Our Renovation Goals
The building suffers from damp, principally caused by age-related failure of the
brickwork pointing leading to rainwater ingress, and gradual deterioration of the original surface water drainage facilities. The condition of each of the five individual almshouses has been impacted to a greater or lesser extent by these issues.
The project will alleviate the damp problem by the external repointing of the building in period-correct lime mortar and the installation of French drains to the entire perimeter with connections for rainwater pipes and new soakaways. In Almshouse No. 4, new timber floors will be constructed and the walls lined internally with breathable insulation and lime plaster. New kitchen and bathroom fitments will also be installed.
In addition, The bathroom in Almshouse No. 2 has been greatly impacted by condensation and damp. The fixtures, fittings and plastering are in a very poor state of repair and need replacing. The shower unit is leaking and causing problems in the living room walls of No 3. The walls need to have the cement plaster removed and be replastered with lime-based plaster which will enable our old building to breath as intended.
Quotes to replace the bathroom and insulate the exterior wall with wood fibre are just under £9,000. Once this work is completed, we will be able to repair the wall in No 3.
The immediate benefit of the project will be felt by the existing residents of all the Almshouses, who will enjoy drier and more pleasant living conditions. This is important, because there is very limited availability of affordable housing for single persons within the village of Stutton. More widely, the Almshouses are a historic and attractive feature of the village, so their continued preservation will benefit the community as a whole.
