Portfolio
Over the years, Leslie Cornell Building Restoration Ltd have completed numerous projects.
We have undertaken many Cob Restorations, Historic Building Restorations and Damp Repairs throughout Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
Please view our Portfolio Gallery below to have a look at the Building Restoration Services we have accomplished in Cornwall & Isles of Scilly…
Leslie Cornell Building Restoration Ltd were engaged to undertake full sympathetic restoration works to this 18 th Century detached stone and Cob Grade II listed cottage in St Agnes.
The Client engaged us to complete a Pre-purchase Assessment of the entire property to assess the overall condition, as well as addressing their concerns of the condition of the Cob. This was undertaken to provide the Client with as much information as possible prior to exchanging contracts. Our Client decided to follow our recommendations and instructed us to undertake our proposed works, and more.
The first step in this project was for our Client to apply for Listed Building Consent for the works. We assisted our Client with the Listed Building Consent application by providing them with comprehensive method statements for each of our processes. Listed Building Consent was granted by Cornwall Council and our works commenced.
Prior to any of our Lime works, we first had to remove the existing cement wash pointing, cement-based render/plaster and non-breathable paint applications, both internally and externally. It was also evident that a bitumen tanking system had been introduced to the internal side of the stone walls. The removal of these applications enabled the historic walls to start breathing again and allow any moisture build-up to escape from the stone/Cob structure and dry out.
External Works
Cob/Stone Repairs - Once the existing non-breathable materials had been carefully removed and stone cleaning had been completed, we assessed the condition of the substrate and carried out Cob repairs and Stone repairs where required.
Lime Pointing - To maintain the breathability of the stone, we introduced an appropriate Natural Lime/sand mortar pointing application to the joints of the stonework.
Lime Rendering - To maintain the breathability of the Cob, we introduced an appropriate Natural Lime/sand mortar 3-coat render application.
Mineral Paint System - All of the newly introduced Lime render applications will be painted with a 4-stage Mineral Paint System. Mineral Paints have breathable qualities and, as such, maintain the breathability of the Lime works.
Land Drainage - It was noticed on our initial site visit that in places the external ground levels were higher than they should be. These higher levels and the topography of the surrounding land would attract moisture to pool and soak into the base of the walls, further hindering the breathability of the cottage structure.
To alleviate any moisture becoming trapped at the wall base, we removed all vegetation and installed a French Drain System to all elevations of the cottage.
Rainwater Goods and Facias - The existing guttering, downpipes and facias were of modern plastic, and not all of the guttering was sitting as close to the slates as it should. The inadequacy of the gutter system was providing an opportunity for rainwater to miss the guttering and run directly down the walls. This failure will have a detrimental effect on the breathability of the building, which ultimately could cause failure of the substrate and damp.
We removed the existing rainwater goods and facias, and installed replacement facias, cast-iron gutters and downpipes to divert rainwater away from the walls.
Lintels - On inspection, the existing external and internal lintels were undersized, both structurally and to modern day standards. We removed the ineffective lintels and replaced them with adequately sized Green Oak lintels.
Internal Works
Lime Pointing - Our Client chose to have some of the internal external walls Lime pointed. To maintain the breathability of the stonework, we introduced an appropriate Natural Lime/sand mortar pointing application to the joints of the exposed stone.
Lime Plastering - The remainder of the internal walls were plastered using an appropriate Natural Lime/sand mortar. A 3-coat Lime plaster application was introduced, with a Lime Putty finish. Following the appropriate drying times a 3-stage Mineral Paint System was applied to the newly introduced Lime plasters to maintain the breathability of this historic building in Cornwall.
Slate Flooring - On our Clients request, we introduced a slate floor to some of the internal ground floor.
Internal Mineral Paint System - All of the newly introduced Lime plaster applications have been painted with a 3-stage Mineral Paint System. Mineral Paints have breathable qualities and, as such, maintain the breathability of the Lime works.
There has been a lot of hard work and passion involved in this restoration project in Cornwall, and we are extremely proud of the completed works.
If you have am Historic Building Restoration project in Cornwall that you would like to discuss, please Contact Us.
Listed Building Restoration Specialists Cornwall – Cob and Lime Specialists Cornwall – Traditional Builders Cornwall – Breathability Specialists Cornwall – Damp Walls Cornwall
Leslie Cornell Building Restoration Ltd were engaged to undertake breathability maintenance works at this Historic Granite Cottage in Cornwall.
