#4 How-to restore stone walls (part 2) | DIY Renovation Italy.

[@hidoito5866]

Hi, in case you are wondering if its worth to continue your YT journey, due to low comments, views etc - yes, just keep going. One day you'll get your lucky hit recommendation and it will kick in. Good luck, the place is fabulous, lots of work to do, it's only up to you now😉

[@iwonanieroda4669]

OMG this is the best video on the subject we ever seen so far , thank you sooooo much for your affords. Looking forward to see more of your fantastic work, cheers from Ireland

[@Thomas-y3w]

Definitely seems like you have done this before, appreciate you sharing it like you do.

[@MarianneInmarsilia]

What a fascinating project…just discovered your channel

[@shehazi695]

Thank you for sharing your beautiful and fascinating Castello journey.🙏🏽

[@Reet64]

Just found your channel. What a fabulous place you found for yourself! Great advice on pointing from what I've seen on others' channels and it looks beautiful ! My family lives in Italy not far from where you are straight down the SS77.

[@housemarche]

If you ever find yourself in my area, please stop by and visit the castello 🙂

[@WildatHeart123]

I won’t be needing to do any pointing but nevertheless enjoy learning about the process and seeing the finished results. You do quality work, not just on the house but also on your videos. For a beginner the quality of your videos is amazing. I’m looking forward to following along with your renovation.

[@lapsedluddite3381]

I am so happy that your channel came to my attention, I am thoroughly enjoying your work. I find myself wondering if you are a professor in your private life, you are such a gifted and pleasantly thorough teacher. Thank you so much, looking forward to following your journey of restoration.

[@housemarche]

When I taught English (6 yrs) my students used to call me Prof which I always thought was an upgrade 😁 I'm very happy you enjoy my work. I put a lot into making this happen so it's much appreciated. 🤗 Thank you!

[@lapsedluddite3381]

Oh gosh... an English teacher ... ( scurries off to find a grammar correcting app... ) Apologies, but as much as I enjoy playing with words, proper grammar has always been my downfall. 🥴

[@tjbren576]

Excellent work! I'll keep watching to see how you're getting along.

[@ingevansand9180]

I've seen so many videos about this subject but this is the very best! You have a talent to explain things and a nice warm voice.

[@housemarche]

This put a big smile on my face! 😊 Thank you. I'm happy that you enjoyed it.

[@livingworkingoutsidebox]

What a difference 👍💪

[@Katie-rl5cz]

Joe. the wall looks so good ❤

[@DannyP...]

You're doing a great job! I bet this is really tedious, but extremely gratifying when you're finished. Probably so boring you want to pay someone to do it, but then I would want to make sure it was done just right so I would have to do it myself! Your pointing gun looks interesting. Never seen one of those before. I used the piping bag, but I've never tried anything on your scale there. How long will this new mortar last? Surprised me to see you using that wire brush to clean it. I would have guessed it was cleaned off with sponges like with grout. Now I know! Kobe is a star! You two keep up the good work! Have a great week.

[@housemarche]

Thanks Danny! The work is tedious but I can honestly say that I enjoy it. I don't find it boring at all and I love seeing the video and results. The new mortar should last many years. It's not like painting where you have to redo it after a few years.

[@tonycorleone3739]

Mate, you have a new subscriber, don't stop making videos. Man, I have a question for you. Have you already done the floor? What kind of precautions are you taking regarding rising damp? As is well known, stone walls have this problem. I ask because I have a stone house in Italy and I hope to start restoring it soon and any information I can gather will be useful. And also what strategies have you implemented for isolation? It will have all the stone exposed, I know it is beautiful and will add character to the building, but the heating factor will be quite expensive. Greetings and looking forward to seeing a new video.

[@housemarche]

Hi Tony. There are three floors not counting the garage level. The two upper floors have a cement screed. I'm not sure if I will cover them with wood or tile. The floor of the shop has one side in the orginal terracotta and the other has a cement screed. Only the side with the cement screed has earth below it. To control the damp, the floor was excavated and a layer of plastic air chambers (not sure of the technical name) was laid then covered with a cement screed. The air chambers are ventilated by two large tubes. One on each end of the floor. They will ventually be routed to the outside. I'll post a photo under my community tab so you can see how it looked before before the screed was applied. As for insulation, the walls are about a meter thick. This helps to keep out the outside temps. I also have adjoining houses on both sides. This also helps.

[@1marsman1]

Great videos and thanks as I need to mortar an entire rustic farm house I own in southern Italy. How would you describe the color of the grout after it has dried completely? Thanks!

[@housemarche]

You're welcome :) In the part 2 video, at 7:52 I'm standing in front of a wall that has fully dried. The color I used is call Terra Gialla. This mortar (linked in the description) comes in three colors. I preferred this sand color because it doesn't overpower the color of the natural stone.

[@1marsman1]

@@housemarche Thanks...roughly how many square meters does 1 bag cover for you?

[@housemarche]

One bag covers roughly 3 meters. In some areas of the wall you will find deep crevices that require a lot more mortar. I'm talking like 10 cm or more.. In this case, I'll mix up a bucket of mortar then add in several handfuls of small stones. This adds bulk so you use less mortar to fill the large crevices. You should do this one or two days before you start pointing. This way it has time to dry before you do the final pointing. I think this topic is important enough for me to add a third video to the playlist. 🤔

[@DennisWhite-s5k]

To much talking to camera in this video. This will put people off subscribing to your channel. We like to see the work being done and progress being made.

[@housemarche]

Thanks for the feedback

[@lapsedluddite3381]

I could not disagree more with this comment! This gentleman is a skilled and personable teacher, I find his videos to be extremely useful, and far better than any other channel's. I have learned more from his first few videos than I have learned from any of the other stone house restoration channels I follow. I do so hope Joseph maintains his high standard of videography and gentle but thorough instruction.