ones, it's well worth checking they still have a viable drip line, ie a line under the cill from which rain can drip, rather than running along the underside of the cill and penetrating the walls.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Regarding your window cills, assuming you're talking about the external ones, it's well worth checking they still have a viable drip line, ie a line under the cill from which rain can drip, rather than running along the underside of the cill and penetrating the walls.

The windows have a natural stone cill, and externally have quite a significant overhang from the wall, however your point regarding a drip line is a good one.

The stone is quite weathered - it’s in an exposed location with harsh weather - and so there may not be the same crisp edge that would have originally been the case.

Worthy of investigation

 

[Tonye]

Worthy of investigation

And a pass or two with an angle grinder.

 

[Tonye]

A shame i am in France at the mo, im based in bolton and would love a ride out in the hills, may be October when i am back i can have a good recky with you and a brew. Don't expect any tools with me, them days are gone

 

[Darrell]

Regarding your window cills, assuming you're talking about the external ones, it's well worth checking they still have a viable drip line, ie a line under the cill from which rain can drip, rather than running along the underside of the cill and penetrating the walls.

It’s called an anti capillary groove.

 

[Darrell]

The windows have a natural stone cill, and externally have quite a significant overhang from the wall, however your point regarding a drip line is a good one.

The stone is quite weathered - it’s in an exposed location with harsh weather - and so there may not be the same crisp edge that would have originally been the case.

Worthy of investigation

A stone chill should have an anti capillary groove. When we used to cast a cull with a shutter we would pin a length of sash cord in it to form the groove.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

A stone chill should have an anti capillary groove. When we used to cast a cull with a shutter we would pin a length of sash cord in it to form the groove.

I’ll have a look next time I’m there but I think it may be flat

 

[ChrisEdu]

It’s called an anti capillary groove.

As I'd literally just got back from a 5hr drive, I couldn't remember!