1893 Victorian - Render Questions

[gcrow]

Just completed on an 1893 terraced Victorian. It's pretty obvious that it's been treated in a bit too modern of a fashion in past years, and I've been setting out to fix that. It has an extension on the back.

One of my long-term dilemmas - the rear render. (There's render on the front too, which sounds hollow, but I somewhat suspect it's an intentional cavity as it is hollow across the entire face. I have other problems there.)

At some point, the entire rear building was pebbledashed. Certain areas of this have blown in the past, and recent owners have patched with a cement based pebbledash. In places, and poorly. Since then, more sections have blown.

The blown render was forcing water ingress. I've hacked off the worst of it, so that water doesn't pool against the brick for the current time, but I'm not sure of my next steps this close to winter, when my money is tied up in more critical repairs. Any help would be appreciated:

• I don't know if the original render (or current pointings, for that matter) are lime or cement. The new stuff is obvious - how to tell with the old stuff?
• Is it safe to leave on over the winter until I can effect repairs, given blown spots? I'm not about to put a weatherproofer on Victorian brick, and the brick underneath looks reasonably ok.
• When I do repair it, is it better to hack it *all* off, patch, or only hack off the parts on the main building? There are shoddy render repairs on the extension as well, but I can't help but assume that the brick and materials on the extension are much more modern than the main building and are not suited for lime render.
• Is there anything I should do to protect the building for the winter?
• The render goes down to the ground. I've not seen evidence of an integral DPC or internal damp above ground, but am I right that this should be addressed?

I apparently didn't take a picture of the completely blown spots or cement patches today, will do so when I am back tomorrow.

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[dann09]

What am i looking at in the pic? Dash that you've knocked off, or dash and render thats "fallen" off?

If it sounds hollow and if there's any movement or flex, then the house requires a renderer, with a ladder, to inspect it.

Perhaps skimmers, or roy c, will come along and give opinions?

Basic patching could be 3:1 or 4:1 sand and lime, rubbed up and into the joins to give a reasonable waterproof winter.

 

[gcrow]

That's dash that has fallen off. The dash I knocked off still needs a picture taken.

Don't own the upstairs flat I'm afraid, making this a trickier picture. Nothing up there looks blown.

The pictured area doesn't t sound hollow, and the area where it's blown doesn't sound hollow so much as I can knock it off with my fingers.

Patching it for the winter sounds to be the best bet for now - just wish I could tell if it were lime or cement, the last guy who looked had not heard of lime render... you may guess my opinion of that.

 

[dann09]

You will have to sort out an agreement with your neighbour(s) ref inspecting access, and what next if any work is required.
It could be that expensive scaffold work and render is required

Just because it looks OK to a lay person's eyes doesn't mean it will pass muster with a professional.

The lime i refer to is Hydraulic lime, it comes in bags.

If the dash/stone is coming off like in the pic, then its lost its bonding (if it ever had any).

 

[gcrow]

When it gets to it I will sort out access with the upstairs leaseholder and/or freeholder as required. At that point I fully expect to have to explain that putting cement render on a old house is a bad idea, perhaps several times. Well aware that my eyes are not a professionals.

Most immediately concerned with patching it until at the least spring, as I mentioned the previous leaseholder chose to put cement render on top of the original (which I am hoping was/is lime, as I'm well aware that hydraulic lime is what would be required here) in spots, and that did not go well. If I can patch until spring I can hopefully scare up funds to worry about proper work, then I'll be in a better place.

Alternatively, if it's a better idea to hack off the blown bits for the winter rather than let the above sit, that's also do able.

Thanks for the help, been lurking for a bit but now getting my hands dirty and hopefully will be able to contribute back at some point.