Services

First and foremost we are enthusiasts of traditional building techniques, especially lime and natural stone work. Here is an overview of the services we provide.

Lime:

Pointing – removal of existing lime or cement pointing and application of new lime pointing. This not only enhances the traditional look of the property but in many   cases also reduces or even eradicate damp problems caused by the existing cement pointing or render. Lime pointing allows the property to breathe and remove damp and moisture naturally.

Render – removal of existing lime or cement render/dash. Application of lime mortar base coats. The finish coat can either be a smooth render finish or a rough cast   dash finish (6 or 10mm stone depending on property and environmental conditions). The final protective coat is normally 4-5 coats of lime wash (which can be coloured to the clients specification).

Plastering – removal of old lime r cement based plaster. Application of lime mortar base coats. The finish lime plaster coat is then applied with either a polished or sponged finish to the clients specification. The final paint coat is required to be breathable and applied either by the client or ourselves. Lime plastering greatly improves the property’s breathability and hence damp and moisture resistance and control.

Parging – This lime mortar mix is applied to the underside of slate roofs, often in barns, and helps to stabilise the slates and prevent wind ingress, providing an increased insulation barrier.

Insulated Lime – Lime/Hemp mix. This lime mix is applied to properties to increase the insulation (U value). It provides a traditional finish in addition to the increased insulation for the property.

Diathonite

This product originates from Italy. An alternative to Lime/Hemp, it contains cork as the insulator. We normally apply this using our spray render machine allowing us to cover large areas effectively. Once the base layers have been applied, a number of finish coats, similar to lime plaster, are then applied to the client's specification. The U Values achieved using Diathonite are much improved over Lime/Hemp but the decision on which product to use is property and client specific. We are happy to provide advice on your particular project to help with this but believe that both Lime/Hemp and Diathonite have their respective advantages.

Natural stone:

Working on older more traditional properties requires skills working with natural stone such as sandstone, limestone and lakeland stone. We have experience with all these having restored and renovated many lake district barns, farmhouses and historic properties. We will always look to restore and renovate a property using the original stone type.

Modern Building:

We also have experience with modern extensions and house builds. Although we particularly enjoy to work and specialise in traditional materials, we are more than happy to build extensions and full houses using the latest modern materials, and have experience with new builds and extension using both modern and traditional materials.

Insulation and Damp Proofing:

We have completed many projects on older properties using insulated lime products such as Lime/Hemp and Diathonite Lime/Cork. The latter is normally applied using our spray render machine. Although most of our damp proofing work is carried out through the removal of cementous coverings and pointing, followed by the application of lime render/dash and pointing, we also have experience in the modern tanking techniques, on appropriate properties.

Spray Render:

As described above we apply Diathonite insulated lime using our spray render machine. We also use this machine to apply more modern render products such as K-Rend.