Damp stone walls

[yanboss]

Hi,

19th century gritstone end terrace house with stone walls that have been badly cement pointed. Previously gutters were overflowing, the coping stones on the gable wall need repointing and there are a few slipped slates on the roof. So plenty of ways for water to get in. Ground level is only just below internal floor level. Plaster is damp to touch and coming off the walls in places. Also some rot in the floor joists and wall plates.

Recommendations for how to fix it as I have had different recommendations?

6:1:1 sand:lime:cement pointing, dpc and sand+cement internal render to seal it in

or

NHL pointing and lime render internally to let it breathe (more expensive)

I have done a lot of googling (SPAB etc) and it's not clear how much lime is really important or a conservationinst obsession. Pictures and a bit more details at http://leftoutback.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/damp-mortar-and-indecision.html

Comments / thoughts would be fantastic. Apologies if in wrong category.

 

[dann09]

These very issues have been done to death on this forum and, more extensively, on the building forum.

Perhaps you would care to research some of these recent and historic threads. Maybe, start by following my posts on these subjects.

 

[mattice]

for starters...

Fix gutters, roof, and drains
Remove green stuff from walls
Lower Ground levels below DPC (150mm if possible)
Unblock air vents, ensure free air flow between vents
.....wait........ and see if it dries out. No point rendering/fixing anything until you've found the cause.