The repair of the old house can be easily spoiled.And unnecessary interventions

Vernacular buildings have qualities that are difficult to find in new buildings. These are especially the proportions that have changed in new houses, or details that are worth keeping, such as beautiful doors or floors. Basically, every place has some history, so you're always building on something.

The successful reconstruction of a South Bohemian log cabin from 1750, which Lenka Míková and her collaborators spent four years on, suggests the path you could take in partially self-help repairs to your cottage. It is these wooden buildings, mostly from the nineteenth century, that are an integral part of our landscape.

“It was only when the original timbering hidden under the plaster was uncovered that it became clear how bad the condition of the house is. In the end, a large part of the cottage had to be demolished and replaced," recalls the architect. "However, we did not want to build a complete replica and imitate something, rather we wanted to create the same feeling as in the original folk building." Therefore, the original technologies, processes and traditional materials were used for the new constructions.

In the house there are hand-hewn beams in the timbering and rafters, clay plasters on the walls or hand-cleaved shingles on the roof. According to Lenka Míková, it is precisely the imperfect details and surfaces from the manual processing that create a pleasant feeling of space and help preserve the atmosphere of the original building. The new elements that appeared in the interior of the South Bohemian log house, such as an inserted floor or a vestibule, are rather inconspicuous. From the outside, the homestead has kept its original appearance.

When you start preparing the reconstruction of the cottage, it pays to take your time and not push the saw. Too perfect reconstructions, which use today's standardized solutions, often kill the original spirit of the building. Try to use the traditional construction methods used in your region.

Get to know the original traditional technologies and practices. You will definitely find local construction companies that have experience with them. The time you devote to research will pay off in the form of a pleasant living with a soul. In addition, some materials or processes are coming back to prominence.

Thatch and shingles on the roof

Natural materials that were used on the roofs of rural buildings in the past are currently making a comeback as ecological coverings. The traditional cheapest and most accessible covering used to be thatch made of straw or more durable reeds. These are bundles of sixty to one hundred and forty centimeter long stems, weighing around four kilograms.

The straws are very light, thermally insulating, yet well breathable and waterproof. Their supporters consider them to be more perfect and, above all, simpler than the current roof coverings with all the heat-insulating, vapor-proof, insurance waterproofing and other layers.

However, the covering always needs to be replaced after a few years. High flammability is also a disadvantage. In a number of European countries, especially in northern Germany, Denmark or southern Sweden, you will find many buildings with thatched roofs.

Wooden shingles, which were also used as facade cladding, are also coming to the fore again. Split shingle is historically faithful, but its production requires a perfect knowledge of the craft and time. Therefore, machine-cut shingles are mostly used, the properties and durability of which are a little worse, because the wood fibers are broken during cutting.

Natural slate, which is used mainly in the reconstruction of the roofs of historical monuments, clearly lasts the longest. It was said that it could be guaranteed twice for seventy years. In the first seventy, the nails with which it is attached will rust. The nails are pulled out, the templates are turned around, new nails are nailed in and they last another seventy years.

Slate is more expensive than other coverings, but it is a very effective investment. It can be easily split, cut and drilled, high-quality types have high mechanical strength and flexibility. Slate is highly weather-resistant, frost-resistant and non-flammable. Thanks to the variety of shapes and formats, it can be chosen for almost any shape of the roof and can also be used to elaborate gutters, dormers or gables.

When looking for an authentic roof shape, you can be inspired by the materials and roof shapes that are typical for the area. For example, in southern Bohemia, the beaver bag, a bag shaped like a beaver's tail, was popular. The covering of beavers resembles carp scales. The Krkonoše dwellings, on the other hand, were protected by gray and green bagged or folded sheet metal.

Lime protects the facade

During reconstruction or additions, you cannot avoid plastering the facade. It is often necessary to match the appearance of the new plasters with the original ones, in many cases it is necessary to pour the plaster in several layers and thus level the broken mixed or stone masonry. Cottage plasters were originally prepared using various traditional techniques, and in such cases too much perfection of the new plaster would be rather harmful.

If the original lime plaster is sticking to the walls, don't give up on it outside or at home. It is highly absorbent, so it can absorb water in the form of steam and liquid in the interior and then release it again when the humidity drops. You already know it - if water vapor does not condense on the walls, there is no breeding ground for harmful fungi and bacteria. In addition, lime has antibacterial effects, so it is itself a prevention of these ailments.

On the facade of your cottage, it protects the masonry from mechanical damage, rising moisture and salt damage. Don't forget that rural buildings were not insulated against ground moisture. The water evaporated through the floor or around the building, helped by the roots of a nearby linden tree. Once the water penetrated the masonry, it soaked into the lime plaster and evaporated.

When the plaster became saturated with water-soluble salts, it was enough to knock off the plinth and stretch a new one. The masonry remained protected. If you have already bought a cottage where you have to deal with moisture caused by missing insulation with building interventions, absorbent lime plaster will serve you as a temporary and very effective protection of the masonry until you solve the problem.

Clay houses

In the Czech and Moravian regions you will find many cottages, built of pig houses or anchors, as they are called, adobe bricks made of clay, sand, water and binder. Clay as a natural building material is once again in vogue, you will certainly have no problem finding information or the necessary material.

