Insulating 1860 Cottage

Orkatec

New here so I will say Hi to all.
I have recently bought a 1860 Sand stone Cottage in need of a bit of TLC.
The house had a extensive damp through out.
I has been re-pointed with cement some time ago and this has lead to a great deal of damage to the stone.
The external wall are in the process of being re-pointed with lime mortar and getting the damaged stone replaced.
The internal walls were battened and plaster boarded some time in the past.
When I removed the board the majority of the original plaster had come off the walls.
I have removed the rest of the plaster,and had to do some pointing inside.
Now I am getting close to the rebuilding stage so I went looking for advice on Insulation.
So confused every one has a different suggestion or ideas. I change from day to day depending on who I talk to or what I read.
Right now I am thinking of a timber frame infilled with hemp and some kind of breathable plasterboard on top.
Has any one experience of insulating stone walls if so how.
Any advice will be gratefully received .

James

brendankelly

Cement raised pointing is an invitation to water to enter the house. Here is a link for a breathable board. http://www.youtube.com/user/ecologicalarchitect#p/a/u/6/EG1e5mDWM4U

Orkatec

Thanks for the link.
Do you thing I am OK doing it with Hemp
You are correct about the cement.
I will post some pics of the external wall, It will deter anyone who is thinking of using it on their stone.

James

syklops

Off topic I know, but I for one would love to see some pictures! Even if it is a work in progress.

Orkatec

Here are a few of the outside you can guess which are before and after.
https://picasaweb.google.com/james.constable/Ladysland?authkey=Gv1sRgCKi90oevxJrCqgE#

Orkatec

Brendan
Are you talking about Fermacel, I cant find anything on their site that states it will allow the stone to breath.

octo

This might be useful:

Energy Efficiency in Traditional Buildings (2010)

brendankelly

Thanks for the pics. This is an unusual building. Nearly all cut lime stone on the corners with cut stone in between with room for pointing. Usually the corner stones are out farther than the fill in stones to make room for a render with the corner stones only showing. It looks very good.

brendankelly

It will not deter all of them from using cement. There are people that will get the cheapest person to do the job regardless.

Hemp and lime is the most sustainable method and in my view the best method. But it must be done properly. I have done a lot of work with Hemp/Lime and below is the link to the 3 demo videos on how lime plastering should be done. (I no longer work for this company so I am not advertising). It was a small pilot project where we closed up a doorway with a fibre board and lime rendered over the fibre board and cement render. You will notice all coats were floated. This was done about 3 years ago and to date there are no cracks or mould.

There are a few hemp/lime insulation projects on the go at present, each using different mixes, ie one uses quick lime, another uses nhl 5 ect. I suggest you look at them all before you decide which mix/contractors you think is best for your job.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrSpX8LF0Lw