Castelo Construction Renovation Project

Remodelling the exterior of an old house

There are three basic areas we had to address:

1) cutting new windows through the 800mm thick stone Walls.

2) removing and replacing an entire load bearing wall because it was previously constructed badly.

3) removing a twist in wall which was affecting the look of property.

Cutting windows or doors through a solid stone wall should not be contemplated by a DIY enthusiast. There is a significant amount of experience, muscle and equipment required go make it safe process and to minimize the chance of causing major structural problems to your property.

When we remodel or refurbish a property we always look at the structural integrity of the building first. If anything needs addressing we do that first. In this instance a ground floor wall of what was an animal shelter was poorly constructed and not keyed into the older part of the house effectively which meant the weight from the first floor was causing the wall to crack . We supported the first floor exterior wall and remover the ground floor wall. Constructing a new wall with solid foundations and a structural column which supports the first floor and roof truss.

Part of the first floor wall was leaning over at the top and twisting the wall outwards.  This was caused by the old roof sagging due the woodworm infestation and pushing out the top of the wall. The solution was straightforward we cast a continuous reinforced concrete ring beam along the top of the wall which we then sat the new roof on. Cutting back the twisted wall, taking out the old ineffectual tie-rods and re rendering to produce a straightened wall which matches the rest of the house.

Constructing a new roof is something we do often. In this project, we had to marry two different buildings into a harmonious whole ne new roof was to be insulated and windows installed in the roof .

First we stripped off the old roof with is years of woodwork soot A nd rot. Because the roof had sagged it was pushing thx exterior Walls out of line this had been halted by the installation of tie bars The solution was to strip out the roof completely and build a reinforced concrete ring beam with strengthens straightens squares and levels the old crumbling stone and brick walls ready to fit the attractive new roof.

The new roof is constructed of kiln dried Scandinavian pine which has been pre treated Against insect attack and coloured with a wood stain of the clients choice In this case a very attractive oak.

Half of the roof has a level ceiling and the other has a spacious open roof  which increases the impression of  space, additional light comes from two velux windows positioned on the north side. New roof tiles in a traditional design, similar to what was originally on the roof together with the decorative finials make the house fit in With the other houses nearby and maintain the rustic feel of the property.

Modern traditional looking tiles should be fitted which are frost proof and interlocking so that the house ends up with a watertight roof which will last for years