Tag Archives: plastering

Damp Cellar to Warm Dry Apartment

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Damp Cellar to Warm Dry Apartment

Damp Cellar to Warm Dry Apartment

Damp Dark Cold Cellar

We are often asked to increase the height of old animal shelters and adegas so that our clients can create living space on the ground floor of their old houses in central Portugal.

No two houses are the same and there is always a lot of discussion in out team before we come up with the plan for the way that we will tackle the project and the problems that we will no doubt unearth along the way.

Damp Cellar to Warm Dry Apartment (2)This historical house has turned our well.

Firstly there was a good clear out we got rid of masses of accumulated wast that had been deposited in the cellar over time.
Then we set about demolishing and thing that was not needed such as old olive soaking tanks and animal pens. Since we had the space clear we could see what we were up against. We started the re plumbing and re wiring the electric circuits. The old inadequate cesspit in the cellar floor was decommissioned and filled in an a complete new sewerage system installed. A pump was installed to take the wast water from the bathroom and pump it up hill into the council sewers outside in the street.

Next we addressed the wood worm and wet rot, it was everywhere.

Damp Cellar to Warm Dry Apartment

Damp Cellar to Warm Dry Apartment

 

Damp Cellar to Warm Dry Apartment

Damp Cellar to Warm Dry Apartment

 

We had the wood worm professionally eradicated and all new materials were also treated. Apart from rotten floor boards in the floor above we discovered major damage in the houses main support beams. These had to be addressed. We removed the beams and replaced them with strong engineered timber. This had the benefit of adding to the headroom so it also improved the living space.
Cellars are often considered to be cold, damp and dark and certainly this one was no exception until we carried out the refurbishment.

Its very important to make sure that you insulate the walls of old stone houses
We turned our attention to the walls using a modern tanking system and insulation we produced a space that heats up very quickly in the winter and remains cool in the summer.

Damp Cellar to Warm Dry Apartment

tanked insulated and dry walls

Damp Cellar to Warm Dry Apartment

Insulated ceilings

 

 

 

 

The ceiling was also insulated and fitted with “daylight” lighting. The old external doors had their panels removed and replaced with glass making the apartment a very light pleasant place to be.

 
Once the walls and ceilings were painted and the floor tiled you could really appreciate the transformation.

Damp Cellar to Warm Dry Apartment

Damp Cellar to Warm Dry Apartment

Finally the kitchen was installed, the bathroom modernized and re fitted ready to hand over to the client.

If you need more living space in your home contact Castelo Construction   john@casteloconstruction.com or check out our website www.casteloconstruction.com

SKYPE Castelo or call 00351967922513

 

 

Damp in Old Houses

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Damp in Old Houses

Damp in Old Houses – Damp, Condensation, Penetrating Damp, rising damp

The dilemma of dampness caused by condensation in old houses
It’s not just a dilemma for the house owners it’s also a dilemma for those of us who are tasked with curing or sorting it out.

To explain in more detail.

Over the last 60 years we have been fed a lot of miss information from companies selling products to protect ? our home from the problem of damp.On the other side of the coin we have also been fed information that is not technically correct and could also be termed hearsay or miss-information.

An attempt to make things clear ALL HOMES HAVE DAMP yes even your 1 million pound mansion.
That is to say ALL HOMES HAVE HUMIDITY – even dry homes.

The difference is in the levels of humidity that is on the internal walls and in the air. If the homes internal air is around 20% humidity you don’t notice it and the house and walls feel dry.

If the homes internal air is around 45 to 50% humidity then you will start to see tell-tale problems caused by CONDENSATION (not rising damp)

Any higher that 50% and you will see interior damp tell tales. Make no mistake condensation is a nasty ugly thing that makes houses hard to live in comfortably and can produce conditions where paint and wallpaper fall off walls, insects abound and microscopic spores breed which can cause respiratory problems to inhabitants.