If you embark on a renovation, you should know that ordinary masonry will not suffice. Damaged areas, joints and cracks should be repaired with the same material from which the house is built.

Clay walls need to breathe, I don't like dampness. Too radical construction interventions in the building, such as replacement of windows, additional insulation of the foundations or careful insulation, can cause the opposite extreme - uneven drying of the walls and, ultimately, the destruction of the perimeter masonry.

When renovating, you must remove all deposits and wall coverings from the walls, be it insulation or cement plaster. Cutting down is difficult because the plaster sticks to the wire mesh. Don't underestimate clay. When you decide to knock out an opening for a door in the wall from the anchors, you will be surprised by the concrete-like strength.

Clay plaster belongs to exposed clay masonry, you can find a lot of ready mixes on the market. You will apply the plaster with your hands and smooth it with wooden and metal trowels. When the clay on the walls dries, it will benefit from painting it with milk of lime.

Bedroom in the stable

Outbuildings and outbuildings used to be part of the old homesteads. Barns, stables, granaries, chambers, workshops or stables can be turned into pleasant living spaces with your own help, which will retain their traditional character thanks to vaults and stone walls. At the same time, it offers far wider possibilities for the sensitive integration of modern elements.

In the case of the South Bohemian log house, which we introduced to you in the introductory text, the barn serves as a summer living room with a large fireplace. In the newly created floor, there were insulated rooms for guests, which have their own heating. The stone walls inside were completely exposed, the original roof was also preserved.

Before you embark on the reconstruction of the farm premises at your cottage, clarify what purpose they will serve, and prepare sketches of the electrical and water distribution systems with an experienced designer. Think about how the room will be heated if you have a chimney connection available.

First of all, however, a thorough cleaning awaits you. Spaces where goats, cows, pigs or sheep lived retain their characteristic odor for many years to come. Stone and brick walls and floors are not insulated from the foundation, and you will probably have to deal with mold and moisture. So away with coverings on the floor and on the walls. Also knock loose plaster from the walls. For example, rotary brushes on a drill and various cleaning attachments for an angle grinder will help you.

For damp or salted stone walls, you must carefully scrape and clean even the joints. A pressure washer, air from a compressor, a powerful workshop vacuum cleaner and various brooms and brushes can also make your work easier. Then add dry cleaning, for example the years-proven products of the SAVO brand.

If there are walls of sandstone block or marl hidden under the plaster, it is worthwhile to cut it manually and carefully. Care must be taken when cleaning sandstone with a steel brush, which can damage the surface of the stones if used too intensively. If the object is troubled by moisture, you will have to undercut the walls and insert additional waterproofing, chemical grouting can be used.

Now it's time to store the wiring. The cables can be placed in the joints between the stones, but the switches will have to be jammed. If you keep exposed brick vaults or stone walls without plaster, you will have to joint them. You can find special preparations for this on the market. In the finale, don't forget the treatment with penetrating agents. Although they partially close the surface of the stone, the walls will breathe.

The next step will probably be to refinish the floor. You cannot do without waterproofing and a concrete slab, possibly laying water and waste pipes, or installing heating mats for floor heating. For understandable reasons, outbuildings used to have small windows, actually only glazed metal frames. The easiest option is to replace the windows, you will probably have to have them custom made to fit the original openings.

When you decide to let in more daylight, look for a solution that matches the stone walls. For example, it is possible to make larger openings, place lintels and finish them to fit the size of the windows. In the room, thanks to this, you will have wide windowsills and external shutters available after plastering. New doors, which are similar in type to traditionally used doors, for example double-leaf doors, will match the character of the building.

Enemies of beams and floors Before starting construction interventions, you should invite an expert to assess the condition of wooden structures. Don't be fooled by the seemingly undamaged surface of the beams, everything can be different inside. The invasion of wood-destroying fungi and insects is particularly destructive. Spores of wood-destroying fungi survive many years as a dormant state. But it's enough if the rafter starts to leak, and there's a problem. A sign of rot caused by moisture is dark wood that is soft to the touch. The dreaded predator is the domestic wood borer, which mainly destroys coniferous wood with rot, but it can also damage masonry, not to mention textiles or paper. True to its name, the beam rot causes brown rot, which destroys the interior of the beams. If you want to be sure that your beams are healthy, a mycological test is in order. If the presence of wood rot or other fungi is confirmed, it is necessary to remove the sources of moisture in the first place. You will have to remove infested wood, including apparently healthy wood, at a distance of at least half a meter from the place of visible infestation. In the case of the floor, the related structure must also be gone, for example parts of the wall timbers. Burn the infested wood. Check whether the fungus is widespread in the masonry or in the joints between the bricks. You must chemically treat all areas where the occurrence of wood decay fungus has been recorded. Wood-destroying insects can also cause serious mischief. Not only beams and floors, but also furniture, windows or doors are attacked by striped worm. Larvae of the roof weevil will feast on outdoor fences as well as indoor rafters or floors. A crunching sound announces the presence of feasting larvae. The large sawfly or wood-destroying ants, which live in symbiosis with woodworms and hornworms and also bring fungi and mold to the wood, will not please you either. Fortunately, you can find impregnation preparations on the market that will help you both with the elimination of insects and wood-destroying fungi and molds. Microwave radiation can also be used to destroy worms.