Ай бұрын
Пікірлер
@johncranna9427 Күн бұрын
What is really interesting is that you answered a question that I've had for a while and that is that gypsum plaster IS vapour permeable. Maybe not as much as lime plaster but it gets me annoyed when people say gypsum is not breathable. And I agree with you in that we should not go applying gypsum plaster to an old building, but similarly there is no need to remove vast swathes of gypsum plaster with resulting costs and landfill waste.
@susansawatzky3816 6 күн бұрын
He is to be so admired for his determination and foresight ,love him.what he did with the ADMIRAL❤️
@talkingconservation 4 күн бұрын
Absolutely - it was an honour to chat with him and get more of an insight in to it all.
@talkingconservation 4 күн бұрын
Thank you 🙏
@timengland9806 8 күн бұрын
Before reading this I had a wood preservation expert out as I was concerned about a bit of wood that had got wet from a leak years ago. While it had dried out I was concerned about how it looked and there were, I thought, signs of recent woodworm around. I have to say he was great, given he could have bigged up the issue, he said he was pretty certain it was historic wood worm but to keep an eye on it. He pointed out a well ventilated dry loft is important. I got the impression most of the work treating lofts would come from surveyors flagging up treatment was required. Although he also mentioned numerous times where people have placed old furniture in the loft to find it has gone on to be full of woodworm and invested the loft.
@talkingconservation 2 күн бұрын
Certainly sounds like you had someone out who knew their stuff 👏
@whittierlewis 9 күн бұрын
Love this vlog!🎅🏻🫶🏻🎅🏻🎄
@tjbren576 10 күн бұрын
Watching Greg's journey has been interesting and entertaining. He is a real role model.
@talkingconservation 10 күн бұрын
Very much so, such an inspiration and testament to hard work paying off.
@annabelp 10 күн бұрын
Greg is such a lovely man with exquisite taste, he's brilliant.
@talkingconservation 10 күн бұрын
Absolutely. Immensely talented, hardworking, and very generous with his time 👏
@whittierlewis 10 күн бұрын
Nice seeing all of you! Even though I live in California I find your KZbin channel very interesting!
@talkingconservation 10 күн бұрын
Ahh thanks so much. Glad you're enjoying the channel.
@deejay1169 17 күн бұрын
Very interesting video. Long time, no see, Norbie 😘
@AndrewRudge-o3y 26 күн бұрын
Really enjoyable:)
@AndrewRudge-o3y 26 күн бұрын
Excellent interview and such an important area for heritage.
@talkingconservation 26 күн бұрын
Thanks very much. We’ve got more great guests lined up to build on this topic area too. Thanks for the feedback.
@2414red Ай бұрын
I have high hopes. I think a talk on how to best manage hygroscopic salts in old walls and which plaster mixes are best would be key. Often, professionals vaguely advise to use 'lime' over the cement tanking option, and perhaps rightly so, but which lime and what mix? Will salt staining still occur in the new plaster and is this a 'failure', will it impact carbonation of the lime. Conversely, what actually happens when you tank the wall from salt perspective. I feel salt damp is really the main issue in older buildings due to its decay processes so would be a key topic area.
@talkingconservation Ай бұрын
Great questions and topics, thank you. Some elements of this (the various life mixes) were covered in our Ben Kerslake episode. Dealing with salts is a great idea though so we’ll get a guest lined up to talk to that, thank you.
@2414red Ай бұрын
Thanks @@talkingconservation
@corindoyle 8 күн бұрын
Hot mixed with brick dust at 1:3 dry applied hot with a minimum depth of 15-20mm, more salt requires more plaster. Finish it with a closed lime rich top coat. That plaster will trap the salt in its pores and still breathe well. It will, like any lime, needs replacing regularly as the salt builds up. For chimney breasts and/or to control sulfate staining you need to apply a hot mixed harled cow muck coat at 1:3 first. If you were to use a normal lime plaster then it will often fail as it absorbs the salt and then becomes unbreathable. The other issue to consider with this is to remember that once stone or brick has salt in it, drying it fully can cause similar spalling to frost due to the expansion of the dehydrated salt. So keeping it slightly damp can actually be beneficial and often by original design. And no salt staining will happen this way. If you want to be more thorough you'd use poultices to remove the salt first but that would be for scenarios which have a finite amount of salt, like wall bases which have absorbed the salt from concrete gauging water when floors were replaced. Basements and retaining walls which are persistently subject to water ingress you'd keep damp at the back using the method described above. I go into more detail on my website; limemason.com
@emmabakehouse8424 Ай бұрын
Would this go for furniture too in that case? Just keep the item dry snd as warm as you can and will mean they cant live?
