| We were on a whistlestop viewing tour of | | | | 'sacrificial' mortar or the stone will become |
| Abruzzo a beautifully unspoilt and green region of | | | | damaged and crumbles. Unfortunately when we |
| Italy little know by tourists. The idea was to buy | | | | had carefully removed some of the grey cement |
| an old house and restore it mainly using our own | | | | that had been slapped on some of the stone |
| labour. | | | | areas we found stones so damaged that we had |
| We had already seen a house in the mountains | | | | no choice but to take them out and replace them. |
| that had fired our imaginations but as usual we | | | | The mix we used was a 3 to1 with the addition |
| found the beautiful old structure was encased in | | | | of an earth pigment to colour the mortar light |
| ugly cement render painted a horrible shade of | | | | buff.Most lime mortars dry to a light almost white |
| yellow!! The agent showing us properties was | | | | colour depending on the colour of the sands used |
| driving us and the approach to the next house | | | | and we wanted something more to match the |
| was a blur as we took corners and inclines at | | | | colour of the stones.I actually found working with |
| speed! I could see we were some way out of the | | | | the Lime mortar quite easy once Id got used to |
| last village and in an area surrounded by oak trees | | | | it.The main problem was mixing the colour each |
| and olives.The winter had been paricularly harsh so | | | | time and the pointing does vary very slightly from |
| the trees were only just coming into leaf but the | | | | area to area.The stone does too so I don't think |
| sheltered position meant that the air felt warm | | | | this is too unpleasing. |
| and sweet with a definite promise of spring. | | | | We've nearly finished the repointing in this way |
| The house from the outside looked truly terrible.It | | | | after a year!Unfortunately when we put new |
| was a real patchwork of brick, cement and old | | | | windows in we found some bricks surrounding |
| limestones with garish green painted windows and | | | | them so 'spalled' we had no choice but to replace |
| nettles around the door! To cap it all in the hedge | | | | them.We we lucky in Italy that the builders |
| the vendors had abandoned a couple of Fiat 500s! | | | | merchants sell lovely new bricks made to look old |
| We were told that some of the large stones on | | | | so they blended perfectly.In the position that |
| the front of the house had come from the old | | | | these 'spalled' bricks were it was important to |
| Benedictine Basilica of of San Liberatore at | | | | replace them but I know that inside many owners |
| Serramonacesca.They were quite impressive and | | | | of historic houses don't worry about a few spalled |
| formed the structure of the old entrance door to | | | | bricks. |
| the church which had been filled with stone | | | | Inside the house we were lucky to find original |
| rubble.The church , Santa Lucia, had been changed | | | | brick floors in both rooms.Upstairs some bricks |
| into 2 separate dwellings sometime at least 200 | | | | had rotted out and its a tedious process drilling |
| years ago and the section that we were viewing | | | | around and lifting them out and then trying to find |
| had a brick/stone extension added in the | | | | another brick to fit that gap;these are all |
| 1930's.The modern bricks were extremely ugly | | | | hand-made bricks so proportions can vary quite a |
| and the only sensible option was to render that | | | | lot.Downstairs in the kitchen the surface of the |
| section. | | | | bricks is almost 'polished' from centuries of |
| We decided to go ahead with the rendering work | | | | wear.They will need cleaning and some pointing |
| at the same time we were having the roof taken | | | | but we don't plan to lift and relay them. |
| off and replaced.We had to do this as in Italy | | | | We are not living in Abuzzo full time; we work |
| regulations are very strict and a roof needs to be | | | | and live in the UK at the moment so our trips to |
| tied into the walls to prevent damage if there is | | | | the house are month long ones twice or 3 times |
| an earthquake.The builders had to do this because | | | | a year.We have a target of completing |
| we weren't allowed to go on scaffolding. Another | | | | everything in 3 years. Some of our relatives and |
| minor annoyance about trying to do it yourself in | | | | friends find it hard to understand why we don't |
| Italy! | | | | just get the builders in and finish the |
| Once the roof was done we were keen to get | | | | place.Sometimes I find it hard to understand too! |
| on and repoint the house as big gaps in the wall | | | | But in reality by doing all the delicate work |
| had led to rats creating 'runs' inside and burrowing | | | | ourseleves we've saved a sack of money and |
| through soft mortar to get in to our kitchen. | | | | gained a huge amount of satisfaction.Its |
| We chose to use traditional Lime Mortar to | | | | something I would throughly recommend to |
| repoint; its extremly important when dealing with | | | | anyone buying an older house. |
| a stone such as Limestone to use a so-called | | | | |