Wall composition

[Reeves2k2]

Just purchased a new house and started doing some renovation today.

I'm a plasterer by trade and in my t8me I've seen walls made of all sorts, hay etc.

Today I've come across something I've never seen.

Whilst coming up with a cunning plan to pinch a tiny bit of bedroom to fit a staircase for a loft conversion.

It turns out the wall is made from solid lime and horizontal straw to reinforce.

The wall is about 50-60mm thigh and looks like solid lime and soft.

This runs all up to the loft and looks like it's supporting the ceiling joists.

Anybody ever come across this as I'm now pondering what to do.

As ideally I need to take the wall down and rebuild it.

Safe bet obviously to prop it and then remove it but I'm also interested in the wall construction as well.

The bottom half is actually traditional lat and plaster. Spanned with a 3x3 then the solid mass of I assume lime on top.

 

[Reeves2k2]

Heres what I'm talking about

 

[Leofric]

The wall is about 50-60mm thigh and looks like solid lime and soft.

How old is the house ? Is it Listed ? Sounds like one for the conservationists !

 

[Alastairreid]

 

[Reeves2k2]

How old is the house ? Is it Listed ? Sounds like one for the conservationists !

Not listed no
Was built in the 30's I think it was 1939

Stumped me this one has

 

[Reeves2k2]

It's not stramit board bud.

I come across a lot of walls made from it and its definitely not that

The straw in this wall seems to literally be to give it strength and it's only strands

 

[Alastairreid]

Wattle and daub...ok im stumped as well.

 

[Reeves2k2]

Wattle and daub...ok im stumped as well.

It's funny you mention that

My mate who's a builder said same thing

Although it's wrong colour and different makeup.

Can't get my head around it because it's just a solid block of like pure gypsum or lime

 

[Leofric]

The wall is about 50-60mm thigh and looks like solid lime and soft.

I misread that as 50-60cm thick and thought it sounded medieval ! Built about 1939 it sounds very odd

 

[Reeves2k2]

I misread that as 50-60cm thick and thought it sounded medieval ! Built about 1939 it sounds very odd

Be some wall if it was!!

I haven't a clue and nobody else seems to have either.

Behind a plasterer you get t see all sorts of odd wall makeups. But I've never come across one like this and done a lot of work on houses around that age as well

Round here we see a lot of stramit and paramount walls which are pain in the arse to repair.

 

[Leofric]

It turns out the wall is made from solid lime and horizontal straw to reinforce.

Not familiar with anything like that but you are in a better position to see what it is. Can't you form a hole right through it to get a better picture ?

As ideally I need to take the wall down and rebuild it.
Safe bet obviously to prop it and then remove it

- sounds like that might be the best thing to do.
Is it part of an external wall or an internal partition

 

[Reeves2k2]

Not familiar with anything like that but you are in a better position to see what it is. Can't you form a hole right through it to get a better picture ?
- sounds like that might be the best thing to do.
Is it part of an external wall or an internal partition

No it's an internal partition
From box bedroom to stairs.

It's the but that incorporates the stairs box from the sloping section of the stairs.

I've drilled through it and it's just the same all the way through

 

[Nige F]

I know timber was short during the War - maybe even laths were short supply ? And could the straw be reeds , like a thatched roof? though straw was longer in them days

 

[wessex101]

There were proprietary "plaster slabs" in the 1930's. 2 - 3 inches thick, plaster sometimes with sawdust mixed in and reeds laid horizontally as reinforcement. Unfortunately my book does not give any trade names but suggests there were several manufacturers of these types of boards. The illustration shows them as planks 12" high and 3' to 6 ' long.

 

[Reeves2k2]

There were proprietary "plaster slabs" in the 1930's. 2 - 3 inches thick, plaster sometimes with sawdust mixed in and reeds laid horizontally as reinforcement. Unfortunately my book does not give any trade names but suggests there were several manufacturers of these types of boards. The illustration shows them as planks 12" high and 3' to 6 ' long.

I think you and @Nige F above may well be correct
It may actually be reed reinforced and it is horizontal as well.

It would be handy to find out the trade name