Damp in Old Houses. There is a trend at the moment where people are saying that it’s the fault of the cement used in the last 60 years to build and render walls that makes them not able to breathe and therefore dry out. What you should use they say is lime mortar and clay based paints so that your home can breathe. This breathing notion is very misleading and is often accompanied by Ecological, planet saving references which are even more miss leading.

Looking from another angle. Old houses used to have open fires providing more ventilation than heat.
They also had badly fitting windows and doors providing a lot more additional ventilation. People often smoked in the house so windows were left open providing even more ventilation. There was no insulation in the houses at all. The result of the above is that. The houses felt very cold (frost on the inside of the windows) and damp enough that clothes would become “musty” if left in wardrobes. Householders invented many ingenious methods to stop cold drafts.

These houses were uncomfortable to live in.

Which is why we moved to insulated homes with central heating and hot water throughout the house.

In the list of main causes of damp in your Portuguese home.Provided in part 1.

Lack of ventilation is listed and this is a major culprit in creating the condensation that we see as damp inside our homes.

We don’t want to go back to living in the past and are used to our creature comforts so how do we achieve the best of both worlds a warm dry home !

Ventilation is the answer. Think of over ventilation and you are still a little way short.

Modern houses have bathrooms, showers, cooking, people and pets breathing, clothes washing, drying and fridge freezers all of which pour large amounts of water vapor (humidity) into the homes atmosphere. The only way to get rid of this is with adequate ventilation.

If you insulated every part of the home the airborne water vapor would find the coolest part like a door handle on an outside door or glass on a window and condense on this forming a puddle inside the house.

If you see condensation inside your windows open the doors and windows until it goes and a for a good while after.
Opening two doors or a couple of windows is best to provide a through draft which moves more damp air out.

Our third part of the blog will look at managing humidity in stone build houses

Check our www.casteloconstruction.com   to see actual damp solutions.

Damp in Old Houses

Damp in old houses

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Damp in old houses

Damp, Condensation,Penetrating Damp and Rising Damp

Damp in old houses. The dilemma of dampness caused by condensation in old houses
Not just a dilemma for the house owners it’s also a dilemma for those of us who are tasked with curing or sorting it out.

Damp in old houses. To explain in more detail. After world war two there was a house building boom which incorporated lots of new modern materials and building techniques all introduced with saving money in mind. Some of the architects ideas, methods and materials have been proved to be very bad indeed.

The new house that I was born in (part of a new town) won the designer a knighthood. It was demolished along with the rest of the development 30 years later. No one would think of building a house or refurbishing a house with a 30 year life expectancy. The reason for the demolition was damp and wood rot.

It was during this time that Rising Damp was thought of as a major problem in all types of homes. This spawned a massive  “Damp Prevention” industry with services and products such as  Electro Osmosis Damp Proofing systems, Rising Damp specialists, Damp proofing companies, Injected chemical damp proof courses and so on. Making many people very rich indeed.

They where and still are aided by the damp surveyors (salesmen) hand-held meter which is said to measure the humidity in a wall. What it actually measures is the electrical conductivity of a surface not damp. In order not to damage or mark your paint work the surveyor will touch the wall not force the probes deep inside the plaster so all that they are measuring is the humidity on the paint or wallpaper which is in most cases purely condensation. This professor with his meter must be right so we pay up.

Make no mistake condensation is a nasty ugly thing that makes houses hard to live in comfortably and can produce conditions where paint and wallpaper fall off walls, insects abound and microscopic spores breed which can cause respiratory problems to inhabitants.

Don’t worry its fairly easy to resolve the problem of damp – go you our website for examples www.casteloconstruction.com

Here are the main causes of damp in old houses.

Ground levels outside higher than inside
Missing or broken guttering or missing rainwater downpipes
Vegetation growing near an external wall
Trees creating shade and holding moist air near an external wall
Badly sealed terraces
Badly sealed verandas
Badly sealed external stairs
Badly sealed railing mounting points
Lack of ventilation
Furniture (large objects like wardrobes) against walls creating cold areas
Groundwater penetration

In part two of this blog we will tell you how to fix all of these problems

www.casteloconstruction.com

Damp in old houses  Part 1

Cracked Ceiling

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Cracked Ceiling

Your new property acquisition in Portugal probably has traditional boarder ceilings which will no doubt be cracked even a little saggy. Plaster ceilings are usually cracked as well. See http://www.casteloconstruction.info/2012/11/27/sagging-or-cracked-boarded-ceiling/

Cracked Ceiling

Because the roof and ceiling joists fail due to wood worm and rot which in turn causes the ceiling to crack and bow downwards. The other culprit is water damage. The signs of this will be obvious.

