STONE CONSTRUCTION LIMITED

The existing vestry had been poorly repaired in years past with a mixture of hard sand cement render and Gypsum plasters, and the walls had been painted in emulsion paint and all were in a very poor state of repair. There were also issues with leaks from the roof and blocked rainwater goods and poor drainage.

The Brief - To replaster the vestry, install a new brick drain and alter and repair rainwater goods. The existing wall and ceiling finishes in the vestry were removed to expose the original stone walling, which was so saturated with water we had to leave the walls for three months to dry out sufficiently before applying 3 coats of lime plaster, and after further drying, 7 coats of pigmented lime wash.

The existing brick floors were cleaned and the original stone window surrounds exposed and cleaned of old plaster and paint. Externally the rooves were repaired using salvaged handmade clay peg tiles, and the gutters were cleaned out. Rainwater pipes were brought above ground and repaired so that any debris would wash out rather than blocking the drains. To combat damp penetration a new brick drain was constructed using victorian staffordshire blue engineering bricks to match the existing - these had been salvaged from the back streets of Manchester. This was our first project at the church 6 years ago and we have continued to work with them since.