This thatched cob cottage had been patched with cement render in the 1980s. It looked fine from the road, but the walls inside were damp and the cement had started to crack and come away.
Why lime
Cob walls are made of earth and straw and need to breathe. Cement traps moisture in the wall, which is what caused the damp. We carefully removed the cement, repaired the cob where it had softened, and re-rendered in lime, finished with a traditional limewash.
The result
The walls are drying out, the damp patches inside are fading, and the cottage looks the way it should.