Cracks and pointing on an old stone house

[doogyscoot]

Hi folks I'm posting a few questions in the relevant sections with regard to a house we would like to buy. It's a good bit over 100 years old and of sandstone construction I believe. Survey said 700mm thick walls. There appear to be some cracks which have been patched up don some point and the pointing looks to have been redone, I suspect with cement but was hoping someone could confirm. As they appear in the picture, do you think the cracks look to be particularly problematic? There is penetrating damp either from the chimney area, the wall or a combination of both. Say water is conning in through the wall, how bad could it get financially to properly repair a crack? Would the pointing need chipped out and redone if it's in cement?
Thanks in advance for your advice. View media item 88895 View media item 88896 View media item 88897 View media item 88898 View media item 88899 View media item 88900 View media item 88901 View media item 88902 View media item 88903 View media item 88904

 

[Burnerman]

Repairs to stone work need to be done with lime mortar.......ordinary sand and cement won't do.
After that sort of age I wouldn't expect any settling issues on the property, just plenty of TLC.
The TLC can start with a look at the top of that down comer.
John

 

[doogyscoot]

Repairs to stone work need to be done with lime mortar.......ordinary sand and cement won't do.
After that sort of age I wouldn't expect any settling issues on the property, just plenty of TLC.
The TLC can start with a look at the top of that down comer.
John

Thanks, having read what I can on the subject, I was aware that this type of property should be repaired with lime mortar. On looking at it I'm assuming the repairs have been done with cement as I think lime mortar would have a more brown kind of tone and smoother texture? Am I right?
With regard to TLC, would you suggest that the pointing and repairs carried out in cement ought to be removed and replaced, or would it be normal to wait until the erroneous cement pointing started to fail and do it then? I couldn't find much info for approximate costs of replacing pointing on this sort of building, most seem to be for buildings with small bricks. I read a few things about cement causing sandstone to spall but there doesn't seem to be any evidence of that happening (yet).
By the down corner I take it you mean the downpipe? Indeed, if we buy it, when the roof is getting seen to I would ask the contractor to repair/renew the guttering and downpipes as needed.
Anyway, thanks again for the input.

 

[ree]

Much of the "stonework" appears to be Ashlar render (render thats been made to appear like stone) with here and there daubs of paint to confirm the impression of stone if seen from a distance.

The gables have a certain amount of render and some kind of other covering. There are a few cracks. The gables appear to be either glazed with rain or some kind of sealant. Whether all the render should be stripped and re-done with modern materials is a site call.

Why the front elevation cracks have been emphasised with paint is a mystery - perhaps its the owners version of antiquing the property?

The LH down pipe is badly leaking and both other down pipes are showing damage stains. The woodwork to the dormers is perished. The roof slate appears to need re-laying to modern standards or re-roofing - a site call.
Whatever, keep those slates, re-use them, they will last forever and are v. expensive.
The rear extension seems to be in good condition.

There are concrete lintels above the door and windows but the lintels are not directly above the door head, they have been set higher up.

The RH side of the stone door surround is dropping.

 

[stuart45]

Looks to me like the stone has worn away over the years and has had cement pointing done in an attempt to fix it, but this has caused more damage trapping the moisture and breaking the edges of the sandstone.

 

[doogyscoot]

Thanks, the walls are certainly stone, not painted to look like it. And the crack hasn't been painted, I think that whatever was used to fill it just has a more blue tone so looks more obvious. The gable is painted white, the sheen is from the rain. I couldn't say whether the stone had been damaged in the past though. The dressed sandstone round the doors and windows would probably be in worse condition if it had. I get the impression that whoever has previously repointed spread the mortar around and over the edges of the undressed stone. What I can't tell, because I don't know, is whether the mortar used was a lime or cement based one. Having a look at the close up photo I can't tell.

 

[ree]

The pics are much clearer now for some reason. However, the greenish, yellow and brown on the front elevation certainly look like paint daubs on my screen.

The smeared on pointing thats been "ashlared" contains cement - i see no signs of lime.

The lintels now appear more like lightly "vermiculated" stone.

A large vent has now shown up above the door - what is it venting?

 

[doogyscoot]

Thanks, its not a vent, although it looks like it in the picture, it is a piece of stone which had been dressed in such a way as to leave horizontal lines. I've managed to find a local builder who had experience with similar buildings who can have a look so hopefully he can give us an idea of what's what.