Chalk House Wiltshire
The walls of this large country house are predominantly of Chalk Cob. Some extended areas are dressed chalk stones and brickwork.
The whole property has been rendered over the years using a very hard sand sand render, In some areas the render is on a chicken wire mesh. The external crack ( left ) results in timber decay and damp staining to the surfaces on the inside.
The inside of the house is suffering from damp as a result of rainwater penetrating through cracks in the render and not being able to evaporate from the surface.
To compound the problem some inside finishes are cement or Carlite based. Some damp penetration has allowed timber to become damp and decay.
The architect Ted Walters identified the need for specialist contractors to deal with the array of different problems. He wanted sympathetic repairs and consulted with the local conservation officers and the contractors LSE. Preservation
The sand cement render was in very poor condition and it was deemed better to remove it and accept some damage to the chalk wall below than to leave it on and allow water to continue penetrating into the walls causing more damage and damp inside the property.
The work was started in February 2007
so it was deemed necessary to
erect
a scaffold with a full protective shroud all the way around it
to keep off the driving rain and make frost protection easier.
THIS PROJECT IS IN PROGRESS AND WILL BE UPDATED AS WORK PROCEEDS
.