This fireplace in this old stone build cottage had partly created a damp problem as the outside wall could not "breathe" properly. We removed the artex and cement render and found an old larger opening. The wall was allowed to dry out for a month or so and then re-rendered using lime to follow the origanal contours. The client decorated using a lime wash. Using the lime render and lime wash allowed the wall to "breathe". We also lowered the ground level outside.
