Hi @owdgibber , if I could get over there, I would try to save and rehab this structure.
It would most likely cost more than I have access to, but I just LOVE this sort of thing.
I think of myself as an "archaeological sleuth", in that even at my current (and probably last) home, (an 80 yr old farm house) I am constantly finding things, remains of old structures etc, that I feel COMPELLED to try and figure out what they were used for.
It is one of my passions.
I love your post.
Hello Jerry,
The terraced house I live in was built in 1889, these old buildings were built to last using sandstone and Natural Hydraulic Lime (NHL) mortars.
As water evaporates off the surface of the set mortar the suction pulls more moisture to the exposed surface to evaporate, this suction helps to keep the sand stone dry and protect it.
Sadly nearly all the houses nearby have been pointed with non porous Portland Cement, this causes the moisture to be locked in to the sand stone longer causing surface fracturing and the stone surface turns to sand. This is caused by freeze / thawing that occurs in winter.
If the stone is painted this speeds up the process and after a few years when the paint comes away it reveals 3-5 mm of sand behind it.
I still think we could learn a thing or two from these old buildings and how they were constructed.
Thanks for reading