@talkingconservation Ай бұрын
I couldn’t say for certain but the science stacks up to say so yes.
@emmabakehouse8424 Ай бұрын
Thank you
@neilhewitt6366 Ай бұрын
Thank you for the podcast. As regards strawbale Barbara Jones is considered to be pretty much The UK expert, I passed here a survey for a straw bale house, which I was not willing to survey, though tempting. Robyn Pender is schedules for Suffolk Preservation Society Retrofit conference on Tuesday 12th November 2024.
@talkingconservation Ай бұрын
Fantastic, thanks Neil. We'll perhaps reach out to Barbara Jones as learning a bit more about straw bale houses would be fascinating. Robyn Pender is already on our 'hit list' of interviewees! 😊
@catherinegale5199 Ай бұрын
Brilliant, thank you.
@talkingconservation 29 күн бұрын
Glad it was helpful!
@samhughes2118 Ай бұрын
We had an external wall painted a few years ago with Valspar masonry paint and have since had some damp problems. Any thoughts on whether that paint is not right for the use? By contrast we used Little Greene on the front of the house and haven't had the same issues.
@talkingconservation 29 күн бұрын
Unfortunately masonry paint is highly unlikely to be appropriate for a solid walled old building. On my own home I spent 3 months stripping off multiple layers of thick masonry paint as the walls were much damper than they ought to have been. Since stripping the walls are dry and much better insulators so I've seen a noticeable decrease in the energy usage.
@everywherenowhere6901 2 ай бұрын
What about dousing the wood with methylated spirits? Would that kill the bugs?
@talkingconservation 29 күн бұрын
I'm not certain how toxic that would be to the lava, plus I doubt it would penetrate deep enough in sufficient concentration.
@adittaroy7692 2 ай бұрын
ThNks a bunch
@talkingconservation 29 күн бұрын
Most welcome
@Ian-gw2vx 3 ай бұрын
I can hear a scratchy, ticking sound from the wood pile in my basket and around my stove. I can see woodworm holes in some logs and dust.
@talkingconservation 3 ай бұрын
Could well be deathwatch beetle emerging. The ticking is their mating call. Get some spiders in if you can!
@Ian-gw2vx 3 ай бұрын
@@talkingconservation Its def not deathwatch beetle as I have listened to their sound online. It's more a scratchy, wood crackling noise. I would put them outside but I don't have a log store and it's raining 😥
@talkingconservation 3 ай бұрын
Perhaps to be on the safe side it may be worth seeing if you can either remove it from your home or somehow store it all in a container that you can seal then🤷🏻
@kookia213 3 ай бұрын
Can you advice on how much humidity % you need to have in your room?. For instance, if you use a de-humidifer, you can set it to anywhere between 40-60%. What would be a good number that the bugs won't like? (and which will also suck the moisture from the wood beams?)
@talkingconservation 3 ай бұрын
I’ve another video that covers aspects of humidity for a healthy home. The issue with de-humidifiers is that they will extract moisture no matter the humidity levels (unless of course 0%). Much better to try to get the room in a balance using ventilation. In most cases this means opening the windows frequently.
@kookia213 3 ай бұрын
@@talkingconservation Thank you for the point of view. Opening the window is the easiest part i think. The question is: Are there specific times where you should / should not open the window. For example, if outside is 100% humidity (winter), should the window still be left open?. Won't it drag humid air to the inside? (and thus, increase the humidity levels). Thank you again
@talkingconservation 3 ай бұрын
@@kookia213 I’ve actually a video that explains exactly this, and why 100% RH in the winter can often still be dryer air than inside. The video is only on my Instagram page though (same username).
