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Hi all I have lime plastered walls in a cob cottage. Ive had the exterior painted last week. I very nearly got caught out becuase I believed Sandtext when they said their paint was breathable. This turns out to be a lie. Is Earthborn paint a good breathable paint to use on interior lime...

Hi all Ive had to remove a load of plaster off a wall. Now its gone I actually quite like the stone work. But it needs a lot of cleaning up. Theres bits if gypsum/lime plaster, old paint etc... thats needs removing. - Is there anything (acid?) that can remove this debris and bring out the...

Hi all I have a well in my garden. Its covered by a manhole cover. Id like to use it for watering the garden with. The well is about 15 feet deep and the water level about 4 feet. So I think what I need is an external tap; water pump; and a pipe connecting both. Has anyone any experience of...

Hi, See the plastic gutter pot(drain?) in this picture. (Ignore the pipe going off horizontally, I will remove that and the downpipe will go stright down to the plastic drain). I want the ground level (the bit that hastnt got gravel on) to be same level as the gravel. Im obviousy concerned...

Hi all Just bought these wooden planters off Facebook Marketplace. Id like to put soil in them for plants. Do I need to line them with black plastic? In the winter wont the roots rot becuase the waters got nowhere to go? If I put holes in the plastic so the water can escape wont that...

Hi guys I need a concrete step for the garden. Is it faster for a builder to shutter some concrete to make the step or is there a concrete lintel(?) thats premade that he can cement in place? Thanks

Hi guys, Ive recently had a small annex built. It has a zinc roof. Theres a 800mm gap between the annex wall and the boundary. I suppose this space could be quite useful for storing patio furniture in the winter etc... It doesnt need to be weather proof, just enough to keep the worst off. So...

Hi all, I have a cob cottage. Looking to get the outside painted. Obviously crucial to use a breathable paint. What the most cost efficient breathable paint to use? Sandtex do a breathable paint. Is this appropriate? Thanks

Hi all, I have an outside valve(?) on the rising main in the garage. I currently use it as a tap by turning it off/on using a spanner. (Youll that Ive put a little bit of hose on there just to direct the water a little better.). Is there a way I can easily fit a tap on here? Or atleast a...

Hi all The front door has a small letterbox in it. It opens fine, but doesnt close! Heres some pics: Is there meant to be a spring device? Is it easy to fix? Thanks

Hi all, This is an odd question, but one I thought Id post before going to the trouble of fitting a water butt. I want to fit a water butt to the corner of an outhouse so its kinda hidden from view. But - as you can see - the roof is fairly flat (which may not be an issue) and small. I know...

Hi all My house fronts onto a busy road. Theres 2 steps down to the front garden with an old gravel path running the length of the front. I will never use the steps or the gravel path (becuase its on a busy road and theres a side entrance that will be the main entrance). Id like to remove all...

Hi Ive got a cob cottage, so its important the walls can 'breathe'. The walls are being lime plastered internally. The external walls need to be painted, so I want a breathable paint. Im sure there are expensive lime washes and breathable paints, but will the Sandtex paint do the job? It says...

Hi I have a house which has cob/masonry walls. The builder used gypsum plaster. Within weeks there was a 'tide line' where hygroscopic salts were attracting water. I got them to remove all plaster off up to a metre high (as I was advised to do by an independent damp expert): Ive had 2 lime...

Hi I bought a house last year. One of the external cob walls was completely sodden from a leaking chimney - all the plaster had fallen off and the cob beneath was more like mud. The chimney issues were fixed and the walls re-plastered. I had a stud wall erected too to divide the 2 rooms. See...

Hi We have cob/stone walls. Earlier this year they were plastered with gypsum plaster. Shortly after there was damp patches all along the bottom of the external and partition walls. An independant damp specialist said this was due to hygroscopic salts and the dampness was trapped behind the...

Hi all We have had a utility room built on an existing concrete garage floor. (the garage was demolished). The builder put plastic DPC at about 2 bricks high and put lead flashing around the bottom. When it rains the water pools against the walls: This water then seems to get inside and rise...

Hi We have cob/stone walls. Gypsum plaster was put on and within weeks there was a tide mark on all the walls where the salts were attracting damp. We've hacked off all the gypsum and original lime plaster back to the bare walls. Now we're going to put lime plaster on there (NHA 3.5). Will we...

Hi, I have a cob cottage. The builders said they used lime. I found one of the bags they used and its "hydraulic" lime, this one to be exact: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NATURAL-HYDRAULIC-LIME-NHL-3-5-25KG-BAG-USE-LIME-SAND-MORTAR-PLASTER-RENDER-/151416211410 Is this the right type of lime for...

We've bought a house and all the walls are damp. We've discovered a well in the garden which is very close to the house. Its a very deep well and when it rains it fills up to about where the house foundations are. Here is where its located next to the house: Would the be water under the...