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Maybe the wall is in such need of repair all the mortar has fallen out a long time ago! Ill take some close-ups tomorrow.

I dont think its a dry stone wall - there is mortar in the better condition parts.

Hi This wall could probably do with some TLC! Do all the gaps need (lime?) mortar put in? Theres a few gaps where stone has fallen out. Unfortuantely money is very tight. Can I ask a builder to 'just do the worst bits' or will that look odd? How much per metre do you think it would be to...

I like the idea of the wild flowers. In the bottom photo you can see the field at the rear with a drainage ditch running down the back. I was think of lawning that bit of ground up to the ditch (or wild flowers as you say) and not having a fence. The drainage ditch would then act almost as a...

Hi all Ive been doing a house renovation. The inside is fairly finished. Im now turning my attention to the outside. I want a low maintenance garden, but with lots of green and some colour. Im also on a very very limited budget. As you can see from the photos, the garden is currently a...

I dont think Im adding anything new here, but Ive just taken a photo of the same chimney breast the other side of the wall. A similar situation, although perhaps not quite as bad. Obviously being a shared chimney this was to be expected. :|

Thanks Ken, very informative. Whoever I get in to look at the chimney Ill show them your post so they have a starting point. re Costs: Im in the South West. Are we talking hundreds or thousands? :|

Hopefully these photos show a bit more detail. Does the pointing look that bad that it would make the chimney breast damp? Does the flashing look like it has mastic on, which is perhaps falling away. If so the water could be getting in behind the flashing. What possible costs am I looking at...

Thanks all. I will try and take some more photos over the next few days. Problem being is it will be dark before I get back from work. If not Ill take some at the weekend.

Thanks guys. Heres a photo I just took: Ill take some more photos tomorrow if I get back from work before dark. To give more detail: Its a shared chimney (fortunately I own both sides). Both sides are recently fitted woodburners (HETAS certified). So the damp cant be caused by rain coming...

I went up to the loft the other day and noticed damp patches on the chimney stack: What could be causing this? The pointing in the chimney stack above the roof line? The chimney pot has a cowl on it. All the cob around the stack is dry - its only the dark bricks you see that feel slightly...

Wow - nice brickwork - Ive got fireplace envy! Good thinking about "... easy to add plaster if we wanted to, but a pain to take it away"

Did you ever have damp issues before you lime plastered? The builders put gypsum plaster on the walls and within weeks damp patches and tide lines appeared. A specialist said it was damp trapped behind the wall caused by salt in the stone. I presume any damp caused by salt will evaporate through...

Thanks. I gotta say - the photo makes it look a lot better than it is: the pointing is really shoddy! Im no perfectionist, but really it should all be wire-brushed and then repointed with lime mortar. Something Ive neither got the money or inclination to do! Mainly the money :( What 'problems'...

We've removed all the plaster from this room (it was gypsum plaster so was 'bottling up' damp). Im going to get it replastered (using lime plaster!) but thinking about leaving the whole wall around the fireplace exposed. Is this a good idea or is there likely to be some downsides? I have...

Ive just had an email from the installer. He said You can adjust them to restrict or completely stop flow to them. You only need to adjust one on each towel rail, doesn’t matter which one. Close them by turning clock wise, you can do this incrementally if you still want some heat to them, or...

Thanks oldbuffer. Not quite as easy is I thought it would (should) be. Ill give it a go tomorrow. Is the 'hissing' noise likely to be the water flowing into the towel rail? Its quite loud and is next door to the bedroom so is disturbing first thing in the morning. Turning down the valve will...

This is the bathroom towel rail: This is the ensuite towel rail: All the radiators have TRVs on like the below. We have an air source heat pump which heats the water. The rails are dual source. Both ends seem to have lock shield valves. (The white plastic caps easily come off). The...

Can anyone help with this? The ensuite gets uncomfortably hot.

Yes, too put it mildy!! :( I think lime plaster is the way to go. Keep it all breathable. But Im not sure how the damp patches/salts will behave with the lime plaster. Will it still show, or will it evaporate quickly? Should the plasterer use lime putty or NHL 2.5? Is there a salt neutralising...