@shadrewan 3 ай бұрын
Thank you so much for posting this video, I found it informative and enlightening as it deals with the root cause of the problem.
@talkingconservation 3 ай бұрын
Thank you, and you’re exactly right. Determining the root cause is vital for all building defects before resorting to any possible ‘remedies’
@CharlesJones-wi7tz 3 ай бұрын
Heat guns absolutely destroy wood borers. Although it’s clearly not practical on a large scale.
@talkingconservation 3 ай бұрын
In old buildings you need to be extremely careful applying heat. Sadly many historic homes are lost to fire from careless use of heat (e.g. when doing copper plumbing) during renovations. Dry timber, especially between floors, can ignite so quickly.
@giuseppinasolinas 4 ай бұрын
Question: does stain block prevent solid walls to be properly?
@liambond6955 5 ай бұрын
Hi Tim, I have an ongoing wood boring beetle infestation in the loft. For context, we only moved in to the property 3 months ago and the loft was previously boarded to the rafters, the floor joists and they had installed partition around the perimeter, essentially they had converted the loft. We have asbestos cement soffits at the eaves and there is no provision for ventilation in the roof whatsoever (no tile vents, etc). A few weeks ago I opened up some of the plasterboard in the loft and saw pilot holes with frass, upon removing all the plasterboard I have found a small leak coming from a lead valley. The infestation is widespread throughout the roof space timbers, but the timber is generally okay past 5-10mm, i think i caught it at the right time. I've Got a roofer coming round to install 16nr tile vents which should sufficiently ventilation the space, and to replace the leaking lead valley. I then plan to insulate 300 mm at joist level (100 between joists, 200 on top). My question is this, I am comfortable not putting any treatment on timber that will not be covered by insulation, so all rafters, etc. However, where I am covering the joists with insulation, I am worried the woodworm will continue to thrive in these areas as the air will not be able to circulate under the insulation. Should I use chemicals on the joists? What are your thoughts? Thanks for reading and for the very informative video. Liam
@talkingconservation 29 күн бұрын
Sorry I've only just seen this. Quite a specific question here, which is tricky to answer in generic terms. In short, there shouldn't be a need to rely on chemicals except in only the most widespread infestations where drying alone will take too long. Provided the timbers will still be able to dry out (even below the insulation laters) then there should be no need to use any chemicals. This will, of course, be dependent on the type of insulation used but Rockwool types will still allow water vapour to pass through. If you're worried then get a cheap timber moister meter and periodically check the covered over timbers. If they're below ~15% then the risk is significantly lower than say above 20%. Hope that helps, Rich.
@giuseppinasolinas 5 ай бұрын
Totally loving your videos, I am getting educated by your honest explanations and I'm really enjoying the understanding of this new knowledge. I will soon apply it all to my new place 💝 Glad you made this one on KZbin as I am sharing it with my friends in Italy with Italian subtitles.
@talkingconservation 5 ай бұрын
Most welcome, and thank you for your kind words 🙏
@noga8974 6 ай бұрын
Very interesting, is there any appropriate material that can be used for sound reduction in old stone buildings?
@talkingconservation 6 ай бұрын
It really depends on where you’re needing to deaden the sound; between floors, between walls, from outside? If between floors then you can use many things (eg Rockwool) as moisture movement between floors is not important.
@noga8974 6 ай бұрын
@@talkingconservationthanks for replying, it's the walls mainly. The house is near a road and sound is entering more than it should.
@talkingconservation 6 ай бұрын
@noga8974 what is the wall made from and do you know roughly when it was built? Is it more likely to be the windows than the walls themselves?
@noga8974 6 ай бұрын
@@talkingconservation Limestone 2 foot thick at least 1880s, the doors and windows are 25 year old double glazing. They could be the issue alright
@talkingconservation 6 ай бұрын
@@noga8974 much more likely I’m afraid yes. And I wouldn’t be tempted to try any sound deadening on the walls themselves for risk of causing damp issues 👍
@danguy5777 6 ай бұрын
Great to see people debunking the myths! Cheers 😎
@talkingconservation 6 ай бұрын
Cheers Dan. 👍
@LordBurberryGB 6 ай бұрын
Thanks Rich, great short (4 minute ) video giving the information we owners of historic building need without overwhelming us with too many facts, information and data.
