Damp, blown plaster and failing render are common complaints in Fareham's older housing. Because so much of it is built from clay tile-hung and timber frame and exposed to the drier but wind-driven weather of the South East coast and Downs, the fix is nearly always breathable lime rather than another coat of cement. We deliver that work throughout Hampshire.
Exposure matters as much as material. Fareham sits in the drier but wind-driven weather of the South East coast and Downs, which means external work has to shed water and then dry out again quickly. That is exactly what a correctly built lime render does, and exactly what a sealed cement skin prevents.
The older parts of Fareham are dominated by timber-framed hall houses, Georgian townhouses, flint-and-brick cottages. These are solid-wall constructions — there is no cavity, no damp-proof membrane and no vapour barrier — so the wall relies on evaporation through the plaster and render to stay dry.
Lime is flexible, breathable and self-healing. On Fareham properties built from clay tile-hung and timber frame, it moves with the building instead of cracking away from it, and it protects the masonry rather than the other way round.
You get a single point of contact from survey to final coat. We agree the specification for your Fareham property in writing, prepare and apply the lime in the correct build-up, and advise on breathable decoration once the work has cured.
Every Fareham property is surveyed individually, but these examples show the kind of Hampshire buildings and use-cases we are called to most often.
timber-framed hall house — Persistent ground-floor damp in a timber-framed hall house in Fareham previously treated with injected DPC and waterproof render. Once the real moisture path was identified, the walls were replastered in lime and the damp resolved without chemical treatment.
Georgian townhouse — A Georgian townhouse in Fareham where hard cement render had trapped moisture against soft red brick. We stripped the render back to bare wall, allowed the masonry to dry, then rebuilt the finish in three coats of lime and limewashed it.
Regency seafront villa — Peeling modern masonry paint on a Regency seafront villa in Hampshire. The impermeable coating was removed, minor render defects were patched in lime, and the elevations were finished in several thin coats of limewash.
Yes. We regularly work on listed and conservation-area properties across Hampshire and can supply mix specifications and sample panels for Fareham conservation officers where consent is required.
External lime work is best carried out between spring and early autumn so it can carbonate before the first frosts. Internal lime plastering in Fareham can be done year-round with adequate heating and ventilation.
Lime cures slowly by carbonation. Allow roughly a week per coat as a guide, and longer in the drier but wind-driven weather of the South East coast and Downs. We protect the work and control drying so the finish cures evenly rather than cracking or dusting.
It depends on the wall and its exposure. For most Hampshire work we use hot-mixed lime or NHL 2 with hair reinforcement for lath and frame, stepping up to a more hydraulic lime only where exposure or the substrate genuinely demands it.
Where damp is caused by trapped moisture in a solid wall — very common in older Fareham properties — replacing cement or gypsum with lime allows the wall to dry out. We always identify the source of moisture during the survey before recommending work.
Our lime plastering, render and pointing teams also cover these towns and cities close to Fareham in Hampshire and the wider South East England area.
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