10 Examples of Unsuitable Modifications Found in Traditional Buildings.
by S Jones Surveying | Jul 14, 2024 | News |
- Creating conditions for damp, rot, and beetle infestation by restricting ventilation in floors and roofs, and by allowing high ground levels like flower beds to accumulate against external walls.
- Taking out chimney breasts or load-bearing internal spine walls without ensuring proper support for the remaining masonry above can result in structural deficiencies.
- Failure to address severely eroded mortar joints in external masonry permits moisture ingress and increases the risk of frost damage.
- Poor repairs to flashings on chimney stacks and roofs using materials such as self-adhesive tapes or mortar fillets that deteriorate quickly.
- Neglecting to bolster roof frameworks after exchanging lightweight slate for heavier concrete tiles may undermine structural stability.
- Lighting fires or using appliances in old flues without lining them and failing to cap and ventilate flues that are no longer in use.
- Swapping out well-crafted original sash windows for inappropriate modern aluminium or PVC Casements and removing genuine period doors.
- Injecting chemical damp-proof courses unnecessarily or improperly and using cement-based materials for re-plastering or rendering main walls instead of traditional lime, which can lead to damp being trapped within the walls.
- Using cement mortar for re-pointing walls hinders their breathability, while opting for conspicuous styles such as prominent ‘weather struck’ pointing can further detract from their functionality.
- Undermining the strength of floor joists through excessive cutting for the installation of cables and pipes.