@talkingconservation 6 ай бұрын
Thanks chum, that is the aim 👍
@yansensqvanssen2304 6 ай бұрын
Hello, a technologist here. It's not breathable, it "water vapour peremeable".
@talkingconservation 6 ай бұрын
Yep, I agree. But unfortunately this word “breathable” is being used by manufacturers (and others) to describe a material that is appropriate for a traditional building. Much more to moisture management than just vapour permeability.
@muddypawz7778 6 ай бұрын
Is there a way to fill the holes so the wood doesn't look so mottled? Ue for aesthetics
@talkingconservation 29 күн бұрын
Possibly, but depending on how mottled they are using various fillers may be counter productive in not allowing the timber to get and stay dry.
@WishfulWanderers 6 ай бұрын
Great to hear someone not jumping straight to chemicals. Thanks for the info 🙌🏼
@jennytaylor3324 6 ай бұрын
Frass. What a great word! Greetings from Chester.
@philipoakley5498 7 ай бұрын
Excellent. Informative.
@talkingconservation 29 күн бұрын
Thank you, that is the aim.
@Torannach 7 ай бұрын
Probably a stupid question but these old methods of building still made for much colder buildings than say a modern build. So how can you bring up the level of insulation while also maintaining a breathable wall? Breathable external insulation?
@talkingconservation 7 ай бұрын
Not a stupid question at all, and very relevant today. The thing that is often forgotten with permeable building materials is the physics of how they react to moisture. Specifically that a wet/damp all is an appalling insulator, whereas a dry one (with all its tiny pockets of air) is actually pretty good. When we add layers of insulation we slow, or maybe even stop, its ability to get and stay dry - that can have a far bigger impact on its efficiency as an insulator than the layers added. One of the great challenges is first to understand the actual materials the building was constructed with, their condition of repair, and how they interact with their neighbouring materials, then make an assessment of how the building is likely to be used (occupancy levels etc), then the geography/ meteorology now and into the future and then make appropriate recommendations that won’t cause more harm to the building. In some cases you might not be able to improve the efficiency to the same level as a modern efficient home, but equally the thermal masses benefits of old solid built homes means they’re much less likely to over-heat or need air conditioning in the summer months. Much of the above is covered in PAS2035 - all about retrofitting homes.
@Dana-dana1 7 ай бұрын
Also, if you can, as I know many folks have a fear of them, leave the cellar spiders (They are the ones with long spindly legs and slim bodies) in your home. They'll eat anything, including wood worm.
@ChristenThykjaer 7 ай бұрын
So happy that the first video I found recommends no chemicals, I'll keep my old furniture dry and hot. Great informative video! 😅
@talkingconservation 7 ай бұрын
Most welcome, thanks. Adequate ventilation is sadly so often forgotten in homes and the humid environment is what helps these critters thrive.
@danielcope7929 9 ай бұрын
Thanks
@talkingconservation 29 күн бұрын
Most welcome.
@MichaelSmith-hg1sb 9 ай бұрын
Thanks for the great info I live in a Victorian cottage with old oak everywhere inc the loft. There definite signs of beetle holes. We had both lofts treated by a professional company because our house is grade 2 listed, the bottom of stairs were creaking and very loose. So I strip the 2 bottom steps out and found a large oak been that been destroyed by damp and woodworm. Whilst I repaired / replaced the timber work I brushed the a treatment which was the same as the professional company (PETER COX) that did the lofts. Fingers crossed we won’t see anymore grass.
@MichaelSmith-hg1sb 9 ай бұрын
Sorry frass 🙈
@talkingconservation 9 ай бұрын
It sounds like the under stairs needs more ventilation if the beams were rotten. The chemical timber ‘treatment’ won’t protect what I’ve got long term unless you remove the moisture source.
@jessicag630 9 ай бұрын
What to do with newly cut log which has problems with cracking and insects eating it?