We carefully removed the existing non-breathable cement-based render applications to the historic wall of the rear elevation and raked out the joints of the stonework to the required depths. This was followed with the introduction of a breathable Lime mortar pointing application.
We then turned our attention to the chimney stack where we applied the same Lime pointing processes as above. Included in the Chimney Repairs was reflaunching to the top of the chimney stack and the introduction of a Pepperpot chimney cowl.
If you have a Lime Pointing in Cornwall or Chimney Repairs in Cornwall project that you would like to discuss, please Contact Us.
Lime Pointing Cornwall – Chimney Repairs Cornwall – Lime Specialists Cornwall – Historic Building Specialists Cornwall – Historic Building Breathability Specialists Cornwall
Leslie Cornell Building Restoration Ltd were engaged to undertake restoration works at this beautiful detached Historic Cob Cottage in Cornwall. This countryside cottage was formerly two coastguard cottages and is surrounded by National Trust owned land, with wonderful panoramic coastal views.
The first part of our restoration works was to introduce a 3-coat Lime plaster application to the already de-clad internal sides of the external wall of the front elevation.
Our attention then turned to the external of the property, where we removed the existing non-breathable render applications to the high-level Cob and non-breathable paint applications to the low-level stonework. This was followed with the raking out and removal of the existing mortars from the stonework joints.
Once removal of the existing claddings was achieved, a structural repair was identified. We executed this repair by introducing Helifix Helical Bars to the failed area. With the existing claddings removed, and using an appropriate breathable Lime mortar, we repointed the low-level stonework and introduced a 3-coat Lime render application to the high-level Cob.
If you have a Lime Pointing or Lime Rendering in Cornwall project that you would like to discuss, please Contact Us.
Lime Pointing Cornwall – Lime Rendering Cornwall - Lime Applications Cornwall – Lime Specialists Cornwall – Historic Building Breathability Cornwall – Structural Repairs Cornwall
Leslie Cornell Building Restoration Ltd were engaged to restore the breathability of this wonderful Georgian Farmhouse in Cornwall. The property was built in the mid 1800’s and is part of a complex of agricultural building.
The Farmhouse was suffering from trapped moisture within the walls, mainly due to the use of cement mortar pointing and non-breathable paint applications.
Our restoration works in Cornwall commenced with the raking out of the existing non-breathable cement pointing from the joints of the stonework, followed by the removal of non-breathable paint applications to the faces of the stone and brickwork.
After we removed the existing non-breathable materials, we than proceeded to repoint the stone and brick joints using an appropriate breathable Lime mortar.
Our clients were extremely pleased with the restoration works we undertook and provided us with a wonderful testimonial, which you can view on the Testimonial page of our website.
If you have a Lime Pointing in Cornwall project that you would like to discuss, please Contact Us.
Lime Pointing Cornwall – Lime Applications Cornwall – Lime Specialists Cornwall – Historic Building Breathability Cornwall
This historic cottage in Cornwall was suffering from damp problems.
We, Leslie Cornell Building Restoration Ltd, were engaged to undertake Lime rendering works to maintain the breathability of the cottage, thus limiting the amount of moisture trapped within the walls.
Our works commenced with the removal of the existing Lime and cement-based render applications to the external walls and chimney stack. We then followed this with the introduction of an appropriate 3-coat Lime render application. Following the appropriate drying times for the 3-coat Lime render, we introduced a breathable Beeck Mineral Paint System.
To see what our Clients thought about the work we undertook, please have a look at the Testimonial they provided for us.
If you have a Lime rendering in Cornwall project that you would like to discuss, please Contact Us.
Lime Rendering Cornwall – Lime Specialists Cornwall – Traditional Builders Cornwall – Breathability in Historic Building Cornwall
The render on the front elevation of this historic Cob property in Truro was failing, with cracks and hollow/separation gaps apparent.
Our works commenced with the careful removal of the existing render to expose the Cob beneath. We then removed the cast-iron rainwater goods for refurbishment, removed the existing facias for the installation of new and removed the existing paint applications from the existing Natural Slate sills.
The ensure the breathability of the building was maintained, we introduced a Natural Lime/sand 3-coat render application to the exposed Cob.
Following appropriate drying times, we then painted the newly introduced Lime render with a breathable 4-stage Mineral Paint System.
We supplied, primed, painted and installed new facias to the property and introduced new fixings for the guttering and downpipe. The refurbishment of the cast-iron rainwater goods included sanding, painting and the introduction of new gutter seals. On completion of the refurbishment we reinstated them.
Our Clients were extremely pleased with the finished results and provided us with a very kind Testimonial.
