"brugnospamsia" wrote in message
k...
Dear group,

My home improvement programme is in danger of being held up due to
conflicting advice I have received regarding how to attach insulated
plaster
boards to 9 inch solid brick walls built with lime mortar.

Brent borough council insist on battening and hence a generous air gap
over
brickwork with no waterproofing treatment applied directly to the wall :-


http://www.brent.gov.uk/bccs.nsf/248...944/bda0a799ca
60698c80256c1d0047621d/$FILE/BCCS%20Dry%20lining%20Solid%20Blockwork%20info%
20sheet%20No.7.doc

A video made 10 years ago by a local university shows waterproof
sand/cement
render being applied then the insulating boards attached with adhesive
dabs,
the boards then being skimmed.

The outside of the wall is rendered and I don't appear to have problems
with
penetrating damp


Knowledge on old houses has come on a lot in the last ten years.
Look at www.periodproperty.co.uk for a variety of articles on the subject.

We had to remove some of this waterproof render applied some twenty years
ago as the wall had gone green. Removing it of course took some of the lime
mortar with it so this had to be redone as well.

Once dried out, we used an average two inch gap (varies a bit as property is
random stone), and again no waterproofing applied. Make sure the air gap is
well ventilated. Upstairs is easy into the eaves but downstairs can be a
real pig. You need to put in airbricks and monitor whether damp is
collecting behind the insulation which of course is somewhat difficult to do
as you have to leave temporary access panels and plaster these up later. If
damp does collect you need to add more airbricks or a fan until things
stabilise.