rendering and dpc

[chipster69]

hello there,first time user,great to see all the expert info given and so hope somebody can put me straight coz the more im reading the more confused im becoming.
i own 1910 victorian semi.ive had it for a year and the first thing i had done was a full new dpc put in.some of it was done internally and some externally.the front of my house is a bay window that is 600 mm from the ground.the dpc company took off all the render up to the window but injected that wall from the inside,so firstly i dont understand why they took the render off and why so high.
So now im left with unsightly limestone blocks that needs cleaning up.i spoke to the dpc company about this and they said i can tidy it up,fill in any small cracks and paint it.two problems there because ive read that being an old house i should nt paint it because the blocks should be allowed to get wet and breathe out naturally and secondly the wife wants it all nice and smooth.im willing to render it coz im not bad with cement,and have read many times,scratch coat 4;1;1 and top coat 5 or 6 ;1;1.although i may pay for someone to do it .do i need a bellcast and if so does it have to be a couple of feet high as ive read.if so it would look stupid sitting in the middle of the wall.below the bellcast do you just paint it with black bitumen. any suggestions how i can get it smooth to paint.many thanks

 

[trowelmonkey1]

not a render expert but what i can tell you is that the bellcast should be fitted just above the DPC so should be a couple of courses of brick above the ground, secondly, you could render using and old style lime mix (check with a render guy on the mix ratios) as this is used on old properties and is breathable, take much longer to dry mind so maybe wait til summer

 

[spongey]

they should have injected outside aswell as the inside on the same level. that is the idea of a chemical dpc, it is injected and then spreads out to form a seal.

as trowelmonkey says use a bellcast bead to allow water to drip away from the wall.

is there any flags tight up to the wall on the outside? if so you could cut a channel about 220mm and fill with small stone first then large stone on top to allow water to drain away.