@talkingconservation 9 ай бұрын
Cracking is inevitable with newly cut wood as it dries out. It can more pronounced depending on the species of tree. Provided it continues to dry then wood boring insects will soon lose interest in it. If you have a moisture meter then you could use this to monitor the drying, they’re not expensive devices (£12-20)
@LiamWetherall 10 ай бұрын
Hey there! I just wanted to take a moment and say how much I appreciate your videos. As someone who oversees parts of a country estate with a stunning stately home nestled in Oxfordshire, your videos have been an incredible resource for me. The estate is rich in history, with the primary residence dating back to the 16th to 18th centuries. Explaining the intricate materials and building methods employed during that era to the owners can sometimes be quite challenging. However, your comprehensive explanations and thorough breakdowns have made this process significantly easier and more enlightening. I admire how you shed light on the complexities of house construction over time. It's truly commendable. Thank you for being such a valuable resource to those of us entrusted with preserving and maintaining historical properties like ours. Your contributions are greatly appreciated and make a significant difference in our efforts. Keep up the fantastic work!
@talkingconservation 9 ай бұрын
Thank you so much, and sorry it’s taken me so long to respond to this! It totally makes the effort of creating the videos worthwhile reading comments like yours so thank you for taking the time to write. I am actually in the final throws of creating something that I know there is a need for, and would really value your early thoughts for tweaks before going live. If you drop me a DM on Instagram I can explain more. 👍
@ChrisTheBroadcaster 10 ай бұрын
So ....... what? Everyone in the restoration biz is a Michael Caine meets John Cleese? AND YOU DO a GREAT job at it !!?????? Really. Thanks. ......... 'just bought ... uh ... took away, free ... a 40+ year old Cincinnati made wooden file cabinet, free because of the moisture damage on bottom, tho' hardware, etc., are all fine for restoration. In process of the first approach today, sneaking it past my wife out to the studio out back--wiping it down with anti bacterial spray / paper towels immediately disposed of and placing in direct California sunshine, I find YOUR marvelous work of art / comedy / instruction confirming a couple things--one, seeing ??? a beetle saunter out of somewhere in my new possession. But I digress. THANKS AGAIN. (The John Cleese reference is doubly complimentary to you--in graduate school for adult / andragogy M.Ed., I learn he's a pioneer / big shot in that academic field !!) /s/ Happy as a beetle who's happily where a happy beetle should be ... in California
@TM-bu8hz 11 ай бұрын
Great video mate. What are your thoughts on external insulation ,what precautions would you follow when installing this type of insulation?
@talkingconservation 29 күн бұрын
External isn't as troublesome as internal, BUT personally I would avoid either. The main reason being that a DRY solid wall is actually a reasonably good insulator - despite what the 'book' U-values state. If you concentrate on ensuring the wall can get ,and stay, dry then you've got the best performing wall with minimal risk of issues.
@tomfg3738 11 ай бұрын
I have a 1920s property with solid walls no cavity. Plaster has blown in some areas as you can hear where it’s delaminated. One builder suggested hacking back to brick and applying rockwool to the wall and then plasterboard or dotting and dabbing. Another suggested plastering with hardwall ontop of the existing plaster then multifinish. Is there a better method than others? Worried about interstitial condensation!
@whittierlewis 11 ай бұрын
Very interesting! Thank you! 🙋🏼♀️
@talkingconservation 11 ай бұрын
Most welcome, thanks for watching and the feedback 😁
@Felixkoifish Жыл бұрын
Hi sir , thanks for the video , May I know where you get the beetles chart ?
@talkingconservation Жыл бұрын
Thank you. I’ve used various sources but if you search for a woodblring insect lifecycle online you’ll find similar versions.
@Felixkoifish 11 ай бұрын
@@talkingconservation Thanks
@tatkinson1983 Жыл бұрын
Great video. We’re in an 1850s cottage with solid stone walls that unfortunately we had silicone rendered. The damp inside hasn’t gotten any worse or better which is one plus as I was worried it might get worse. Currently looking to see if there is anything we can do internally to help and also looking at Positive Input ventilation units to see if this would help so looking forward to checking your future videos. Cheers.
@talkingconservation Жыл бұрын
A solid stone wall will be extremely thick, so that’s probably playing in your favour. I don’t have much personal experience of PIV units but know that if correctly specified they can improve ventilation well in a home. One downside is that in the winter some don’t like the cold draft from the outside air they draw in; heated versions then become expensive to run as it’s effectively a big electric fan heater!
