What lies beneath?
Stone houses were normally rendered long after they were built to try and stop the damp problem mentioned above. Unfortunately for the owners in the old days the only cement that they could get their hands on was very poor quality eastern European cement often mixed with lime in an effort to make it go further. As a result it is very common to see cement render falling off or places where it has washed off the walls. See the attached photograph (right). This makes it very easy to clean off old stonework without it damaging the stone below, which you may want to preserve and display.
Taking a second look at the picture above – you will notice that it has shaped stone frames around the doors and windows. This gives us a clue that the house was originally built using expensive materials and should be of a good quality construction.
The stone work that is exposed where the render has fallen off is in reasonable condition and is made of dressed stone not “field stones”. Another very important aspect is that the masonry has a pleasant colour which will look very nice with a contrasting coloured pointing.
“Field stones” are simply stones that are found in fields often they vary in colour and have round irregular sides. This makes them very poor for building retaining walls or any load bearing walls especially as they only have poor quality render to hold them up.
For example of truly wonderful stone properties available for sale now, see the New Properties section of Central Portugal. For projects of your own, check the renovation section.
Tags: building, granite, limestone, portugal, portuguese, refurb, refurb property, refurbishing properties, stone, stone cottage, stone house, xist