If you have a Lime Rendering in Cornwall project that you would like to discuss, please Contact Us.
Lime Rendering Cornwall – Lime Specialists Cornwall – Cob Specialists Cornwall – Breathability in Old Buildings Cornwall
Leslie Cornell Building Restoration Ltd were engaged to undertake traditional restoration works at this 18th Century stone property in Cornwall.
All of our restoration works were sympathetic to the buildings substrate and included:
Lime Repointing
We carefully removed the existing pointing applications form the stonework joints and raked them out to the required depths. Some areas of the faces of the stonework had been previously painted and this too was carefully removed and cleaned. With the stonework and joints adequately cleaned and raked out, we then proceeded to introduce an appropriate Lime mortar repointing application.
Lime Rendering
It was decided that some areas of the external walls of the property would be better suited to being rendered. Using an appropriate Lime mortar, we introduced a 3-coat render application to the specified areas. The chimney stack was one of these areas where we removed the existing applications and re-rendered with a suitable 3-coat Lime mortar.
Window Sills
Some of the existing window sills had deteriorated and become ineffective. We removed the inadequate sills and replaced them with Brazilian Natural Solid Slate sills.
If you have an historic building restoration in Cornwall project that you would like to discuss,please Contact Us.
Lime Specialists Cornwall – Slate Sill replacement Cornwall – Traditional Builders Cornwall – Historic Building Restoration Cornwall
Leslie Cornell Building Restoration Ltd were engaged to undertake Cob restoration works to this collapsed Grade II Listed boundary wall in Cornwall.
The neighbouring properties outbuilding collapsed, damaging the listed Cob and Stone wall. We used preformed Cob blocks and a Lime mortar to repair the damaged area and tied the repaired wall using a Helifix System.
With the repair works completed, we then introduced a 3-coat Lime render application to the Cob. After allowing the appropriate drying times we applied a Beeck Mineral Paint System to the newly introduced Lime render.
If you have a collapsed boundary wall in Cornwall project, please Contact Us.
Cob and Lime Specialists Cornwall – Cob Repairs Cornwall – Cob Rebuilds Cornwall - Listed Building Specialists Cornwall
This historic stone and Cob house in Cornwall was suffering from damp.
Leslie Cornell Building Restoration Ltd were engaged to undertake restoration works to maintain the breathability of the building.
Our restoration works included:
The external drainage for this property was non-existent, so we excavated a land drainage trench and installed a French Drain system.
Rainwater Goods
We removed the inadequate guttering and downpipes and replaced with a cast-iron rainwater system.
The stone and Cob structure was clad in a cement-based render application. We carefully removed the non-breathable renders and introduced a Lime pointing application to the exposed stonework and a 3-coat Lime render application to the exposed Cob.
If you have an Historic Building in Cornwall and would like to discuss your restoration project, please Contact Us.
Historic Building Restoration Cornwall – Cob and Lime Specialists Cornwall – Breathability In Old Buildings Cornwall
This Grade II listed stone cottage in Cornwall required restoration works to the existing external Lime pointing.
To repair and preserve this historic building we, Leslie Cornell Building Restoration Ltd, were engaged to undertake sympathetic and breathable pointing works.
Before our works were allowed to commence, we were required to provide Lime pointing sample panels to discharge conditions set out in the Listed Building Consent Approval. We provided 3 different sample panels for consideration and Cornwall Council decided upon the most appropriate one and discharged the conditions.
The next stage of our works was to carefully remove the existing cement and Lime-based pointing applications and rake out the joints of the stonework to the required depths.
Our works were completed with the introduction of the agreed Lime mortar pointing application to the exposed stonework joints.
If you have a Lime pointing in Cornwall project that you would like to discuss, please Contact Us.
Lime Pointing Cornwall – Lime Specialists Cornwall – Listed Building Specialists Cornwall
We, Leslie Cornell Building Restoration Ltd, were engaged to undertake internal Lime plastering works at a Grade II Mid-17th Century house in Cornwall.
Our Client decided that they would like to have the internal walls plastered with a breathable insulating Lime render application to improve the thermal performance of the solid walled masonry and maintain the breathability of the building.
We introduced a Cornerstone Insulating Lime render application at a thickness of approximately 50mm, with a Lime putty finish.
If you have an Insulating Lime Render in Cornwall project that you would like to discuss, please Contact Us.
Breathable Insulating Lime Render Cornwall – Breathability In Old Buildings Cornwall – Lime Specialists Cornwall