@tatkinson1983 11 ай бұрын
@@talkingconservation Thanks for the response. I've since installed a PIV unit, I'm just waiting on the vented roof tiles to arrive before turning it on as the loft doesn't have much ventilation due to the construction of the house so I'll update the results.
@talkingconservation 11 ай бұрын
Sounds good. Yes I’d be very interested to hear how you get on with it too 👍
@tatkinson1983 11 ай бұрын
Hi, so I’ve installed a PIV unit about 2 week ago. The roof tiles I wanted to install don’t seem to be available so I ended up installing two standard vented roof tiles and running to PIV on setting 2 out of 6. The very next day, all the windows and door handles are completely dry. Usually in the mornings, there are pools of water under every window. The next step is cleaning up the windows and walls of mould and see how it holds up. The air certainly feels fresher but I want to install two more vent tiles as there aren’t any airways in the eves to our loft. With the walls being so thick and a flow of air internally, hopefully this might curve any further damp.
@talkingconservation 11 ай бұрын
@@tatkinson1983 sounds like it’s looking really positive and glad it’s made a difference. Is the incoming air heated?
@userdat1221 Жыл бұрын
Fantastic video. May I ask your opinion of filling wall cavities with insulation? Would this not defeat the purpose of the cavity? Thankyou.
@talkingconservation Жыл бұрын
Potentially it can yes, as some insulation types that are retrofitted end up damp bridging the moisture through. Also if the insulation ends up staying wet, as some can, then it’s that is a crap insulator so makes the home colder! Specifying and correctly retrofitting cavity wall insulation is critical.
@static786 Жыл бұрын
Great content. Learnt a lot. Shame we take such a generic approach to remedial work especially given how different houses can be.
@talkingconservation Жыл бұрын
Thank you, and completely agree - that’s the fundamental message I’m trying to get across in my videos too; we really can’t treat them all the same.
@rosslukeshay Жыл бұрын
Great information , thanks Rich
@talkingconservation Жыл бұрын
Thanks very much. 👍
@fredsmith6725 Жыл бұрын
Great video and bang on technically. I have a WW1 house with solid walls. I have internally insulated my house with 3inches of Celotex, but onto metal stud wall created making a cavity, which is airbricked to the outside only. The inside is then heated using dehumidifiers only and a woodburner. The difference in temperature is amazing. The mould is gone and so is the anxiety with trying to make such a building warm and effiecient. Please keep the videos coming. Subscribed as of today.😊
@talkingconservation Жыл бұрын
The method you’ve used usually isn’t recommended for traditional buildings to be honest 😬 There is a significant risk of cold bridging, especially between floors at the floor/wall junction - which can result in accelerated decay of the joist ends embedded in the solid walls. Did you insulate between floors?
@fredsmith6725 Жыл бұрын
@@talkingconservationThanks for your feedback. Well spotted, and yes potentially a problem. Under the ground floor there is no insulation at the wall or under the floorboards. There is a good 50-60cm of airspace and the floor bearers at each end are sat on a DPC-plenty of airbricks. At the upper floor level there is no insulation on the brick wall itself. The floorboards are not covered in carpets, and have 1-2mm between them to allow humidity to balance in the dead space into the room, so that is effectively being constantly monitored and dried by the dehumidifiers in each room. After 5 years downstairs there is no evidence of mould/rot or wet wood. The joists upstairs are also similarly dry, but have only been insulated this year. I will keep an eye on the situation. Thank you for making me aware. If you have any further questions then great.👍
@talkingconservation Жыл бұрын
@fredsmith6725 fab, sounds like you have most bases covered then. With all these things there are always compromises so I guess it’s how we can mitigate and monitor to reduce risks becoming issues! 👍
@Girtonite Жыл бұрын
Great primer. Now I understand how to spot cavity wall and solid wall from the outside of the house. As someone with Edwardian cavity battling mould and condensation this was a clear outline. Would love it if you could include links to some of the historic building pdfs in the video description. Thanks and looking forward to the next one.
@talkingconservation Жыл бұрын
That’s a great idea reg the PDFs, thanks 🙏