Hi everyone, thank you for taking the time to read. I am renovating my home which was built sometime between 1900-1930 without cavity wall. I am not sure how to approach the replastering since it seems to be mix of materials and consistencies throughout the house.
Currently I am working on the smallest room in the house which sits above the kitchen. The render on the walls seems to be a layer of gypsum (pink layer) over what I suspect is lime plaster (light brown colour with occasional hairs embedded). Some parts of the house also have a porous grey render behind the wallpaper.
Observations:
There are hairline cracks over the windows and doorways which appear to be limited to the plaster (no damage to the brick can be seen).
There are many holes on the plaster from previous fixtures.
After removing the skirting boards the plaster behind it practically crumbles off the wall, gradually hardening above where the skirting covered the wall.
The plaster in some walls is softer than others. It seems to be softer in places where the wall has something behind it (i.e party wall, adjacent rooms).
The walls that face the outside seem to have the harder plaster in the interior.
There are gas pipes embedded on the walls of the room which will need removing.
There is pebble dash on the exterior walls throughout the building.
My objective is to end out with the highest possible quality house that I can rent out in a couple of years but since I am new to house ownership, and DIY I am seeking advice on the following:
1. Should I take all the walls back to brick and replaster everything or should I remove the lose plaster and patch up the gaps?
2. Should I replaster with lime plaster?
I know lime plaster is expensive and requires better technique, but I’ve read that other types of plaster can cause damp to accumulate within the brick.
3. Should I consider internal insulation?
I am concerned about having insulation only on the external facing walls and how that affects temperature gradients in the transition from internal facing to external facing.
4. What else should I watch out for?
Condensation is my main concern at the moment, and I am not sure what the best plastering solution is for my conditions.
Are there any building regs I should be aware of?
I am not closed to the idea of contracting professionals to help, but I would like to learn more and save some money in the process. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
