Talking Conservation

Before choosing your lime mortar or plaster, you need to understand your substrate.

In this bonus episode of Talking Conservation, Stephen and Rich explore the importance of knowing what's behind or beneath your mortar; from soft handmade bricks and old stone to chalk walls and cob.

Whether you're repointing, plastering, or rendering, understanding the substrate is critical to choosing the right mix and achieving long-lastin...

Not sure which lime to use for a chimney, solid floor, or coping stone? In this episode of Talking Conservation, we explain how to choose and apply the right lime mix for floor construction and high-exposure areas in older homes.

In this episode, Rich and Stephen continue their deep dive into lime mortars, exploring how to apply them in real-world contexts where performance under pressure really matters.

We cover the use of limecrete...

Lime Plaster & Render Uses Explained — How to choose the right mix for old buildingsIn this episode of Talking Conservation, Stephen and Rich continue their deep dive into lime applications; this time focusing on internal plasters and external renders for traditional and historic buildings.We discuss the different types of lime used in plaster and render work; including air lime, NHL 2, NHL 3.5, hot lime, and pozzolanic mixes a...

Lime Mortar Uses Explained — How to apply the correct mix for your historic homeIn this episode of Talking Conservation, Stephen and Rich explain how different types of lime mortar are applied to traditional buildings; from soft brick pointing to bedding stone walls. We cover the pros and cons of air lime, NHL 2, NHL 3.5, and hot lime mixes and how they compare to cement-based mortars often found in repairs.When considering pointin...

In this episode of Talking Conservation, we explain the different types of lime used in building and restoration work. If you have ever wondered what the difference is between air lime, natural hydraulic lime (NHL), pozzolans, or hybrid lime mixes, this video will give you a clear introduction.

Understanding the types of lime is essential before starting any work on older or historic buildings. Whether you are a homeowner, builder, ...

Rich finds a lime kiln. Stephen nerds out on chemistry. Somehow, it all makes sense.

In this episode of Talking Conservation, we walk through the full lime cycle — from burnt limestone to breathable lime mortar — and explain why it still matters today.

Packed with practical knowledge, dry humour, and the occasional chemistry flashback, this is your crash course in the building material that’s been quietly doing the heavy lifting for...

Douglas Kent is the Technical Secretary ofSPAB, but in his private capacity purchased The Old Sun Inn, Saffron Walden, afew years ago, having previously acquired the neighbouring properties. We talkabout how Douglas got involved in conservation and how he came to the point ofbuying these buildings.  We discuss thechallenges he has so far faced and those he is yet to tackle. Amongst theissues discuss3ed we consider how to undertake ...

Ian is the CEO of Stow Maries Great War Aerodrome (museum). We talk about his past and how he came to be at Stow Maries, as well as describing the site and its buildings. Some issues we specifically talk about are Hoop Iron and Asbestos. We also discuss the use of volunteers and how these are essential to the running of the museum. An ongoing problem that faces most museums is funding and we talk about funding for Stow Maries. We ...

Buildings Insurance for Historic Homes: Everything You Need to Know In this episode, we sit down with Steve Moores, Client Director for Howden Insurance, to discuss the ins and outs of buildings insurance for historic homes. Whether you’re a homeowner, landlord, or tenant of an old property, this episode is packed with essential advice to help you protect your home. Key Topics Covered: - How to assess the rebuild value of your his...

If you're a fan of home renovations, historic properties, or jaw-dropping transformations, you’ve likely heard of Greg—better known on social media as “Man with a Hammer.” In this episode, we dive into his epic journey of restoring the Admiral’s House, a massive 8000-square-foot ex-Naval officer’s quarters in Plymouth, into a stunning forever home. Built in 1804, this grand Georgian property boasts 30+ rooms, 5 floors, and 60+ win...

In this episode we explore what many homeowners have experienced during the purchase process of buying an older property; the dreaded "you require a separate timber/damp survey".

Stephen and Rich discuss the reasons you may get such a requirement, usually from your mortgage lender, the history that surrounds it and finally what people can do about it to ensure you both satisfy the lending conditions but also do what is appropriate...

MYTHBUSTING!

James Wright

We are talking to James Wright - the Historic Buildings Mythbuster!

We start off by looking into his background and how he got into building archaeology, and then we go on to tease a bit more out about him in terms of some of the grand buildings he's dealt with to some of the smaller historic buildings, and the lessons that he's learnt from those. We talk about some of the science involved in building archaeo...

In this episode, we interview the directors of the National Retrofit Hub - Rachel Owens and Sara Edmonds.

00:00 Introduction

00:52 What is NRH?

02:02 Rachel’s background

04:12 Sara’s background

08:40 About the NRH, who is involved and getting the message across

14:25 Reasons for, and benefits of, retrofit

15:27 Retrofit for homeowners, builders and builders’ merchants

20:50 Community involvement

24:17 Getting the message out

27:17 Aims of NR...

In this episode we chat with Ben Kerslake of CarringtonLIME. Rich visited him at his premises in the Forest of Dean. We discuss Ben winning a Blue Peter competition, getting his neighbours to work on his house, and painting a room for 50p! On a more serious note, we talk about lime, hot lime, Naturally Hydraulic Lime, training, and innovation. Ben is keen to help train the next generation of plasterers, but also homeowners wanting ...

In this episode we talk with Jonathan Taylor, exploring his beginnings in Architecture and then as a Conservation Officer, before the founding of the Building Conservation Directory. We discuss its success and some of the challenges Jonathan faces in publishing, as well as issues that are close to Jonathan's heart relating to conservation and his concern that conservation is about more than just the buildings.

Chapters

00:00 - Intro

0...

An introduction to this podcast. Find out a bit about Stephen and Rich, what their motivations are, and what this podcast is about.

Chapters:

0:44 Introduction to Stephen

7:24 Introduction to Rich

13:08 How and why we’ve got together

15:26 Why we’re doing this podcast

16:12 What we mean by “Conservation”

19:18 Misinformation online / media (print/TV etc)

21:02 Dispelling myths 

22:08 The need for homeowners to understand technical matters. 

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