It was a real relief to see the rendering of the cottage finished and the scaffolding finally down. Quite a milestone in the project and an end to having other people working on the job.  I’m not a born manager and even less comfortable paying others to do what I could do myself. It has been, however, a necessity and a decision I’m glad we took so the project can move along.

We always knew some outside help would be needed and had budgeted a certain amount for it. But as with all old places you can’t be certain of what exactly might need doing and how much it will end up costing.  The protruding gable end had to be rendered and the window arches were replaced with lintels along with the replacement lead after the theft and refitting cast iron guttering etc. the budget has stretched.

Scratch coat, base coat with hydraulic lime and sharp sand / soft sand and hair mix. Top coat with soft sand and lime with a rubbed finish.

The result is worth it, it’s all water tight and the cottage can breathe, thanks to the lime render.  The builders did a great job on interpreting my instructions for the render to “keep it soft” with rounded corners and the contours of the walls have been followed. 99% of the render looks to be perfect despite the atrocious weather they had to work around. There is a little surface cracking in some parts but nothing to worry about. I also tidied up the details around the windows with some easy scraping before the lime fully cured.