One of the things that you can do to very effectively hide the problem especially in older houses where ceiling heights are high is fit a suspended ceiling. This gives you several benefits, You can install rock wool, cork, fibreglass, sheep’s wool or polystyrene insulation.

Ceiling

Cracked Ceiling Grid

You can also install lighting which is sunk into the ceiling. This does not have to be small spot light there is a wide range of lighting styles available. You can hide air conditioning, heating and electrical cables above the ceiling.

Cracked Ceiling Grid

Cracked Ceiling

Having a new level, clean painted ceiling will make your house look more modern.The steel grids used to make suspended ceilings are readily available in Portugal. They require a little skill in putting them up but once mastered it’s an easy process.

Remember to use moisture resistant board in bathrooms or areas of high humidity.

 

WWW.casteloconstruction.com

 

full refurbishment of an old house

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We are about to start the full refurbishment of an old house. Originally well-built in stone it is suffering quite a lot from damp and water ingress.

 

The water is coming through the roof where it meets the walls with water running down the internal walls onto the timber ceiling making the plaster on the bedroom walls fall off and then continuing downward into the wooden first floor and through to the ground floor where the plaster is falling away from the walls in chunks. This plaster rubble absorbs the rain and holds the moisture so that it keeps the floor boards wet all the time. Rain water is also coming in around the window frames which have been damaged by wood worm infestation. This lets the glazing slip letting in more water.

 

As if this wasn’t enough on the ground floor the timber under floor cavity is full of old rubble and very damp. It’s a perfect example of what can quickly go wrong with a Portuguese house. We have to deal with the unholy trinity wet rot, dry rot and woodworm.

 

In this case we have decided to strip out everything “roof, first floor ceiling, first floor walls, windows and doors, first floor floor and joists. Ground floor walls and doors, ground floor floor and joists. We will only leave in place the ancient central chestnut beam once we have established it its strong enough to be used again. It will of course have to be well treated with wood worm killer in the event of it being re used.

 

Although the amount of work and cost may appear extreme it will be relatively cost effective and won’t need the ongoing maintenance which a less thorough job would require.

 

Once the new structure is in place and the house watertight we will install all of the utilities, drainage, phone, gas, water and electricity. The replacement of the interior floors provides a golden opportunity to re arrange the living spaces with what is effectively a blank canvas. If the client wants a few large rooms, lots of small rooms or a bathroom like a ballroom we can accommodate their wishes. As for style if the client wants the house to look restored but of its age we have many pre used chestnut beams which we can utilise in the rebuild. Our carpenters still have the patters for all of the old window and door designs when fitted with the old reclaimed door furniture the new doors will look as though they have always been there.

 

We will post regular photo updates on progress so make sure that you keep checking the blog or have a look at www.casteloconstruction.com

Algarve Renovation Project

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Algarve Renovation Project

Rustic Property in Need of Render Repairs
Occasionally you may come across a nice property here in central Portugal. Good size, great views, a garden and lots of POTENTIAL !

By looking at the overall structure of the property you can establish if its soundly constructed. If you don’t think you are qualified to do this contact Castelo Construction 00351967922513 and they will help you.

What does put a lot of people off is a property which looks rough on the outside. Cracked and missing render with weeds or grass growing out of it and dark stains from rain water.
Don’t worry it can be fixed fairly easily. It’s not a job for an amateur although some of the basic work (almost half) can be done by you.

