Hello people
My house is about 100 years old. We have our own bathroom upstairs, but the outside dunny remains. It’s in rather poor repair, but I am resolved to keep it. Handy while barbecuing or gardening if nothing else.
It also presents itself as a perfect educational project, an introduction into building renovation. I’m going to ask a lot of questions...
I don’t have before pictures. But the interior was clad in damp plaster board. Behind this were a network of often rotten battens and some very large spiders. This all came out to reveal some rough brickwork and on the outside walls, damp mortar.
On the outside walls the pointing is really damp. It scrapes out with a trowel like sand. I excavated as much as I dared. Some degree of re-pointing has been done in the past, but the damp is already coming through in some areas.
Q Should I put in some kind of damp proof layer to prevent further ingress of moisture? I’ll probably only spend another 5 years in this house max. I am not prepared to get professionals in so are there any options I can use myself?
Q How do I re-point the brickwork?
Q Originally I was going to clean it all back to the original brickwork and leave it exposed. It’s too rough and damaged however. How should I finish it? I was thinking of applying a render, what would be the best way to do this?
There’s an old window to the outside which has been bricked up. God only knows what those horizontal bars are doing running across. I think it’s some kind of crude reinforcement of some dodgy brickwork to the left of the window. Above you can see part of the roof. It has ceramic tiles.
Q Any ideas what the horizontal bars are for? Is this a standard feature of 100 year old houses, and is it safe to delete them?
Q I want to put a skylight in the roof. any tips for doing this? I’ll probably get a reclaim unit - it doesn’t need double glazing since it isn’t heated anyway.
Many thanks for your time reading and replying to this!
My house is about 100 years old. We have our own bathroom upstairs, but the outside dunny remains. It’s in rather poor repair, but I am resolved to keep it. Handy while barbecuing or gardening if nothing else.
It also presents itself as a perfect educational project, an introduction into building renovation. I’m going to ask a lot of questions...
I don’t have before pictures. But the interior was clad in damp plaster board. Behind this were a network of often rotten battens and some very large spiders. This all came out to reveal some rough brickwork and on the outside walls, damp mortar.
On the outside walls the pointing is really damp. It scrapes out with a trowel like sand. I excavated as much as I dared. Some degree of re-pointing has been done in the past, but the damp is already coming through in some areas.
Q Should I put in some kind of damp proof layer to prevent further ingress of moisture? I’ll probably only spend another 5 years in this house max. I am not prepared to get professionals in so are there any options I can use myself?
Q How do I re-point the brickwork?
Q Originally I was going to clean it all back to the original brickwork and leave it exposed. It’s too rough and damaged however. How should I finish it? I was thinking of applying a render, what would be the best way to do this?
There’s an old window to the outside which has been bricked up. God only knows what those horizontal bars are doing running across. I think it’s some kind of crude reinforcement of some dodgy brickwork to the left of the window. Above you can see part of the roof. It has ceramic tiles.
Q Any ideas what the horizontal bars are for? Is this a standard feature of 100 year old houses, and is it safe to delete them?
Q I want to put a skylight in the roof. any tips for doing this? I’ll probably get a reclaim unit - it doesn’t need double glazing since it isn’t heated anyway.
Many thanks for your time reading and replying to this!
do nothing else to it other than cut pattern in top of the door for ventilation ....paint the door with linseed oil paint.....it`s a mini restoration 
leave the tiles .....and hang "The Watchtower" on a nail for wiping 
My Gran used to 
....now then ..........the book says the tradesman`s rate is 1/8d per hour charged by the builder..........and a semi 3 bed cost £550.0.0........so what£ pro-rata should a builder charge now with a semi@£200k..... 