Algarve Renovation Project

Before you get your overalls on have a look at the traditional features that the property has. These may be overlooked as the property may look in a bit of a state. If you find these features attractive it is well worth having then replicated in the new render, repaired or realigned. If you remove them all the property may lose some of its character and end up looking like a featureless box.

look for features, Algarve Renovation Project

Windows with stone surrounds can be exposed to create a very attractive look. Make sure that they and the underlying stone are sound as exposing ugly stone work and re rendering on top of loose masonry is a waste of time.
Starting to clean the old render off your property. This is the DIY part. You can buy a chipping hammer from most tool shops for under 10 Euros. It looks a little like a small ice axe with a vertical chisel blade on one side and a horizontal blade on the other. All you do is hit the render where you want to take it off and once you have formed a hole you just work along the edge making it larger. It’s important to have a dust mast and goggles because the work is very dusty.

Algarve Renovation Project

Pic 3

Dusty, boring and repetitive is the best way to describe removing render. The wall elevation in (Pic 4) took 1 man 3 days to remove. You will need scaffolding to safely access the whole wall. With the equivalent of 12 man days to remove the render from a whole house you have saved a good part of the re-render cost and built up the muscles in your hammer arm.

Algarve Renovation Project

Algarve Renovation Project

Always use professionals to re render as it’s hard to judge the quality of the finished render until its painted then of course it’s too late. A professional will produce straight corners and edges, sharp detailing and a very smooth surface. They will also know exactly which mix of slaked lime, sand and cement to use on the inside or outside of your house.
Leave the rendered property for at least a month before painting it so that it can dry out and settle properly. During drying mall cracks will appear which can be filled before painting.
The result will be a waterproof, more valuable, attractive home that you can be proud of.

For internal plaster or external lime render contact     info@caseloconstruction.com

See more completed projects at www.casteloconstruction.com

Low cost refurbishment in Portugal

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Everyone wants to know how you can carry out a Low cost refurbishment in Portugal

Its easy, but you have to buy the right property in what is the ultimate Heart Vs Head contest of your life.

Here is our check list when looking for a low cost refurbishment in Portugal. It starts off easy but gets painful.

The property has water, electricity and main sewerage CONNECTED AND THE CONNECTIONS ARE LEGAL

Externally the walls on all sides are vertical and straight

There are no cracks in the outside walls of more than 60 Cms or 2 feet

There are no obvious sags, dips, ridges in the roof. Tiles are all straight.

The internal rooms can be easily re configured to adapt to the type of living areas that suite you, your family and your lifestyle.

The ground floor spaces have AMPLE (2.5 Meters) head room bearing in mind you will have to either dig down our build up the floor to run sewerage, water, gas and electrical supplies.

The first floor is not suffering from wet rot, dry rot or wood worm.

The stairs are not suffering from wet rot, dry rot or wood worm.

The roof is not suffering from wet rot, dry rot or wood worm.

There is room to dig a new cesspit or septic tank on your land.

There is adequate room for vehicles to access the site and rubbish to be removed by vehicle.

There is room to store materials on your land.

Scaffolding can be put up around the house on your land.

If you can say yes to all of these questions you do indeed have a very good candidate for a low cost refurbishment project. In fact you have found the proverbial “hens teeth”

All you need now is Location Location Location and you are on to a winner.

Also don’t forget that there are minimum room sizes that you should conform to when refurbishing your property.

Keeping out the rain and rising damp is a very common task in the old houses of Central Portugal

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Keeping out the rain and rising damp is a very common task in the old houses of Central Portugal

We get lots of practice in solving the problem of damp. Our clients tell us that it’s the biggest disappointment in their self renovation of an old property and even the remodeling of a more recently built property.

Keeping out the rain and rising damp in Central Portugal

You get it all plastered, pointed, painted and furnished then to your horror discover that a coat left to hang in a wardrobe appears to be covered in mildew. Leather belts start to go silver and furniture starts to warp so that doors and drawers don’t close properly.

First signs of a rising damp problem

People immediately reach for a simple solution such as a plug-in de-humidifier, electric fire or mobile gas heater all of which definitely make the damp problem worse. Ventilation is one answer. You have probably seen older Portuguese people with their house windows and doors open all day to let the warmer/dryer outside air into the house and take the surface damp away. This will work to a certain extent but who wants to live like an animal in a barn.

Sagging, wood worm infested roof timbers allow tiles to slip and rain, frost melt, birds and snow to get into your roof space. This is normally signaled by black marks on the ceiling and occasionally rain running through light fittings or running down walls.

Rising damp can look like this

 

Paint wont adhere to the wall

The wet wall also affects the timber floor

and is usually found in the ground floor walls up to the first 1.4 meters above ground level. Here you will find “Dry Rot” This grows by sucking the goodness out of wet timber and making it look like it has been burnt in a fire.

Keeping out the rain and rising damp is a very common task in the old houses of Central Portugal

Not dried out this timber has to be removed

caused by damp

The wood that is left has very little strength and will have to be burnt when the problem is addressed. Dry Rot also sends out tentacles which look for other damp areas from which to feed. This is why large areas of timber and plaster are often removed when wet rot is treated. The key of course is to find and eradicate the source of moisture in the first place.

When wet or dry rot is found in structural timber such as roofs or floor joists the repairs are extensive and can be expensive.

If your worried about wet rot, dry rot or damp problems contact Castelo Construction Lda www.casteloconstruction.com

Keeping out the rain and rising damp is a very common task in the old houses of Central Portugal

Buying Building Materials in Portugal

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Buying Building Materials in Portugal

You have found the place of your dreams here in Portugal and are about to set out and refurbish or extend your home in the sun.

If you were in the UK or anywhere in northern Europe buying building materials you would phone up a builders merchant and place an order to be picked up or delivered at your convenience.

Things work a little differently in central Portugal there definitely is a language barrier when buying building materials in Portugal  You can probably find a material merchant who has an English-speaking staff member or member of the family. You may even be asked to call back around 7pm when the person is back home.

It’s probably best to go in personally and ask for your material the first couple of times a map of where you live would also be helpful to them. Although I have regularly given GPS co-ordinates and a typed address to the larger builders merchants and they still call me when they are 5 or 10km away to ask for verbal directions. It’s just a cultural thing.

You can Google the names of building materials quite easily the quantities that they are sold in my be a little more difficult as a lot of them are very old non metric terms.

You will also find that materials will not be priced so you will have to ask the price of each item. As you are not known as a volume buyer and in fact look like a rich visitor you will certainly not get the best deal or necessarily the best quality materials unless you know what you are looking at.

Be prepared to take approximately 3 times more time to hang around than you would in a UK builders merchant this give you time to get known as a local and may help in finding other sources of materials.

www.leyroymarvin.pt   www.izi.pt

Warning when you get your materials back to your building site

Tipping materials on the road outside your house is not a good idea as it often requires a license from the council as does setting up scaffolding. Most local householders won’t bother to get a license as they probably know people in high places.

 

Buying Building Materials in Portugal

Lighting your home

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Lighting your home.

People tell me that when they plan the refurbishment or their property in Portugal  they often tell me that they are happy they chose to work with Castelo Construction on their homes in Portugal.

Because we remind them throughout the process of the things that they should be thinking about next. Very often the subject of lighting both inside and outside the home is not considered or ignored until we start to talk to them about it.
Usually people doing a DIY build or working with a Portuguese builder or architect don’t think about lighting and illumination until is late in the reconstruction process or too often too late in the construction process.

Lighting your home, Lighting is so often taken for granted. People automatically opt for the single light point in the center of the room which is rarely the best idea. To expand on the importance of lighting think about television and theater almost all of the atmosphere and tension is created by lighting the lead actors and performers are illuminated to help you understand that they are important and relevant.

Moving away from the stage to areas a little less obvious public buildings like your local town hall and even cathedrals are professionally illuminated by lighting designers to give the spaces impact.

You don’t have to employ a lighting engineer to paint your house in light you can create a warm homely effect of your own with a little research and planning. This enables you to build into the planning of your house the places were light fittings will go without causing mayhem when the house is almost completed.